[1]: xxv The first volume (2010) is focused on Angolan popular music of the 1960s and 70s, which drew from traditional styles including rebita, kazukuta, and semba, as well as Latin and Congolese influences.

The war created dangerous conditions for musicians; David Zé and Urbano de Castro [d], who feature on Angola Soundtrack, were murdered in 1977 as part of the backlash to a failed coup attempt.

[6] The first volume of Angola Soundtrack was inspired by a series of albums released by French record label Buda Musique in 1999–2000 that compiled Angolan music from the 1960s and 70s, and features some of the same artists.

[2] Analog Africa owner Samy Ben Redjeb spent several years collecting Angolan records, and chose the tracklist from a pool of hundreds.

[8] Janne Oinonen of The Line of Best Fit called the first volume of Angola Soundtrack "essential listening...proving once again that behind the simplistic media portrayal of Africa as a continent of war, misery and poverty lies much richer, vibrant and multi-faceted reality," and identified Os Bongos' tracks as a highlight.