Latin | Brazil Vinyl 306 Items

Tampo is a mystic sextet from somewhere out of the hustle and bustle of the busy Helsinki scene. They operate on a level of their own, performing latin jazz inspired by cumbia and mambo. This 7" single release by We Jazz Records features two high calibre cuts, "Keumgang" and "Tampomambo", making this one a solid choice for all lovers of psychedelic music with character.

We thought turning five this year would be a good reason to ask some friendly DJs and producers to go through our catalogue and select their favorite track to do an edit or remix on.
The first selection by DJ Nomad from Berlin is Barbara Hernandez' 'All Nite Tonight', written and produced by Leston Paul from Trinidad. Nomad's edit drives the song's dance floor ambition even further beyond the top. As a DJ Nomad does not necessarily put a label on his style, but always expresses love for Polyrythms, Soulful harmonies and the African drums and Percussion. He's notorious for finding fresh world music dance tracks all around the globe, before they become hits, and a massive collector of Tropical Soul, Funk and Disco.
His energetic and surprising , always fresh DJ set's earned him a residency in Paris's infamous ‚Tropical Discoteq’ Parties among the best Dj's of the genre. He is the founder of ‚Vulkandance’ Parties, Blog and Label in Berlin .. He's together with Edna Martinez cofounder of ’El Volcan’ - The first continental European Colombian Pico Soundsystem. As a Producer he's breaking ground and travelling the world together with Dirk Leyers and the transcultural Project Africaine 808, besides working as a master Editor for other artists around the globe. Keshav Singh who is part of Trinidadian/British production duo Jus Now put his hands on Trinidad's Mansa Musa's ’Beat The Drum’.
Being a percussionist in his own right he transformed the song into a housy Soca track and pure dance floor fiah! With his partner Sam Interface, he has produced soca music with EDM influence for Bunji Garlin, Machel Montano and 3Canal. Keshav commutes between Trinidad and the U.K.
The next two tracks are taken from our upcoming compilation ’Gotta Nice Buzz - The Funky Sound of Semp Studios Trinidad, W.I.’. French DJ & record collector Waxist gives Zodiac's ’I Believe’ a proper treatment. ’I Believe’, written by Francis Escayg, is an uptempo Caribbean Disco tune with a strong Giorgio Moroder influence with Denise Plummer on vocals.
Waxist, based in Lyon, France, started his love story with records as a teenager when he bought his first reggae 7 inches. If his love for Jamaican music has survived through the years, the DJ has progressively extended his interests to different, more dancefloororiented music genres like Disco, Modern Soul, Boogie or even a touch of House when needed... Being careful with the technique, as well as with the coherency of his selection, his sets are an invite to a dancing musical journey taking the audience from Disco to Modern Soul, through more Caribbean or Brazilian sounds.

Discos Más has managed to squeak one more stellar release across the finish line for 2021 with Grupo MAJEZZA's most popular dance floor inferno, "La Chica Pikosita" backed with the equally blazing bhangra tinged "Cumbia de los Puchikas" on the flip. Vinyl only DJs and sonideros of the world will finally have access to these cumbias released here for the first time on wax.

In a world governed by stereotypes, Lachinos break down the boundaries between people and gender. It is impossible to clearly distinguish the origin, roots and cultures that are specific to each of its members. An association that turns out to be as unexpected as it is effective on their first EP America Lachina, out on Goutte d’Or, a sub-label of french team Cracki Records. America Lachina is also and above all an ode to Latin American music. One travels to the rhythms of merengue, cha cha cha, cumbia or even Brazilian surf, always with a musical commitment to rock accents.

Deep', also known as 'Oh Poor Me' is a mid-tempo latin soul/boogaloo from singer Quetchy Alma aka La Lloroncita. Taken from the very rare LP ‘El Sol Brilla Para Todos’ on Tico.

'Identify Yourself' is a stone cold Nu Yorican funk/soul hit. Drum heavy, huge horns and punchy Rhodes lines. Taken from their self-titled LP on Vaya, released in 1974.

Tropicantesimo is a music ritual extended over time and a celebration of sound and dance. It all started 10 years ago at the Fanfulla club in Rome. Nothing more than a party that over the years has transformed into a collective listening experience out of time and space. Meanwhile the collective animated by DJ Hugo Sanchez, Lola Kola, Rocco Bartucci, Gabor and Egeeno moved to a new club called Pescheria, and opened up to spontaneous live jams and collaborations with musicians and DJs from various backgrounds. Rhythms are incessant while the BPM is slow and hypnotic. Voices flow between songs, messages and pure sound, while music is an organism which produces energy. The fruit of all this lives through extensive production work based on recordings collected over the years. "Tropicantesimo Session 1" is the first of a series of three EPs presented as anticipations of the Tropicantesimo Gitania album release. This first EP contains three songs recorded and mixed at Pescheria, laboratory and home of Tropicantesimo. "Don’t Bla Bla Bla" is an anathema and an explicit manifesto about the need for uncompromised sounds and joy in life. When the music kick in, the usual blah blah blah becomes disturbance, as Lola Kola and Egeeno clearly sing. This is a spontaneous live session, an usual practice that generates the Tropicantesimo sound flow. "Samba e Amore" is a cover of a Chico Buarque and Ennio Morricone's song, written in the late 1960s during Buarque exile in Rome. Here the song has been processed by the Tropicantesimo sound machine with Gabor and Lola Kola claiming for freedom and self-determination in life. "Samba and Love" belongs to the Tropicalist music classic repertoire, a great inspiration for the Tropicantesimo sound and vision. "Luna Jamming" is the result of another kind of experiment. Here the DJ culture is hybridized with the improvised live performance, a meeting that can generate unpredictable encounters. Lola Kola and Egeeno bring Loredana Bertè and Bob Marley together for an unprecedented classic Reggae duet on a contemporary techno dub beat. Needless to add that such a combination of elements generates new visions and reaffirms important values such as sharing and getting together.

Composed and arranged collectively, this new opus mixes up Latin, Funk, Pop and Jazz, with the same percussive and strong vocal section, sung in Spanish, English, Creole and Yoruba, (cf. their arrangement of the traditionnal Rezo a Obatala). They also salute the great Camilo Azuquita with a rework of "Guajiro Bacan" (Ramon "Saoco" Perez), which they bring as a pledge of allegiance to the Latin Soul genre.

`La Camita' is an incredible Latin funk nugget -recorded in Peru by Traffic Sound and later on by funk pioneers Black Sugar, comprising all the right ingredients to shake dance floors worldwide. Both takes on the song were released on records that today are extremely difficult to find in any condition. In 1971 Traffic Sound recorded 'La Camita' where their Latin influences overpowered the psychedelic prog vibe of their previous records. The song became a local hit and several versions were recorded by different Peruvian artists. On the other side of this single we find Black Sugar, a Peruvian band considered to be a pioneer group in Latin America in mixing funk influences with rock and Latin rhythms. In 1976, following their gig at Coliseo Amauta in Lima, opening the night for the legendary Spanish band Barrabás, they started to show a growing interest in disco music, resulting in some line up changes with members leaving the project due to their lack of interest in the new sound and new ones joining in. Their own take on 'La Camita' was released in 1978 and adds a modern twist to the original song, becoming decades later a winner spin at the most discerning dance floors worldwide. Latin party music in all its glory!

On the heels of her Mango Hill records debut single,”Thee Only One” ft. Joey Quiñones from East L.A.’s, Thee Sinseers, Trish Toledo, a devoted fan of soul music, has built her fan base serenading audiences with her sultry voice on soul classics, and earning herself a legion of devotees as a result. Teaming up with The Abuelitos, Trish delivers some of her smokiest vocals yet, with songs like “Coco LaLaLa” & “Do the Wrong Thing”. Understanding that Ms. Toledo is the undisputed queen of the newly coined “Souldies” movement in L.A., the songwriting team decided they wanted to take her to the east coast via Miami for some more tropical sounding vibes. Hearkening back lyrically to such songs as The Supremes, “I Hear a Symphony” or the Toys, “Lovers Concerto”, “Coco LaLaLa” makes that familiar, romantic connection between love and music with some smoldering salsa piano thrown in to spice things up. On the other hand, there’s “Do the Wrong Thing”, a slow-burner with temptation on the rocks. A married woman, a persistent man, and another round of drinks on the way. Will she “Do the Wrong Thing”? You’ll have to listen to find out.

Introducing the human vocals of LAS Gemelas Diamante for their first time on vinyl, LOS Disco Duro is back with a hard hitting vocoder rendition of the cumbia classic “Chambacu.” The B-side offering is a slow, intense, cumbiafied version of the ‘80s Art of Noise hit “Moments in Love.” Pressed on stunning purple vinyl, this limited edition record is a release you do not want to miss!

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2016!

Betino's Records proudly presents its third release: an EP by the very sharp collective The Big Hustle. The band founded in 2014 by bass player and composer Sébastien Levanneur, brings together 70's old school funk with the hippest actual sound with influences spanning from Steely Dan to Snarky Puppy, from Mandrill to Lettuce and from Herbie Hancock (Manchild era) to Soulive. With mighty horn players, a rock and funky rhythm section, and percussions added to it, The Big Hustle’s music has a very large variety of sound landscapes. Still, the music never loses the groove and always stays close to the funk.
The A side opens with "Afrorever", a tribute to African culture and music. The guest of honor on this song is legendary Malian musician Cheick Tidiane Seck, longtime partner of Salif Keita, and collaborator of Joe Zawinul, Carlos Santana and Damon Albarn to name a few. After Cheick’s introduction, the songs jumps into a typical afrobeat vibe featuring a tight and powerful horn section, suddenly breaks into an electro funk groove and ends in a furious percussive party.
Second track on the A side is "Faure is the Magic Number". It is dedicated to Thomas Faure (co-composer of the track) and François Faure (both featured on this song on tenor sax and keyboards respectively). This piece displays the band’s ability to blend jazz-funk groove with a heavy hip-hop beat. Kind of DJ Premier meets Steely Dan.
The B side starts with "Afrorever (Sun's Up Mix)". Through this mix, one can acknowledge instantly Olivier Portal's touch. From the very first chords, he conveys us into his realm blending warm and melancholy keyboards with an old school deep-house rhythm pattern.
The fourth track is called “1, 2, 1, 2”. It is a purely improvised moment in the studio while the band was sound checking before recording with special guest rapper Raashan Ahmad. Nicolas Gueguen had the good idea to press the R button and what you hear is basically what happened afterwards.
Enjoy!

Claudia - Garra

Rich, sweet, orchestral bossa nova/MPB from the excellent Claudia, another of our favourite artists and featured several times in this series. Taken from her ‘Você, Claúdia, Você’ LP released in 1971 by Odeon Brazil.

Os Tres Morais - Freio Dynamico

Uptempo, cinematic, vocal MPB/Jazz with muted trumpets, pinging bass guitar strings and even a little bit of fuzz for good measure! Os Tres Morais we’re two brothers and a sister; Jane Vincentina, Sidney and Roberto do Espírito Santo. They formed in 1963.

‘Freio Dynamico’ is taken from the groups self-titled LP on Odeon 1971.

For her first solo project, the French-Chilean singer Alsy has teamed up with producers Rose, Peter Dallas and Jimmy Whoo. Co- produced with Jimmy Whoo, this EP reflects the meeting of the two artists' worlds, between the nocturnal atmosphere of Motel Music and the sunny ambiance of the singer's South American influences.

With her project Candela, Alsy has imagined her own musical universe, intimate and deep, rich in the variety of her influences. The lyrics are passionate, the rhythms smooth and warm, and the project is a subtle mix of modernity and nostalgia, between steamy reggaeton, smooth synth pop and hypnotic electro.

The singer's smooth and bewitching voice is the hallmark of this debut EP, which takes us on a dreamy journey from Paris to Santiago, against a backdrop of rhythmic and atmospheric music.

The perfect Brazilian jazz odyssey created by Roman Andren, also known as "Swedish Deodato"!His finest album "Juanita" wasreleasedin 2007which has a presence comparable to the many masterpieces produced by Azymuth and Airto Moreira!P-VINE presented this album as CD in 2008 and it's finally released as an LP with OBI-strip for the first time!

Hard-hitting Conguero, Johnny Blas has performed and recorded in the world of Latin music and jazz for over 45 years. He returns with his most recent and sixth musical production as a soloist, Salsa Para Ti. With a career spanning over 30 years, Blas has performed with distinguished artists such as Francisco Aguabella, Mindi Abair, Chuck Loe, Boney James, Evelyn Champagne King, Max Bennett, Bobby Allende, Terry Gibbs, Dave Koz and Poncho Sanchez among many others. On the bongo, congas or timbales, Blas belongs to the cream of the crop. But in this instance, he takes it further, by adding saxophone and flute solos to his percussion. After his recordings A Night In LA (Dos Coronas, 1994), Skin and Bones (Cubop 1997), Mambo 2000 (Cubop 1998), King Conga (Cubop 1999) and Indestructible Spirit (Cubop 2007), Blas presents Salsa Para Ti, 11 pieces consisting of his own material plus some Jazz and Salsa classics such as Boranda, Round Midnight and Baila Que Baila.

This is a 180g pressing.

Bigamo come with another nugget which crossed the path of Frank Wiedemann’s way. Modern tropicalia soundtrack coproduced by Red Axes. It totally has this Honest Jon’s vibe.

“During the pandemic, I was hearing drums all the time,” says Carolina Oliveros, who leads the New York-based group Bulla en el Barrio. “Not only bullerengues, but also tamboritos panamanians, solomas – like panamanian styles – also I’ve been listening to salve, which is a rhythm from Dominican Republic. I always want to try to create a bullerengue that sounds more traditional but also sounds like me with my own influences.” Since 2015, Bulla en el Barrio has been envisioned as a collective and a study group of the traditional rueda de bullerengue – dance music originating from the Caribbean coast of Colombia that transmits ancient African rhythms and knowledge. Oliveros and Bulla co-founder Camilo Rodriguez – both in NY tropical futurism band Combo Chimbita – first experimented with writing their own bullerengue during their monthly residencies at Barbès in Brooklyn, culminating in two singles released by Names You Can Trust in 2017. Thanks to these recordings, these two Bulla en el Barrio compositions are now sung in music festivals and ruedas all over Bullerengue territory. They now present eight original songs recorded live to tape, preserving and documenting the participative and rough vibes of the ruedas and performances. “We’ve been playing together since 2015,” says Rodriguez. “The group is a space to study, connect, to learn, so this record captures a moment where we were – taking a picture of a process. This was just what was happening at that time. It was a way to document what we were doing and our process of learning, documenting bullerengue.”

Jaguar mine the sounds of the Colombian Caribbean and global dance sub cultureson a debut album that veers between psychedelic salsa, taut cumbia-disco and zouk party jams.



Rave culture never hit Colombia in the 90s – an internal civil war and a music industry fixated on blandness and payola made sure of that – but if it had then Jaguar would have been one of its leading lights. On their debut album this Colombian duo excavate the sound of their country’s dance floors, uniting the classy, brassy sounds of cumbia, porro and salsa with the earthier DIY vibrations coming from Afro-Colombian street parties on the coast, melodies and guitar lines learnt from imported African vinyl filtered through drum machines and hand-painted picó sound systems with the bass so high it threatens to knock you over.

The twosome mark out their stall on album opener “Bailalo Tu También” (“You Dance It, Too”), urging all to come and dance on a tune that references champeta (the #1 sound of Afro-Colombian block parties), zouk and calypso, as well as doffing a cap to disco and Brit funk, uniting the underground dance cultures of Colombia, the Caribbean, New York and London in one fell swoop. The cumbia card comes out on “Contra La Corriente” (“Against The Tide”), which with its subtle influences of global bass and minimal post-disco gives this classic rhythm even more thrust. “Ten Presente” (“Keep In Mind”) represents another side step, a salsa orchestra stripped down to just vocals, percussion, killer horn section and raspy charango, with the groove never in doubt.

Yet, if 90s rave culture represented a response to the darkness of the 80s, then something similar is at play here, the image of the Caribbean as a warm, happy and danceable place coming in contrast with the poverty that is the reality for many living there, and this dark underbelly is not ignored by Jaguar. “Is it possible that the people united could become invincible?” they ask on “Guadalupe”, offering a message of hope that one day the inequality, poverty and neglect that is everyday life for many people in Colombia will be diminished by getting behind the same cause. Driven by an 80s-inspired zouk beat, they dream of there one day being a united people with the strength to fight back against the authorities. “¿Será posible, será posible?” they sing, “Could it be possible, could it be possible?” This dichotomy of emotions crops up again on “Siguele El Paso” (“Keep Up”), a pure Caribbean groove that is impossibly infectious with lyrics that speak of keeping those hips moving but can’t help but mention reality, the protagonist of the song dodging bullets and nefarious forces while still keeping their rhythm on the dance floor. It’s a perfect encapsulation of Jaguar’s modus operandi, this is music to make you dance, but it remains grounded, in Colombian and Caribbean musical idioms as well as the hard times that many Colombians are living through. It’s a rhythmic elixir, but with bite; rum straight from the bottle.

Jaguar are two Colombians based in Europe, Paulo and Raúl. Since the 90s their paths crossed, their names mentioned by mutual friends, but it would not be until 2017 that they finally got to know each other. Quickly they established a musical rapport, forming a band with some friends that fell apart just as quickly, but they knew that wasn’t the end, and they continued working on songs, finding their musical language; a path that led them to Madremonte and a sound that imbibes cumbia, salsa, bolero, rock, zouk and champeta, music from across Colombia, from the Caribbean, its Pacific Coast and high into the Andes, all the while transposing these sounds to the dance floor.

23 Tracks - Limited 180-gram Virgin Vinyl Edition. Born in Bahia, Brazil, singer/song writer Joao Gilberto (1931-2019) was a true legend of bossa nova. While Antonio Carlos Jobim set the standard for the creation of bossa nova in the mid-'50s, with songs like "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Desafinado", it was Gilberto who brilliantly reimagined and, arguably, defined the genre. This edition includes the complete contents of the album Brazil's Brilliant Joao Gilberto, which received a five-star rating from AllMusic, plus several of his greatest hits from his early years. "This vitally important record introduced Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and thus, bossa nova to the United States in 1961, a year before Stan Getz scored a hit with 'Desafinado'."- AllMusic (Richard S. Ginell), 5 Stars

A Espetacular Charanga do França is Sao Paulo's most hyped carnival collective and brass band led by Thiago França - best known as a founding member of Afro-punk explorers Metá Metá. The collective combines retro horns with cumbia, baile funk, jazz and features Brazilian vocal legends such as Lucas Santtana, Tulipa + Jucara Marcal.

Making his BBE debut in 2017 with compilation
album ‘The Languages Of Tambores’,
described by The Vinyl Factory as “ancestral,
evocative and visceral”, Italian multiinstrumentalist
Gabriele Poso returns to the
label with his new LP ‘Awakening’. Since his
debut album ‘From The Genuine World’,
released in 2008 on Osunlade’s Yoruba
Records, Gabriele has amassed an impressive
catalogue of solo work and guest appearances,
not to mention a hectic schedule of live
performances. Perhaps Gabriele’s most rounded
work to date; ‘Awakening’ captures an artist in
full bloom, examining a crossroads between
creative and personal paths.
“The birth of my eldest son Viktor caused me to
question my career in music and explore other,
more ‘secure’ options, but thanks to my wife I
quickly realised that to be different from your
neighbor doesn’t make you wrong. After all, in
this life, does anyone really have any security?
So actually Viktor and my family have become
my super power: they teach me to believe in
myself more then I ever did before. This album
is all about that realization; that Awakening.”
Encompassing Afro-latin, jazz, soul and dance
music elements, glued together by Poso’s
distinctive layered live percussion sounds,
‘Awakening’ is peppered with guest
performances and production touches from a
talented series of friends. As Gabriele puts it “I
like to surround my music with the people I love
and want to spend my time with.” A deeply
rooted and spiritual project, a few of the tracks
featured on ‘Awakening’ will be familiar to those
lucky enough to catch Gabriele Poso on tour
over the last 12 months; not least his reimagining
of the Roy Ayers classic ‘Everybody
Loves The Sunshine’. From the stunning cover
art by Elvira Gerardi which features Gabriele’s
first born son Viktor, to the special music
contained within, this album’s message is clear;
although as Gabriele succinctly points out: when
we talk about love, ‘words never work.’

New Parisian label, Disques Messager, presents its new and second release. As its name suggests, the label has a simple leitmotiv: to place itself among the best messengers for rarities and sought-after gems of the international rare groove. A mission which began like fire last year with a 7inch reissue release including two Brazilian Disco bangers by Cristina Camargo. For this second efforts, the label doesn’t deviate from the artistic and quality path taken, however also making quite a U-turn, this time presenting 2 underrated kind of musical UFO, both from the French scene. Not many info can be found about Yoanson & Karamie, two young artists from the French African diaspora, who randomly met with Nessim Saroussi and his label Ness Music in the late 80s. Nessim himself doesn’t remind much about the 2 guys, except that he quickly offered to produce them, which resulted in their only EP release, Kalimba (1988). Part of this EP, “African Leaders” is a stunning track melting Afro-Tropical percussions, Disco bass, Early-Electro beats and Leftfield vocals in a way that could remind of Doctor L or Arthur Russel productions. On the contrary, Philippe de Lacroix-Herpin (aka Prof Jah Pinpin) has a long musical career started in the mid-70s and became a renowned saxophonist playing and recording for many famous French acts such as Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Chamfort, FFF, or even rap band NTM. In 1994, he moved definitely to the Reunion Island where he quickly launched the Prof Jah Pinpin 4tet, in his own words willing to play “free/funk/jazz/rock/tropical” music… Quite a vast and large musical tag, but which immediately make sense when listening to the surprising “The Final Bird” track. Only released as CD in 1996, this instrumental production has indeed a unique sound and flavor mixing all kinds of elements together (even samples of Weather Report). Well as you can understand, words are not the best way to describe these 2 hidden treasures, so we strongly recommend the spinning to make your own view!

One per customer only!

The fourth release of Selva Discos is one that has been bursting audiences into flames for a good while. Barbatuques, a well-known Brazilian group of body percussionists, adapted "Baianá" back in 2005 (first released on the "O Seguinte É Esse" album) and since then it became a staple of their concerts, getting crazy reactions from the children to the elder, being featured on soundtracks and sampled by trap duo Tropkillaz.

When Greg Caz and Deano Sounds teamed up to create The Brasileiro Treasure Box Of Funk & Soul they created a collection of vintage Brazilian music that stretches across the scope of funk, soul, and psychedelic. Co-compiler and Brazilian music aficionado, Greg Caz says: “Without necessarily having a central theme other than funky nuggets from the first half of the 70s, we believe this compilation displays its own particular sense of logic, and that these songs ultimately all sound fantastic together. Regardless of one’s familiarity, or lack thereof, with artists like Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Os Incríveis, Toni Tornado or Celia, the material on these 45s speaks its own truth and justifies their inclusion here. Many of these were originally available as singles, while others were taken from albums, but all are guaranteed to find their way into many DJ boxes and playlists.” The stunning 45s from this set will now be available for individual sale. The series wraps up with a split 45 featuring Novos Bainos haunting Jeventude Sexta E Sabado on the A Side and on the flip, the cinematic sounding Uma Vida, the 1971 cut from Dom Salvador E Abolicao.

Paz en La Tierra is a result of a search by the Meridian Brothers & Conjunto Media Luna of the heart of something that can be called a 'power format' of Colombian Caribbean music; Accordion, Guacharaca, Caja, Congas, Electric bass, and vocals.

Departing from this idea, and casually working with the music of a documentary on the famous singer Diomedes Diaz, Iván Medellín (accordionist of Conjunto media luna), and Eblis Álvarez from the Meridian Brothers, embarked on a new work building a sound exclusively on the traditional format, searching for several spaces between the lines in the universe of accordion in Colombian music.

The duo departed from the basic: the line of vallenato, the most famous in the country but not the only one, the line of sabanero music more of the lands of Sucre and Córdoba inclined towards cumbia, bullerengue, son vallenato among other airs fed the group's ideas. The Barranquilla center deserves a separate mention, due to its cosmopolitan approach, using all kinds of influences, from the Caribbean islands to ancient rhythms or even modern rock and funk, also used as an inspiration for this record.

In the process, new ways of melody appeared and new ways of expression emerged. Although the rhythms used in the record are rooted in the traditional, the duo glitched those rhythms turning them into new directions in the style, using exclusively the past references to transmute the sound into something that looks inside a parallel future.

Using several theatrical situations, alterations in musical structures, and slight deformations of the traditional harmony (a tonal center and its dominant) the result of "Paz en la Tierra" is enigmatic and charming, and at the same time directed towards the dance floor keeping the past alive and flourishing the essence of the tradition.

Cuba: Music and Revolution: Culture Clash in Havana: Experiments in Latin Music 1975-85 Vol. 1 is a new album compiled by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) that explores the many new styles that emerged in Cuba in the 1970s as Jazz, Funk, Brazilian Tropicalia and even Disco mixed together with Latin and Salsa on the island as Cuban artists experimented with new musical forms created in the unique socialist state. The music on this album features legendary Cuban groups such as Irakere, Los Van Van and Pablo Milanés as well as a host of lesser known artists such as the radical Grupo De Experimentación, Juan Pablo Torres and Algo Nuevo, Grupo Monumental and Orquesta Ritmo Oriental, groups whose names remain largely unknown outside of Cuba owing to the now 60-year old US trade embargo which remains in place today and which prevents trade with Cuba - and thus most Cuban records were only ever available in Cuba or in ex-Soviet Union states. The music on this album reflects the most cutting-edge of Cuban groups that were recording in Cuba in the 1970s and 1980s - who were all searching for a new Cuban identity and new musical forms that reflected both the Afro-Cuban cultural heritage of a nation that gave birth to Latin music - and its new position as a socialist state. Most of the music featured on this album has never been heard outside of Cuba. Cuba: Music and Revolution is the third book that Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker have collaborated on together and follows on from their two earlier critically acclaimed books, Freedom, Rhythm and Sound (Revolutionary Jazz Music in the 1960s and 1970s) and Bossa Nova and the Rise of Brazilian Music in the 1960s, both of which also had related album releases on Soul Jazz Records.

For the second 12” of the series Far Out has enlisted two of the most on-fire producers in Germany: Max Graef and Glenn Astro, along with one of the UK’s brightest ascendant producers.

“Exposição Popular” is the new album from Rio de Janeiro based producer and composer Guerrinha, sonically orbits 80´s new wave & fusion jazz, imagine a lost ECM gem, layered in low-fi subterranean exoticism, that somehow conjures the soundtracks of Angelo Badalamenti. Here we find Guerrinha loosened up, the rhythm spilling out, playfully impossible to grasp as it floats over space-age ambient synth and organ work that takes references from Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Rita Lee. “The last LP, "Cidade Grande" was all about acceptance of the big city as a monolith, but here I wanted to focus on the exposition of the intimate as the most logical, obvious choice. Hence the name "Exposição Popular" (in english "Popular Exhibition"), which is wordplay, as all exhibitions should be inherently popular since they're all out about exhibiting yourself to everyone, but because of the nature of the art, it becomes the opposite of the "popular", it becomes niche.” - Guerrinha

This is one of the most obscure records ever released in Venezuela in the 60s and the only recording of The Pets. This 1967 album shows perfectly what the influences of the Venezuelan nueva ola (new wave) scene were at the time, including versions of The Doors, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Paul Revere & The Riders_ as well as the outstanding original "El Entierro De Un Hombre Rico Que Murio De Hambre", one of the finest garage tunes to emerge from Latinamerica. It followed the global triumph of the Beatles that made the wave of beat groups gets bigger and bigger and lots of new bands emerged, some of which would last while others would definitively go into oblivion, and a small number of them would leave at least one recording that today is considered a highly valuable collector's item. This is the case of The Pets. Originally, they were not called The Pets, but The Playboys, and basically the group was formed to liven up the parties and gatherings at Casa Italia, a very important institution in Los Teques, near Caracas, where they formed. At one of these parties, they were heard by a representative of the Discomoda label who insisted on recommending the group to the company, completing the signing of their contract almost immediately. First time reissue, audios remastered from the original tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl.

Cerrero, Llorona Records Founder's Solo Project, Joins Young "Gaita Flute" And Trumpet Wizard El "León" Pardo (Ondatrópica) For An Acid Cumbia Infused Dub Journey To The Underground Electronic Sound Of South America. Blend Of Ritualism And Futurism, Rough Ethereal Sound, Melancholic Voices And Analog Dub Mixing For A Unique Record That Presents The Work Of The Thriving Electronic Acts From Colombia. Llorona's In-House Act, Cerrero, Teaming Up With Another Colombian, Gaitero And Trompetista, El Leon Pardo. The Enigmatic And Cult Like Figure Has Featured On Many-A-Colombian Record In Recent Years, Including, Ondatropica And Velandia Y La Tigra. Though This Might Be One Of The Most Exciting Match-Ups Yet. Cerrero's Minimalistic Electronic Beats Channeled Through An Analogue Console Alongside The Abraded Howls Of Gaita And Accentuated Trumpet Work. The Deep And Bassy Four-Track Ep, Canción Para Un Amigo, Was Justly Named To Mark The Meeting Of These Two Brilliant Minds. Mixed In The Extemporaneous Ambience Of A Live Recorded Session, It Makes For A Riveting Listen. Six Standalone Tracks, Bound Through Crescendoing Loops Which Culminate In An Ethereal And Atmospheric Ritual Of Sound Which Evokes Colombian Ancestry. From The Spellbinding Opening Of Gaita-Led "Canción Para Un Amigo", The Ep Evolves Through "Todo Te Llevaste", A Track Skillfully Stitched Between Its Vocal Interludes By The Rat-A-Tat Of Accented Tambor, A Fanfare Of Trumpets And Underpinning Bass Line. Closing Out Via "Cumbia En Lejanía"'S, Gaita / Trumpet Led Interplay Into "Despedida", A Pining Jazz Melody Soaked In Reverb, It's As Complete Of A Work We've Heard Yet From Cerrero And Represents Another Glistening Gem In The Ever Increasing Bows Of The Llorona Catalogue. Inescapably Mesmeric As It Is A True Delight.

This Highly Collectible Lp From 1974 Is A Nonstop Salsa Dura Party Album From Start To Finish, Comparable With Any Of New York's Finest Like Ray Barretto And Willie Colón From The Same Era, But With Its Own Unique Sound And Joyful Vibe. Includes The Anthems 'Mi Nuevo Ritmo' And 'Alma Y Sentimiento/ Soul And Feeling' Recorded At Different Sessions In Colombia And Peru. Presented In Its Original Artwork And Pressed On 180g Vinyl. The Highly Collectible Lp Alfredo Linares Y Su Salsa Star "Mi Nuevo Ritmo" (1974) Is A Nonstop Salsa Dura Party Album From Start To Finish, Comparable With Any Of New York's Finest Like Ray Barretto And Willie Colón From The Same Era, But With Its Own Unique Swinging Sound And Bright, Crisp, Joyful Vibe. There Are Plenty Of Straight Up Cuban-Roots Based Salsa Tunes, Plus Some Latin Jazz And Latin Soul And A Bolero. Trumpets, Hand Claps, Loud Cowbell, And Vigorous Vocals All Make For A Great Listen And An Even Better Dance Experience. As The Track 'La Música Brava' Proclaims, "Yo No Quiero Que Pare La Música Brava!" (I Don't Want The Badass Music To Stop!). The Record Is Actually A Patchwork Of Different Recording Sessions Made In Peru And Colombia, Featuring Differing Studio Sound And Musician Lineups. Linares Had Just Returned To His Adopted Home Of Medellín From A Period Spent In Peru And Was Looking For A Record Deal. He Had Brought Master Tapes With Four Songs Recorded In Lima And Was Shopping Them Around In The Hopes Of Securing An Album Contract. Linares Also Cut Some Colombian Sessions Which Feature Roy "Tayrona" Betancourt As Well As Henry Castro And Enrique Fabián. Unfortunately, Neither Discos Fuentes Nor Sonolux Or Codiscos Were Interested. At That Time, Vinyl For Making Records Was Scarce And Over-Priced Due To The Petroleum Crisis And Hence The Labels Were Reluctant To Try Out A New Artist. "There Was Nothing To Be Done. The Only Company That Had Vinyl Stock Was Ins. So I Did The Business With Them Even Though They Didn't Have A Known Name In...

Two years after the release of his first self-titled album, DJ producer Massimo Napoli aka Galathea presents the new 'Sacred Love', in which he once again avails himself of the collaboration of his friend producer and bass player Salvo Dub, as well as a combo of respected musicians: singer Kadi Koulibaly - originally from Burkina Faso - already featured on the first album, Giulia La Rosa, author of the lyrics and performer of the title track, pianist Mario Pappalardo, percussionist Sergio Spitaleri and drummer Luciano Cantone. 'Sacred Love' is definitely a more mature, intense and profound journey than the previous album of the same name, which enhances the magical dreamlike and spiritual atmospheres of a certain African culture. The album guides the listener along a path of multi-ethnic contaminations: "Divinité", "Ouaga" and "Koloko", well interpreted by Kadi, touch on the sacredness and mysticism of the African continent and blend well with the Spiritual Jazz sounds that have evolved in the West. "Divinité", through the spoken word of French poet Diego Hernandez, tackles the themes of faith, life and the relationship with one's 'self', with references to French chanson productions, in which Kadi's spiritual song, at times 'Saharan', intersects and expands into cosmic space. The title track, the first single from the album, also released on 7" (45rpm) in two versions, is an Afro-American gospel with a typically afrobeat rhythm, vaguely reminiscent of Nina Simone's 'See-Line Woman'. North Africa is represented by "Equator", while we climb further north into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with "Medican Blues", to land in Stromboli with the Deep Jazz of "Ginostra", whose title recalls the village of the marvellous island in the Aeolian archipelago. Then we have the Cuban track "Caminito", a sort of Cha-Cha with a romantic piano melody (à la Chucho Valdez) well performed by maestro Mario Pappalardo; and then again "Eos", strongly Balearic with a Brazilian mood; "Impression", a dreamy journey of impact; "Sirens", already present on the first album and here reworked in a new Spiritual-Ambient version produced by Agosta. "Sacred Love" is thus an original and musically borderless album, which expands a certain African sacred culture and naturally blends Afrobeat, Jazz and Blues atmospheres with the Balearic sounds of Mediterranean culture. Enjoy listening!

Hard salsa with rocking tropical electric guitar! Príncipe's 1967 debut album, featuring powerful Afro-Latin rhythms like guaguancó and pachanga played with youthful exuberance and originality. Truly unique sound from the dawn of salsa in Venezuela. Príncipe y Su Sexteto, from Caracas, Venezuela, were early pioneers of "salsa con guitarra eléctrica" (salsa with electric guitar), a subset of the salsa genre where the electric guitar is the main melodic rhythm instrument, often taking the spotlight in place of the piano and brass section. They were the perfect combination arriving at the rightmoment, when salsa spontaneously emerged as a new musical movement coming from working-class youth of the barrios in Caracas. All the compositions are original to the band, and hold up really well more than 50 years later. Though the arrangements and playing are deceptively simple, the effect is both mesmerizing and energizing, like early rock 'n' roll fed through a Caribbean filter. This first time reissue has been remastered directly from the original tapes and licensed from Discomoda. With in-depth liner notes it has also been augmented by three smoking bonus tracks that were never released during Príncipe y Su Sexteto's existence as a band. 180g vinyl.

Those two über-hip expatriate Colombian ‘salsapunks’ are back. Contento’s first album, Lo Bueno Está Aquí, was an artistic and critical success: chosen, for example, by the UK’s discerning national newspaper, The Guardian, as their global album of the month in November last year. Their follow-up, En Lancha Pal Futuro, builds seamlessly on its predecessor. Yet it could not have been recorded in more different, and difficult, circumstances.

The duo’s debut was laid down between 2016 and 2019, a period when the two European-based Colombians, who met at an Eddie Palmieri concert in Berlin, were able to take some serious time off from their diverse individual projects to explore a new vision for salsa. Paulo, a member of Acid Coco, Jaguar and El Dragón Criollo; and Sano, a DJ and producer known for his minimalist Latin house releases for the Cómeme label, crystallized on their debut what Paulo describes as “a new salsa sound that may also make [listeners] want to discover some of the older sounds, too.” That sound is a kind of ‘retro-smart’ combination of Nuyorican boogaloo from the ‘60s and cumbia from the golden age of Discos Fuentes. Contento’s contemporary electronic twist suggests, if you like, a kind of post-modern variation on Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez’s “Happy Hook With an Organ”.

For Mancha 'E Plátano, la bomba is a transformative exercise, a way for this group of transplanted young women to teleport to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and step into the land of their birth, la isla de encanta, Puerto Rico. Bomba has become a way to be in two places at once for them, a tool of expression in their adopted city of Barcelona, itself a Mediterrean melting pot filled with diverse cultures and countless musical influences. Formed in 2018, the group has been studying and performing the bomba tradition alongside an adoring collective of multi-national musicians and collaborators, strengthening their reverential pride in this uniquely Caribbean cultural tradition. Their debut release was produced and recorded together with Names You Can Trust while in Barcelona at Nación Funk Studios, and contains one original composition, "No Me Da Pena," and one traditional, "Remigio Tombé." This balance of tradition and new growth represents their life and musical movements within the bustling borders of Barcelona. It is also a dedication to all those who are constantly fighting for their own representation and a thank you to those who have accompanied these talented women on their journey thus far, both on and off the island of Puerto Rico.

Dominican multi-instrumentalist Alex Malajunta is back on wax with a super hot, up-tempo, original merengue with "Rumbón." Party tested and dancer approved! The B-side is an updated version of the 1980s Ramon Orlando hit "Weo" featuring the merengue legend himself! Excellent call and response on this song for audience engagement.