Out of Africa

Ralf Hildenbeutel is the missing link between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Robert Plant, in whose works the German producer/composer had a hand; now Hildenbeutel has put music to Hommage a Noir, a silent, slow-motion documentary by Ralf Schmerberg tracking daily life in various African villages. The soundtrack is a rich, mesmerizing soundscape of African trance and ambient music laced with the sound of raindrops, chanting and singing in dialect, pulsing beats, and spooky, ethereal keyboard and strings. Listeners may want to make the Philip Glass-Koyaanisqatsi comparison, but they shouldn't dwell on the similarities, which are outnumbered by the differences. La Soiree/French Kiss DJ Melvin "J" opens the Bay Area premiere of the film and CD release party with a set at the turntables beginning at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Justice League, 628 Divisadero (at Hayes), S.F. Admission is $3 before 9 p.m.; call 440-0409. (