Latin | Brazil Vinyl 133 Items

Impossible to find second album by this band from Nicaragua, 1975. A cool mix of Latin funk, jazz, salsa and psychedelic grooves. Including some of their most sought after tracks like ”Bacanal’ 76”, “Mimo” or the antiracist statement “La Conga de las Dos Razas”. After recording their first LP in Guatemala, Nica supergroup Poder del Alma travelled to Costa Rica to register their second album. This time the recording studio and equipment (including Mini-Moog) were better and the band featured a new line-up. The result was a powerful album which is now one of the holy grails of Latin funk worldwide.

Mad About Records officially reissues super rare private press Quintessence’s 1981 LP. With every famous jazz recording, many others remained on the shelf of oblivion without ever receiving the recognition they deserved, and this is the case of Quintessence.

Led by Ron Ancrum, with George Sovak, David Gaedeke, Winston Johnson and Steve Muse recorded an exceptional and fundamental album of 80's jazz.

If you are into Fender Rhodes, this is an LP to be collected.

Raposa Velha was a notable Jazz group from Brazil, which was part of the wave of great musicians and bands in Bahia during the 1980s, such as Sexteto do Beco, Saul Barbosa and Andréa Daltro.

Thus, Raposa Velha only released this album, independently in 1981. Lined between Jazz-Fusion and Avant-Garde Jazz, this LP has become a very obscure piece within the Brazilian Jazz universe and one of the rarest of Brazilian Jazz.

Soundway Records re-issue the massively in-demand Soca cover-version of Sade’s classic cut “Sweetest Taboo” by Caribbean band Rebles from 1986.
In the late 80s, as electronic music permeated popular culture, Rebles helped define the soca genre outside of the Caribbean. Also known as D’ Rebel’s Band and led by St Vincentian band-leader and trombonist Denniston Young, the group were the 1980s house band for probably the largest Caribbean label, Strakers Records, based in Brooklyn, New York. Strakers released hundreds of Calypso and Soca releases over a thirty year period from 1970 to 2000.
Finally available again after becoming a big record with a number of open-minded contemporary DJs who play Soca, Zouk, Highlife and Soukous alongside Disco and House, the 12” has been officially licensed and re-mastered ready to hit the summer party season head-on.
This 12” paves the way for a big compilation album of Soca crossover sounds coming later this year on Soundway.

Considered ultra rare, even amongst TSG’s mythical catalog, Ricardo Marrero and The Group’s A Taste is getting a special edition 7-inch single! Featuring “Babalondia” and “And We’ll Make Love” this is a one of a kind doublesider!

Active in the Latin music scene of New York City during the 1970’s, pianist and composer Ricardo Marrero’s debut album “A Taste” has been considered by some collectors as the crown jewel of releases from famed tax scam label TSG. This special edition 7-inch single features floor killer latin funk number “Babalonia” on the A-side, and the mellow grooves and lively female vocals of “And We’ll Make Love” on the B-side.

The reissue comes on 180g. A wild solo project from Rita Lee – done after the breakup of Os Mutantes, and offered up almost as some sort of commentary on mainstream rock in the 70s.

180 gram reissue of Rita Lee's (Os Mutantes) debut solo album, originally issued in Brazil in 1970. Orchestral arrangements by Rogerio Duprat and production by Arnaldo Baptista, with a cover of The Beatles' "And I Love Her."

Classic Brazilian album from master drummer, Ronald Mesquita, originally released in 1972. Featuring songs by Jorge Ben, Antonio Carlos-Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo and others.
Mesquita is probably most well-known for playing with Luis Carlos Vinhas and his ‘Bossa Tres’ outfit, along with his own group, ‘Ronie E A Central Do Brasil’, that he formed after his return from the US in the early 1970s. He also played on several songs on Tenorio Jr.’s ‘Embalo’ album that Mr Bongo recently reissued.
The killer track ‘Balanca Pema’ was very big in the Jazz Dance scene in the 90s and also featured on the Mojo compilation ‘Dancefloor Jazz Volume Four’.
Madlib sampled ‘Balanca Pema’ on his Medicine Show Number 2 ‘Flight to Brazil’.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed courtesy of Universal Music Group Limited.

Sweet Soul Funk from 70s Brazil. Ronie aka Ronaldo Mesquita, the drummer of Bossa Três Combo! This album's got a smoother groove and luxurious use of Fender Rhodes, gliding alongside sweet samba soul arrangements in a mode that's a bit like some of the funkier 70s work by João Donato. Reissue on vinyl for the first time in a 180 gram heavyweight vinyl.

Recorded between 1985 and 1987, this album brings together the two founders and leading performers of candombe-beat, Ruben Rada and Eduardo Mateo. They hadn´t collaborated in a project since 1969. Both artists had reached their creative prime, with Mateo having released “Cuerpo y Alma” and Rada, “La yapla mata” (which included the classic song ‘Tengo un candombe para Gardel’). 140 gram vinyl with OBI & Insert This initiative sprang from the artists themselves. But when it was time to create, they rarely got together in the studio, preferring to work on their own. Once finished, the album failed to make an impact, since neither of them promoted it. This revival brings that semi-hidden treasure to light. It includes two tracks of the artists strictly performing a duet, the only recordings of Mateo and Rada working alongside each other and no one else. It also contains two additional tracks where you can relish Rada accompanied by Mateo’s guitar and Mateo backed by Rada’s percussion. It includes a track where Mateo commands the instruments (as in Mateo solo bien se lame) and another with Rada’s solo on vocals and percussion. There are instances when Rada’s band of that moment and “super-group” (with Osvaldo Nolé on keyboards, Ricardo Lew on electric guitar, Urbano on the bass and Osvaldo Fattoruso on drums), makes an appearance. Sometimes, Urbano comes forth as lead singer, completing the triad of singers of “El Kinto”. All excellent songs. This album is exceptional and one-of-a-kind, an overflow of talent, musicality, swing, imagination, rhythm, spark, and transcendence. Guilherme de Alencar Pinto

Brazil’s Black Rio movement had a lasting impact on the country’s marginalised black youth. Inspired by the African-American Civil Rights Movement and the revolutionary, politically conscious soul and funk being produced by the likes of James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Gil Scott Heron, Billy Paul and Nina Simone, a new scene began to incubate in Rio’s poor and oft-neglected North Zone - one which put black culture front and centre. At bailes funk (funk balls) revellers proudly sported afros and danced to their own beat while artists such as Banda Black Rio, Trio Ternura, Tim Maia and Emilio Santiago subverted officially-sanctioned Brazilian styles by fusing elements of imported soul, funk and jazz with samba rhythms to create a new form of music they could call their own.

Sérginho Meriti was one of many young artists caught up in the excitement of the movement. Born Sérgio Roberto Serafim and raised in the north Rio suburb of Meriti (from which he’d take his stage name), he began his career with Black Rio funk/soul outfit Copa 7, for whom he penned the stridently funky dance floor hit Som Da Copa 7.

Snapped up by Polydor at the turn of the 80s, Bons Mementos was his first work as a solo artist. It’s the work of a young musician brimming with musical ideas and creating a new take the Black Rio sound - one he would refer to variously as Meritiense (the sound of Meriti) or as Electric Samba. The title track is perhaps the perfect distillation of his ideas, mixing Black Rio’s funky bass and guitar lines with a healthy dose of the samba rock style developed by Jorge Ben, a pinch of eighties synths, and some of the best call-and-response female vocals this side of Fela Kuti. The result is a potently-rich musical stew that has made the track a compilation favourite and the album hugely collectable among funk connoisseurs.

Elsewhere on an all-killer-no-filler effort, Madureira adds reggae-fied guitar rhythms and low-slung bass to the mix while Malandro’s added bursts of brass give playful homage to Glenn Miller’s Big Band standard In The Mood. Memorias demonstrates Meriti’s mastery of tempo. Beginning with a languid slice of samba rock the track abruptly changes speed half way through for a bright and zippy finish of brass-heavy funk. Serjane adds layers of flute and saxophone the latter adding to the natural warmth of Serginho’s rough-hewn vocals. Tipo is a classic funk workout with some deliciously squelchy synths, while Batalha ends the album with a warm slice of funk, it’s yin and yang melding of joyful horn bursts with mournful vocals a potent demonstration of the sadness that underpins the album’s seemingly sunny soul.

It’s hard not to notice such an unforgettable sleeve, and if the music it protects is half as memorable as the artwork, you know you just have to hear it. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed because yes, this is the majestic 1971 album Un Muñeco De Madera, courtesy of the shadowy Sola, and it sounds exactly as you’d want it to. Originally released on RCA in Mexico, it’s kaleidoscopic Acapulcan-funk. The album’s endless grooves are propelled by softly rocking, quasi-library funk breaks. Vocally, Sola is in step with the 60s French pop-chanteuse style, but of course her lyrics are delivered in sensuous Spanish. Her voice is beautiful. Pillowy soft and tender, it can suddenly explode in mystical anger. These are ten tracks of moody, mysterious vibes that stir the spirit and sooth the soul. The LP was written, arranged and directed by prolific Spanish composer Manuel Alejandro, the man behind an incredible number of now classic Latin love songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s. As for Sola herself, next to nothing is known about the Mexican singer except the occasional whisper heard in only the darkest corners of the annals of music history. It’s said that upon growing disillusioned with the music industry she ended up in a convent of Carmelite Sisters. Fitting perhaps, given that Un Muñeco De Madera is a spiritual wonder of a record. Much-loved single and title-track “Un Muñeco De Madera” opens the album. It introduces us to Sola’s sparkling Latin-funk, bursting with swaggering grooves sewn by tight drums, sweeping strings and lush keys.

Som Imaginário (Imaginary Music) is a Brazilian band from the 70s. They joined together to support Milton Nascimento in his first record and shows. Their style is heavily influenced by jazz, classical music and rock. Their self-titled debut from 1970 is a must have, a psychedelic south-american cult all in all.

Fantastic Proto-Zouk from Georges and Pierre-Edouard Decimus NSI (New sound From the Islands) is a concept launched by the Decimus family, and the album was released at the end of 1981, at the same time as Kassav's Album "n'4" with the singer Jocelyn Moka.

Under exclusive license George Decimus

Official Mr Bongo reissue. Replica original artwork.
Mr Bongo brings another Brazilian rarity to the masses with this sublime reissue of Tim Maia’s Disco Club. Recorded in 1978, it’s a latter-period gem from the larger than life legend, combining the glitz and glamour of disco’s heyday with Maia’s raw funk and soul roots. When Maia first heard Little Richard as a teenager, he knew what kind of singer and artist he wanted to be. Five formative years spent in the US, where he ran wild in NYC and joined a doo-wop group called the Ideals, did little to dampen his enthusiasm for black music. Stirred by the civil rights movement in the US and driven by a punk spirit, Maia went on to blaze his own trail through the early 70s over the course of four successful albums for Polydor. Moving away from the straight MPB, Tropicalia and international rock dominating the airwaves, his sound represented a new black Brazilian consciousness. When he sang, he could be raspy and defiant one moment … and then romantic and reflective the next. But always on a groove and with a hook. It was an irresistible combination.
Yet by 1977 he was bankrupt and in limbo having first joined a religious cult called Superior National and then alienated listeners with his first album sung entirely in English. To complicate matters further, Brazil was feeling the Saturday Night Fever. Gloria Gaynor, Chic and Kool & the Gang were dominating the charts and filling hotspots such as New York City Discotheque in Ipanema and Frenetic Dancing Days in the Gávea Mall. Maia left his usual band and went into the legendary Estudios Level with a mighty ensemble of Rio’s finest including Paulinha Braga on drums, Jamil Joanes on bass, Robson Jorge on clarinet, Hyldon De Souza on guitar, Sidinho on percussion, trombonists Edmundo Maciel and Darcy Seixas, and Juarez Assis on tenor sax.
Arranger and keyboardist Lincoln Olivetti was a crucial presence during these sessions. He added that all-important string flourish and brassy joy to the uptempo tracks while giving the star enough room to express himself. The album kicks off with a trio of floor fillers: the exuberant party starter ‘A Fim De Voltar’, a sing-a-long anthem in ‘Acenda O Farol’ and the undeniably funky hit ‘Sossego’ (file that one next to Fatback).
But then Maia drops it down and gets existential on ‘All I Want’, questioning the meaning of happiness. He also shows his tender side on slow burners such as ‘Murmúrio’ (written by the great Cassiano) and ‘Pais E Filhos’, the latter featuring a supersoft bed of harmonies you can't help but lay down on. But the party ain’t over and mid-tempo groover ‘Juras’ gets the feet moving again before ‘Jhony’ sends us swaying off into the night.
Maia’s appetite for excess would eventually get the better of him. But Disco Club is the sound of an unpredictable genius on top form. Get ready for the time of your life.

THIS ALBUM SYMBOLIZES THE VERY ESSENCE OF TWO GREAT ARTISTS AT THEIR VERY BEST. THE 'CUBAN EDITH PIAF', CELIA CRUZ AND THE UNPARALLELED TITO PUENTE GIVE THIS ALBUM EVERYTHING IN SPADES: FEELING, STYLE, RHYTHM AND CLASS!

Incredibly unique concept album from the one and only, Tom Zé. As featured in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Brazilian Albums of all-time list (2007).
One of Ze’s finest albums in our opinion, originally released by Continental Brazil in 1976 – a tough one to find at a good price in its original form now. ‘Estudando do Samba’ (or ‘Studying The Samba’) is a post-Tropicalia studio
experimentation laiden with layers of hypnotic percussion, effects & samples that deconstructs the ‘samba’ form. Recorded during what was arguably his most creative period.
David Byrne found the record in Rio in the late 90’s and included several songs on his Tom Ze collection for Luaka Bop a few years later. At that time Tom was not recording or touring much; playing low-key shows in Sao Paulo and
contemplating a move back to Irará to work at a service station owned by one of his cousins. Byrne’s project helped to reignite his career and he hasn’t looked back since.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.

Following the recent reissues of Jose Mauro's Obnoxius, Piri's Voces Querem Mate? and Victor Assis Brasil's Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim, Far Out Recordings presents a second album from Victor Assis Brasil from the treasure trove of the Quartin Records catalogue, Esperanto.

Altercat proudly presents the definitive reissue of one of the crown jewels of South American jazz. Essentially the brainchild of Argentinian jazz's leading figure Jorge López Ruiz, the project Viejas Raíces marked Lopez Ruiz's departure from the traditional forms of jazz. The trio that recorded this album, consisting of López Ruiz joined by his life-long friend drummer Pocho Lapouble and gifted Chilean pianist Matías Pizarro, created a thrilling blend of jazz and Uruguayan candombe, surrounded by an undeniable cinematic feel spurred by López Ruiz's long experience in the soundtrack field. When read as one element, the cleverly chosen combination of group name and album title (in English: 'Old Roots of the Colonies of the River Plate') readily hints at the kind of sounds the listener will be challenged with when diving into this LP.

Altercat proudly presents the definitive reissue of one of the crown jewels of South American jazz. Essentially the brainchild of Argentinian jazz's leading figure Jorge López Ruiz, the project Viejas Raíces marked Lopez Ruiz's departure from the traditional forms of jazz. The trio that recorded this album, consisting of López Ruiz joined by his life-long friend drummer Pocho Lapouble and gifted Chilean pianist Matías Pizarro, created a thrilling blend of jazz and Uruguayan candombe, surrounded by an undeniable cinematic feel spurred by López Ruiz's long experience in the soundtrack field. When read as one element, the cleverly chosen combination of group name and album title (in English: 'Old Roots of the Colonies of the River Plate') readily hints at the kind of sounds the listener will be challenged with when diving into this LP.

Reissued on 180-gram black vinyl. A legendary set of Latin music.

You know it's going to be a heavy record when DJ / collector Mr Thing asks you to keep a look out for a copy on your next digging trip to Brazil. Add on top of that, being sampled by Madlib on the track 'Curls’ on his Madvillain album! Taken from Waldir Calmon's 'Waldir Calmon E Seus Multisons' album on Copacabana (1970), from looking at this unassuming record cover featuring a middle-aged man sporting an impressive pair of glasses you wouldn't expect it to become the fabric to one of the songs from the iconic 'Madvillain’ album. But… like many things in life, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. 'Airport Love Theme’, like its name suggests, falls into full-on lounge territory. It’s feel-good music made to be the soundtrack for a utopian world that never really was. Yet behind the silky-smooth groove is an addictive earworm waiting to be heard. Afro Son' taken from the same album, pushes things in a different direction towards a sound that is more firmly rooted in the Brazilian tradition. This quirky 60's-breakbeat-funk groove is reminiscent of French artist Jean Jacques Perrey's 'E.V.A.', also from 1970, in its melody and backbeat, where the Moog synthesizer of Perrey is replaced with a more orchestrated sound by Calmon. This track is magical, cinematic and breakbeat-laden with a hidden unknown exoticism. Waldir Calmon had an active career in music working from the '50s right up until his passing in 1982. His career started early, forming his first ensemble at the age of fourteen, originally working in bands in nightclubs and writing jingles. He progressed in the early '50s to a long-running career working in television. In addition to his television work, he had success with his recording vocation, mixing in the same musical circles as greats such as Tom Jobi, João Gilberto and Doris Monteiro.

This one takes us back! We originally reissued Waltel Branco's 'Meu Balanço' in 1995, it was one of the first releases to come out on Mr Bongo. It is a much-requested title with original copies becoming ever more-scarce and the price tag increasingly rising, so it feels fitting to present this stunning record once again for all to enjoy.

Waltel Branco was born in Paranaguá, Brazil in 1929 and died in Rio de Janeiro in 2018. During his triumphant career he accumulated an impressive musical portfolio. A true maestro who from the 1950s onwards appeared on productions as a guitarist, writer, conductor, composer, and arranger. He worked with some of the greats of Brazilian music including Elis Regina, Dom Um Romao, Bossa Três, Marcos Valle and Tony Bizarro to name just a few.

'Meu Balanço' was originally released on CBS Records Brazil in 1975. It is Brazilian big band, orchestrated jazz-funk at its finest. Echoing the library and film productions created in Europe and the USA at the time, it also displays the hallmarks of Waltel’s heritage with distinct threads of Brazilian flavour running throughout. The musicians on the record include under-the-radar players that were the backbone of the Brazilian music industry in the 1970s including Luizão Maia on bass, Edmundo Maciel on trombone and Paulinho Braga on drums.

The album flirts between jazz-funk, cinematic library excursions, breaks and beats, easy-listening, and 70s cop show instrumentals. It is a breezy ride into Waltel's world, wonderfully nostalgic and of another time and place, yet snippets of the production echo the beats of contemporary hip-hop iconic artists such as Madlib, knxwledge and The Alchemist.

1970’s best-kept Bossa Nova secret. Surrounded by mystery for nearly 50 years due to its obscurity, this is one of the most honest, personal and unpretentious albums of its genre. A selection of 12 exquisitely crafted songs supported by measured, subtle arrangements.
The list of musicians born or raised in the Tijuca district of Rio de Janeiro is long and illustrious and includes names that have shaped Brazilian music: Tom Jobim, Roberto Carlos, Tim Maia, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben or Erasmo Carlos – to mention but a few. We can now add to that list another name: Werther. In 1970, a man by that name recorded an album unique in its personality, its honesty, and its lack of pretense. In a time when Bossa Nova had become a global phenomenon and its main characters were already household names in Brazil, Werther assembled a collection of songs that uncannily – almost naively – remind us of the time when Bossa Nova was just a group of youngsters making music. His songs are about simple things: bohemian life, the sea, love.
Despite Werther and his friends being only in their teens, without any previous experience recording music, those working behind the scenes were not equally amateur. Producer Peter Keller had already worked with Aloysio De Oliveira in the quintessential Bossa Nova label Elenco, and was also an initial partner in Roberto Quartin’s cult label Forma. Studio owner Bill Horne was a very loved character in the Rio jazz scene who had regularly taken part in the legendary meetings in Nara Leão’s apartment and befriended some of Brazil’s most respected musicians. Some of these musicians were, for example, Naná Vasconcelos and Edison Machado, who provided small contributions to Werther’s album.
It was only in the 1990’s that Werther’s album was rediscovered by a handful of collectors and Brazilian music enthusiasts, who recognised in it a purity that had already vanished from the mainstream Bossa Nova recordings. But due to the haziness around the original release and the relative anonymity of its instigators, many questions surrounding these recordings were left unanswered. Today we are finally able to disclose the full story behind Werther’s short-lived contribution to Brazilian music.

Limited edition of 300 copies for the 2022 Summer of Jazz campaign, focused on Brazilian jazz.

1970’s best-kept Bossa Nova secret. Surrounded by mystery for nearly 50 years due to its obscurity, this is one of the most honest, personal and unpretentious albums of its genre. A selection of 12 exquisitely crafted songs supported by measured, subtle arrangements.
The list of musicians born or raised in the Tijuca district of Rio de Janeiro is long and illustrious and includes names that have shaped Brazilian music: Tom Jobim, Roberto Carlos, Tim Maia, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben or Erasmo Carlos – to mention but a few. We can now add to that list another name: Werther. In 1970, a man by that name recorded an album unique in its personality, its honesty, and its lack of pretense. In a time when Bossa Nova had become a global phenomenon and its main characters were already household names in Brazil, Werther assembled a collection of songs that uncannily – almost naively – remind us of the time when Bossa Nova was just a group of youngsters making music. His songs are about simple things: Bohemian life, the sea, love.
Despite Werther and his friends being only in their teens, without any previous experience recording music, those working behind the scenes were not equally amateur. Producer Peter Keller had already worked with Aloysio De Oliveira in the quintessential Bossa Nova label Elenco, and was also an initial partner in Roberto Quartin’s cult label Forma. Studio owner Bill Horne was a very loved character in the Rio jazz scene who had regularly taken part in the legendary meetings in Nara Leão’s apartment and befriended some of Brazil’s most respected musicians. Some of these musicians were, for example, Naná Vasconcelos and Edison Machado, who provided small contributions to Werther’s album.
It was only in the 1990s that Werther’s album was rediscovered by a handful of collectors and Brazilian music enthusiasts, who recognized in it a purity that had already vanished from the mainstream Bossa Nova recordings. But due to the haziness around the original release and the relative anonymity of its instigators, many questions surrounding these recordings were left unanswered. Today, we are finally able to disclose the full story behind Werther’s short-lived contribution to Brazilian music.

Imagine for a moment that Arthur Russel had learned to speak Brazilian and then moved to Italy to produce an Italo-Disco single back in 1984. There's a good chance it would sound like the Dub version of the B side on this record (Remixed by Bob One). A percussive foundation channeling Latin Freestyle beats sets the groundwork for the chill sunset vibed melody to pleasantly unfold intertwined with the alluring Brazilian lyrics. The recording engineering on this production is clearly at a higher standard (than the usual neighborhood italo disco studio from back in the day) with some of the techniques at play giving it a very balanced and sophisticated sound for its time. The meticulous remastering this re-issue underwent allow for a generous low end with crystal clear mid range – game changing on any well calibrated dance floor sound system.

Imagine for a moment that Arthur Russel had learned to speak Brazilian and then moved to Italy to produce an Italo-Disco single back in 1984. There's a good chance it would sound like the Dub version of the B side on this record (Remixed by Bob One). A percussive foundation channeling Latin Freestyle beats sets the groundwork for the chill sunset vibed melody to pleasantly unfold intertwined with the alluring Brazilian lyrics. The recording engineering on this production is clearly at a higher standard (than the usual neighborhood italo disco studio from back in the day) with some of the techniques at play giving it a very balanced and sophisticated sound for its time. The meticulous remastering this re-issue underwent allow for a generous low end with crystal clear mid range – game changing on any well calibrated dance floor sound system.

Mr Bongo is proud to present an official reissue of Zé Rodrix E A Agência De Mágicos ‘O Esquadrão Da Morte’. Written, arranged and composed by the genius of Zé Rodrix and performed by his band 'Agência de Mágicos’, this Brazilian library funk beauty is the soundtrack to Carlos Imperial's 1975 film of the same title. Echoing European soundtrack maestros such as Roy Budd and Ennio Morricone, but with a Brazilian swagger, Zé Rodrix's score is a sublime gem that needs rediscovery.

Rich in 70's soundtrack cool, the score is packed with orchestrated jazz, chase scene-funk, breaks, psychedelic freakouts and plenty of drama. The loose and quirky break-beat jazz-funk of 'Assalto' feels almost tailor-made for today's hip-hop production aesthetic. The opening drum break of 'Esconderijo' is a sampler’s dream and has already been reinterpreted by the Turkish Rapper Anıl Piyancı, as well as Brazil's DJ Caique.

Carlos Imperial was a jack of all trades. As a songwriter and music producer, he created a highly impressive back catalogue. It includes working with or writing songs for Tim Maia, Elza Soares, Brigitte Bardot, and Wilson Simonal. He also co-wrote the rare cult Brazilian 7" compacto 'Lindo Sonho Delirante (L. S. D') by Fábio. Carlos Imperial wrote liner notes and was an actor, filmmaker, television presenter, and media figure. His film 'O Esquadrão da Morte' is a violent heist movie starring Beto Bandeira, Claire Chevalier, and Baby Conceicao; in the vein of exploitation films and gritty, raw B-Movie cinema of the day. Both the film and album share striking, macabre artwork by artist Benicio.

The instrumentalist, arranger, and singer-songwriter Zé Rodrix has a musical achievements list that is also one to admire. He’s worked with the cream of Brazilian music, having written songs covered by the greats, including Quarteto Em Cy, Ronald Mesquita, Elis Regina, Karma, and Célia, to name just a few. His written arrangements have graced the music of Luli Lucinha E O Bando and Helio Matheus. He was a member of the iconic group Som Imaginário and played piano and synthesizer on Secos & Molhado's classic 1973 album.

We are super pleased to make this dusty treasure available again. It is a wonderful soundtrack score that more than holds its own with its European and American counterparts of the era.

Edmony Krater grew up on the side of Morne Rouge in Sainte-Rose, north of Guadeloupe. His mother sang in church, but Edmony was drawn to the sound of Gwo Ka, which was frowned upon but very present in ceremonies or funeral vigils. As both a fashion designer for the theater and a musician (percussion, trumpet, vocals) in the group Gwakasonné, formed by Robert Oumaou and Georges Troupé, Edmony left Guadeloupe in 1983 to settle in mainland France just after recording their first album. Upon his arrival in Paris, with the desire to give his own version of Gwo Ka, he founded the group Zepiss with Eddy Lebouin, Freddy Tisseur, Philippe Augusty, and Rico Toto and immediately recorded a first album, Natibel. In a singular way, Natibel perpetuates Gwo Ka Modèn, a movement initiated by the iconic jazz guitarist Gérard Lockel, who was the first to theorize and politicize this music previously transmitted only orally. In just six tracks, Natibel combines the sophistication and roughness of its root music, as Gwo Ka combines an intense rhythmic section with intoxicating melodies. In the tradition of other Gwo Ka musicians who took the music further such as Guy Conquet, Fabriano Fuzion, Gwakasonné, Erick Cosaque, and above all legendary drummer Marcel Lollia aka Vélo, Edmony Krater and his group Zepiss have contributed to preserving its heritage and bringing an obvious touch of modernity.