Latin | Brazil 334 Items

Limited aqua marine vinyl edition including a lyrics' fanzine. 150 copies only, only at HHV Records.

After 20 eventful years as a drummer, singer, producer and composer in her hometown São Paulo, the Brazilian Mariá Portugal moved to Duisburg some time ago.
On November 12, 2021, she is now releasing her latest album, Erosão. Her debut for Fun In The Church will be released as a collaboration between selo Risco (Brazil) and Fun in The Church on vinyl and digital.

"On their first album as a trio, these jazz-rooted musicians create a luxurious atmosphere drawing from funk, krautrock, and noirish electronica." Andy Cush / Pitchfork "this is project is sick. Love the tunes, you definitely capture a hypnotic fusion of like smoking hash in a dangerous alley in Tangier, but also a very trippy laid back and louche LA cool.” Jeff Weiss With drummer Kenny Wollesen (Tom Waits, John Zorn, Norah Jones) and Dave Harrington (of electronic duo Darkside) guitar/bass/electronics, New York-based Swedish/Turkish saxophonist, composer, club-label owner Ilhan Ersahin captures the vibe of impromptu, cross-pollinating, and heavily grooving late-night jam sessions at Nublu, his “East Village Club where everything goes” (New York Times). The telepathy and intuition that flows between these three musicians is one that has developed over many years of playing together in different combinations, and on a permanent regular basis at NYC's Nublu, searching and creating together in the moment. What they have come up with has evolved steadily over that time and its current form can be heard to brilliant effect on their debut album “Invite Your Eye” (2022). The exploratory instrumental space-jazz these gentlemen purvey has many antecedents and influences but perhaps it's best not to cite names and instead let the music speak for itself.

El Palmas Music to release a new compilation of songs by the famous Venezuelan singer and percussionist Tabaco.

Tabaco Quintana is, without a doubt, one of the great masters of Venezuelan salsa. Born in Caracas in 1943, he was tall and very skinny, which earned him the nickname ‘Tabaco’. A shoeshine boy and street hawker, at the age of 18 he fell in love with the Caracas nightlife and spent his days listening to the rehearsals of a musical group that he ended up joining, thanks to the intervention of his friend Elio Pacheco. That group was called Sexteto Juventud.

Tabaco passed through almost every musical position within the band until he became a singer. It was the resemblance of his voice to Ismael Rivera and his skills as an interpreter that earned him a permanent position in the band.

After leaving the group in 1973, he created his own sextet, Tabaco y Su Sexteto, and later formed Tabaco y sus Metales, two groups that achieved international recognition, and became staples of the Venezuelan music scene ‘til the mid-80s. Throughout, and despite his fame, Tabaco was always clear that music had a social role to play, and would often sing in Venezuelan prisons. Sadly, he died young, on May 30, 1995, due to a lung condition. The public overflowed the streets to accompany him to his last dance.

This compilation of Tabaco’s songs, simply titled Tabaco and compiled by El Dragón Criollo and El Palmas, is an attempt to shine a light on this musical icon, and to show his versatility, vocal ability and unparalleled knowledge of musical rhythms.

Primarily known for his voice - which isn’t surprising considering his vocal nuances and the different registers he is able to reach - it can be said that he was also no slouch when it came to mixing up the rhythms. On this compilation there is a strong influence of African music (“San Juan Guarincongo”, “Imolle”) and jazz - just listen to the unforgettable beginning of “Arrollando”.

Percussion, piano and wind instruments are high in the mix, but it’s the masterful voice of Tabaco that adapts effortlessly to the requirements of the melody and the lyrics, riding each groove masterfully. The lyrics also show the great social sensitivity of the Venezuelan maestro: “Una Sola Bandera” and “Cuando Llora el Indio” are two great examples of salsa’s power in denouncing social injustice, and Tabaco’s commitment to that ethos.

Tabaco is unmissable, a heady journey into the essence of salsa and the rhythms of the Caribbean.

Mokomizik Records presents the first-ever reissue of this ultra-rare Latin-Jazz masterpiece. The Fantastic Variety in the Music of Panama - The Winsor Style and Calypso Impressions was privately released in the early 1960s by Panamanian pianist and songwriter Alonso Wilson De Briano.
Alonso described Panama as a country "with a foot in each side", referring to its unique geography that connects North and South America. The blending of Latin and English-speaking cultures had a big influence on Alonso, whose work draws on elements from West-Indian, Afro-Cuban and Panamanian folk musical styles. From the upbeat mambo rhythms of "Amigo" to the unusual combination of Calypso and Tamborera styles used in "My Brother, Too," Alonso weaves a rich musical tapestry into his arrangements. Back in 50s Panama, Alonso enjoyed relative success, with the likes of Orquesta Armando Boza and Tito Contreras performing his songs. So distinctive were his compositions that people had started referring to them by their own style - El stylito Winsor (the Winsor style), a reference to a club that Alonso performed at. Throughout his music career, Alonso worked with a number of renowned musicians, several of whom appear on the record, including Cuban-Jazz pioneer Arsenio Rodríguez's main bassist, Alfonso Joseph; and saxophonist and flutist Gene Jefferson to name a few.
Sadly, not many copies remain of Alonso's music today and the few that have surfaced over the years have naturally demanded high asking prices. This limited reissue aims to shed new light on Alonso's work and make it available for a new generation of listeners to enjoy. Great care has been taken to restore this record, using quality mastering to ensure maximum listening pleasure and retaining the original artwork with lyrics and the song descriptions written at the time. Each record comes with an insert containing restored photos and detailed biography, which features quotes from a rare interview with Alonso from the 1980s along with information gathered from his family and Alfonso Joseph, the only musician we could reach who plays on the record.
Limited to 500 copies. 180g LP with tip-on sleeve.

Color de Trópico is a carefully-compiled work of healing and reconstruction, documenting a special moment in the history of Venezuelan music, when the country’s democracy was just a few years old and the profound impact of the oil industry on society had only just begun. DJ El Palmas and El Dragón Criollo have chosen eight impossibly hard-to-find jewels, originally released between 1966 and 1978, reissued here for the first time on vinyl. In this period, Venezuelan musicians assimilated a wide range of influences and styles, both local and global, to generate something new, a “modern” identity for Venezuelan music; artists who set their eyes on the future without giving up the search for their own sabor (flavour). This is how jazz, rock, salsa, funk, psych, prog and disco, sat next to guajira, cumbia, cha-cha-cha and even the hugely-popular Venezuelan style of joropo. It started a long tradition of Venezuelan musical pioneers, many of whom are still to get the recognition they deserve. Seconds after the needle drops on the vinyl, “El Despertar” (“The Awakening”) kicks off things with a goodbye for it was the last single Los Darts released before their dissolution in 1974. In the 60s they became the youthful face of pop, however, “El Despertar” settles into a later maturity, having digested the tumult of the times. A cha-cha-cha rhythm with bossa nova piano, bluesy stylings and a Caribbean context – a blueprint for tasty miscegenation – with the use of electric guitar, arriving in waves of chords, signalling the onset of modernity. “Guajira con Arpa” by the pioneering Hugo Blanco, who lists the creation of countless rhythms and his early adoption of rhythms like ska amongst his claims to fame, is a fusion that arrives without complexities. It approaches indigenous forms from a multitude of different angles, yet in the middle of its Caribbean approach it creates a melody so close to the pajarillo that the song seems to flip on its head. With “Zambo” the party is on. Here we have an all-star line-up comparable to master Cortijo’s brief project with his Time Machine in Puerto Rico. Alex Rodríguez, one of the most important jazz guitarists in Venezuela and his Retreta Mayor give a twist to the fusion by daring to venture into Latin jazz, funk and salsa. “Gaita Universal” by El Combo Los Capri, gives us a moment of solace, recalling the cultural, rhythmic and even spiritual brotherhood of Venezuela not only with the Caribbean but with the continent, South America and neighbouring Colombia. This cumbia is special, it interweaves musical phrases in the style of a popular party wanting to propose the permanence of culture. Rhythm is the point of union between all human beings and, as its name indicates, its proposal goes beyond the physical and particular. It’s pure tropical hedonism. Nelson y sus Estrellas reminds us once again of the Caribbean wave but here under his “urban” outfit. Nelson plays guaguancó in the style of original salsa, specifically in this version (the theme evolves over time) with a disco-soul twist on “Fantasía Latina”. It takes the sound of early masters like Eddie Palmieri but is developed with eclectic elements, a climatic structure in which a trumpet with vibrato, salsa-rock riffs with acoustic guitars and a flute that, unlike the charangas in those that Johnny Pacheco partook at the same time, rather have a cinematic character. The cosmic “Tu y Yo” from Almendra plots a journey between soul-jazz and psychedelia that sails over a Moog until ending as a P-Funk descarga. Despite the fact that the principal instruments are an organ and a synthesizer, the acoustic guitar provides a unique colour. A tropical psychedelic journey from beginning to end seasoned with congas. The album closes with Tulio Enrique León y Su Organ playing “Bimbom”, a European pop-styled track from 1975. It’s a version of Bimbo Jet’s Eurodisco “El Bimbo” that immediately became famous among popular easy listening orchestras throughout summer in Europe. Tulio Enrique shines by turning it into an enigmatic and spectral cumbia. Tulio was an organist whose blindness did not prevent him from becoming one of the most popular artists in the world, as cited by Billboard in 1965. We have left the politically-incorrect “Socorro, Auxilio” by Germán Fernando for the end. According to music journalist Alfredo Churión “those who saw him attested to having witnessed something indescribable”, a mysterious man who doubted even his sanity and of whom today practically nothing is known. He was someone who dared to show a completely foreign effrontery, signing unintelligibly, moving frantically and throwing himself to the ground before the stunned gaze of his audiences. Venezuelan writer Luis Armando Ugueto states: “his art could go from the sublime to bad taste – and it was craved by the press – when he subjected viewers to strange songs where he pleaded for socorro and auxilio [help].” Germán Fernando had a histrionic proposal that was a thousand times misunderstood and that even popular presenters of the time like Renny Ottolina dubbed “his follies”. A theme close to the jazz orchestra soundtracks of James Bond and Batman accompanies the showman here who comes across like a creole Screaming Jay Hawkins. He creates a whirlwind of sound that, while as agile as a featherweight, is also capable of knocking out all the old ideas we had about Venezuelan music.

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.

Brownout’s legendary status as a “Funk Powerhouse” (Stereogum) is a reputation well deserved. The band of musicians have an impressive resume performing with Prince (RIP), GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, Bernie Worrell (RIP), and accolades from Ozzy Osbourne for their Brownout Presents: Brown Sabbath project. The latter helped grab the attention of Fat Beats Records, who worked with the band to release the critically acclaimed Public Enemy instrumentals project Fear of A Brown Planet in 2018. The Austin 9-piece is back with their first full length album of original music in over 8 years. The album, aptly titled, Berlin Sessions (out March 6, 2020 on Fat Beats) was produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and is the first with lead singer Alex Marrero, whom they originally collaborated with on their wildly successful Brown Sabbath records. Berlin Sessions finds the group merging a multitude of styles, from rock to psych and of course the Latin Funk and Breakbeat on which they have built their sixteen-year career and reputation as Austin's premier party-starters. NPR recently featured the band on their heralded “Tiny Desk Concert” series, performing songs off the new album. NPR described the diversity of the band, stating, “One of the things you need to know about this band is that they can change traditions or genres almost on a dime. The core members dip into soul, Latin funk, a form of Peruvian cumbia called chicha, and funk covers of both Black Sabbath and Public Enemy. What each configuration has in common is the almost telepathic bond the band has developed after 15 years of working stages across the country. As you can see on the video, it's so infectious that Prince once used them for a while as a back-up band.”

An undeservedly obscure Fruko album from 1973, full to the brim with unrelentingly hard and heavy salsa bangers that never let up (hence the title, "The Violent One"). The record is a pleasing mix of originals and covers and contains the anthems 'Tronco seco', sung by Wilson Saoko, and 'Nadando', a hit for Joe Arroyo. But there's a whole lot more, including hot holiday tunes and the stomping descarga 'Salsa Na' Ma'. This album is "all killer and no filler", designed to set the dance floor ablaze! Details:The 1973 album "El Violento" was the fifth full-length salsa LP led by Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón, aka Fruko, and the second credited to Fruko Y Sus Tesos. Though it did not contain hits like 'A la memoria del muerto' or 'El Preso', it's a collector's item today in places like the US, Europe and Japan, perhaps precisely because it is obscure yet full to the brim with unrelentingly hard and heavy salsa bangers that never let up from start to finish (hence the title, which translates as "The Violent One"). A mix of originals and interesting covers, the LP is "all killer and no filler", purposely designed to set the dance floor ablaze. It features Fruko's two main vocalists that took over from the first pair of Humberto "Huango" Muriel and "Píper Pimienta" Díaz, namely the beloved duo of Alvaro "Joe" Arroyo and Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma. Los Tesos were a talented "wild bunch" who listened to their fearless leader, with Fruko holding down the bottom end on electric bass, Hernán Gutiérrez in the piano chair, the Villegas brothers on hand percussion (Jesús tickling the bongos and Fernando slapping the congas), augmented by Rafael Benítez on timbales and an ace horn section of Freddy Ferrer and Gonzálo Gómez (trombones) and Jorge Gaviria and Salvador Pasos (trumpets). While "El Violento" may not be as well known as some Fruko records, it certainly deserves a new look and should be assessed on its own merits as a very powerful, confident entry in the historical evolution of Colombi...

HIGHLIGHTSAfrosound's third full-length LP is a sought-after collector's record because it's full of funky, crazy tropical afro-psychedelia with a reputation for being one of Discos Fuentes freakiest releases of the 1970s. With vintage synths, fuzz-wah guitar and Fruko's heavy bass, "Carruseles" is a wild carousel ride of cumbia and salsa that has now been lovingly reissued in replica form for today's Colombian music connoisseurs to rediscover. First time reissue. 180g vinyl. DESCRIPTIONAfrosound was born from the desire of Discos Fuentes vice-president José María Fuentes to come up with a domestic version of the emerging African and Latin rock sounds coming from outside the country, inspired by groups like Osibisa and Santana. The mission was to emulate the guitar-heavy tropical sounds emanating from Perú and Ecuador at the time. According to various sources, the 1972 tune 'La danza de los mirlos' (by Peru's Los Mirlos) emerged as a great success in Colombia and with it a new way of interpreting the country's most famous musical export, namely cumbia, through a Peruvian perspective. In their perpetual competition with Sonolux, Fuentes executives gathered a veteran team of musicians the following year to address this musical "invasion" from Peru because they sensed a potential for similar success. Released in 1974, Afrosound's "Carruseles" is the band's third long play and is one of their most sought-after records, with good reason. The recording continues the fantastic mix of psychedelic guitar, exotic keyboards, deep bass and heavy Afro-Caribbean rhythms of its predecessors, but this time around the band really stretches out on a couple of numbers, making it arguably their most experimental and entertaining. Once again Fruko is at the helm in the studio, simultaneously holding it down and allowing the musicians to explore their most spaced-out fantasies. His trusty mentor, Mario "Pachanga" Rincón, returns to the mixing console, pulling all sorts of sonic tricks with edits, pan...

Sim Sim Sim' is the Latin Grammy award-winning debut album from Bala Desejo. A band who are at the forefront of Rio de Janeiro’s artistic renaissance, they channel influences of Brazilian 60s Tropicália, 70s psychedelia and MPB to create a nostalgic, yet joyfully, avant-garde sound.

The band is comprised of four distinct characters, each one an incredible talent in their own right and each with impressive credentials in the Brazilian Independent music scene. Central to the resurgent Rio de Janeiro musical community, the quartet of Dora Morelenbaum, Julia Mestre, Lucas Nunes and Zé Ibarra thrive in a group dynamic. They formed Bala Desejo to play collaboratively for a festival date in 2021, but when that show became a victim of pandemic shutdowns the idea for an album project materialised.

'Sim Sim Sim’, which translates into English as ‘Yes Yes Yes’, weaves through a fusion of genres, taking twists and turns as it progresses. There is Tropicália, MPB, rock, samba-canção soul-funk and reggae in the mix. It possesses many of the qualities of a classic album from Brazilian music’s golden era of the 60s and 70s, but also manages to sound very now, which is not an easy task to pull off. As solo musicians, they have worked and collaborated with Brazilian icons Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and Milton Nascimento to name but a few. Bala Desejo feels like a natural extension of what came before, taking the baton from these luminaries, adding their unique spin and moving the sound forward.

When we first heard Bala Desejo, we were blown away. Their epic theatrical live shows leave audiences stunned and they are the band we had always been hoping to find. A modern-day Novos Baianos or Mutantes, but definitely not an imitation. They celebrate their influences, but are an innovative group, and consequently, they have created one of the finest records to come out of Brazil in recent years. A truly sensational debut!

Super heavy mix of descarga, salsa and boogaloo by accordion virtuoso Aníbal Velásquez, done in the "salsa con acordeón" style, featuring hot piano and timbales, yet played with a uniquely Colombian flavor.Recorded with fantastic production quality, this replica LP contains 8 hard-hitting dance floor bangers plus 2 bonus cuts including the 1972 version of 'Mambo loco', making this an essential addition to your Discos Fuentes collection.First time reissue. 180g LP.Aníbal "Sensación" Velásquez is one of Colombia's most innovative and prolific Costeño musicians, known as "El Mago del Acordeón" and "El Rey de La Guaracha". Velásquez grew up hearing Cuban music as well as the local rhythms of his region, and this led him to tinker with and transform the beats and melodies of the regional music encountered in his home city of Barranquilla during the 1950s and 60s.By 1960, after being a sideman in several groups, Velásquez formed his own conjunto with his elder brother Juan, a talented musician in his own right, and his younger sibling José."Aníbal Velásquez en tremenda salsa" is a perfect example of the musician's wanderlust and restless creative spirit. A pioneer of the adventuresome mixing of rhythms, genres and styles that was happening at the time in Barranquilla and the rest of coastal Colombia, in retrospect one can say that Velásquez was quite daring in combining the music and instrumentation of his native country with other Caribbean forms. In 1968, when he made this album, very few Colombians were attempting to record an accordion-led session of descarga, guaracha, boogaloo, guajira, guaguancó and mambo, and for that we should recognize Velásquez as a forerunner of various other records by Lisandro Meza y su Combo, Los Corraleros de Majagual, Los Caporales del Magdalena and Chico Cervantes y su Conjunto Internacional.The album kicks off with an intense and mesmerizing descarga featuring the guaguancó bass line, hot Cuban style piano and a heavy timbales solo, reminding one o...

First time vinyl reissue of this awesome 1978 Latin jazz-funk gem by Venezuelan guitarist Alex Rodríguez, featuring top musicians like Jorge Dalto, Nené Quintero and George Benson's band members Dennis Davis and Stanley Banks, among many others.Originally self-released and distributed in tiny quantities, "Búsqueda" has reached grail status among collectors worldwide. The album contains quite a few heaters for the dance floor, like 'El Mercado', and tight, keys and guitar punctuated fusion jams! (just check the groovy opener 'Cumana'.)Rodríguez is a classical and jazz trained guitarist who in the early days of his career joined some of the best orchestras in Venezuela, including Aldemaro Romero's Onda Nueva. He put together a brief project, La Retreta Mayor, in 1976 which only released one album and would later move to New York where he had the opportunity to record his own songs with renowned musicians of the city at that time, like Víctor Paz, Charlie Camalliari, Sam Burtis, Mario Bauza, Guillermo Edgil, Bernard Purdie, Jorge Dalto, among others.It took him a little more than a year writing the songs and preparing the material for "Busqueda" but in 1978 Alex Rodríguez would return to New York City. Jorge Dalto had spoken with Dennis Davis (drums), Stanley Banks (bass) who played together with George Benson, and Víctor Paz contacted Alex with Ronnie Cuber (saxes), an excellent saxophonist, who later recorded 'Cumana' on his own album "The Eleventh Day Of Aquarius".Before going to the recording studio they did a rehearsal to review the music, and the next day Dalto, Banks, Davis, Cuber and Alex Rodríguez were recording in the CBS studio on 52nd street in Manhattan.The production and mixing of the album were finished in Caracas, at Sono 2000 studios, with the participation of excellent Venezuelan musicians such as Nené Quintero, Lucio Caminiti, Edgar Saume, Carlos Acosta, Alberto Naranjo, Rolando Briceño, Leo and Frank Quintero, among others. The resulting album contains quite a few...

First time reissue of a legendary and undeservedly obscure salsa collector's album from 1969.Led by rebel accordionist Alfredo Gutiérrez and featuring singer Lucho Pérez of Sonora Dinamita fame, "Así es_ Con salsa!" is just that: raw, heavy duty NYC salsa performed through a Colombian "Costeño" tropical filter, with trombone, accordion and deep bass.Contains three hot bonus tracks in the same style and insert with liner notes."¡Así es_ Con salsa!", by Colombia's Alfredo Gutiérrez y Los Caporales del Magdalena, is a legendary collector's album, yet still undeservedly obscure (and perhaps sonically surprising) for the uninitiated. It's an experimental mash-up of seemingly disparate genres from different origins that on paper would seem to be at cross purposes. Yet at the same time the release is a masterpiece of raw pan-Latin fusion from the dawn of Colombian salsa that holds its own as a bonafide heavy duty pioneering record of the genre, despite its outsider status.Probably the most shocking musical element is Alfredo Gutiérrez's fiery accordion, an unexpected instrument in the idiom of salsa, as it's usually associated with the tropical music of Gutiérrez's Caribbean home region of Sucre. Gutiérrez has always been a provocateur, never shying away from the controversial or outlandish, which has earned him the richly deserved sobriquet, "El Rebelde Del Acordeón" (The Rebel of The Accordion).Gutiérrez started Los Caporales in 1968 as a rival to Discos Fuentes supergroup Los Corraleros de Majagual, and the band had made three popular albums prior to "¡Así es_ Con salsa!", yet most of the repertoire on those records consisted of typical Colombian tropical and coastal rhythms and genres, none were purposely devoted to the newly minted genre of salsa.For this edition of the album, its first reissue on vinyl, we have added several tracks from other Caporales albums that fit in perfectly with the heavy salsa sound of the original LP, including "Sonia quiere un son", another remake...

Ten years after our initial survey of Afro-Latin accented rhythm & blues from the mid-century, Jazzman proudly presents a fourth installment, packed with as many musical surprises as the first. With music plucked from an era spanning the late 1940s into the early 60s, Jukebox Mambo IV highlights yet again the unparalleled musical creativity of the post war era, and shows how the infusion of afro-latin rhythms was key to these revolutions.

Lovingly and painstakingly researched and curated, the album boasts 23 tracks, many previously uncompiled, touching on jazz, blues, doo wop, calypso, rock & roll, gospel and more. Featuring individual track notes for every song along with some never seen before photographs of the artists, Jukebox Mambo Vol IV maintains the same high production values of each previous volume, and indeed the wider Jazzman catalogue.

Credited to the unexisting La Sonora MAG, this mega rare late '50s album was actually recorded by Peruvian percussionist Ñiko Estrada and his Sonora, comprising hits from the repertoire of the most famous Cuban and Boriquen orchestras: guarachas, boleros and one instrumental tropical beguine.It features three great vocalists: Manolo Castro, Rafael "Chivirico" Dávila and Vicky Zamora, whose take on 'Pepito' became one of the most popular songs of the year in Peru.Reissued for the first time. 180g vinyl pressing.DESCRIPTION/DETAILS:This album comprises hits from the repertoire of the most famous Cuban and Boriquen orchestras in the late '50s, performed by young Peruvian percussionist Ñiko Estrada and his sonora. However, due to contractual restrictions, the album was released under the fictitious Sonora MAG name.Fascinated by the music of the Cuban orchestras broadcast on the radio and the colourful and flamboyant outfits they sported when played Lima, Ñiko Estrada named his first band Los chicos de Cuba (The Cuban Boys). In 1958 he put together his own group, sonora, signing to the local label Smith and recording a number of hits. At the same time, he also agreed to anonymously record more music for MAG, the Peruvian company owned by Manuel Guerrero. An imaginary Sonora MAG was born_"El Negro Bembón con la Sonora MAG" includes, with the only exception of the instrumental track 'Té Para Dos', mostly vocal songs -guarachas and boleros- by the likes of Manolo Castro, Rafael "Chivirico" Dávila, and Vicky Zamora, being her take on 'Pepito' the biggest hit of the album.This album is currently almost impossible to find in its original edition, so we are now happy to present the first ever reissue of "El Negro Bembón con la Sonora MAG" in its original artwork and 180g vinyl pressing.

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.

London based band Son Yambu are back with their second album full of original son Cubano, continuing the Buena Vista legacy that put Cuban music back on the world map in 1997. Featuring a new line up of the very best of Cuba's musical diaspora, 'Tremendo Ambiente'reflectsthe evolving nature of the music whilst at the same time paying homage to its roots. Recorded in London, 'Tremendo Ambiente' features Son Yambu's traditional 'sonora' sound of two trumpets.Made up entirely of original songs, the album features a varied collection of Cuban and Caribbean rhythms.

Recorded And Originally Released Only In Argentina In 1972, The Album Shows An Exquisite And Delicatedialogue Between The Guitar Of Sebastiao Tapajos And The Percussion Provided By Pedro Dos Santos That Generates Ambiences Of Unusual Beauty And Depth.It Is A Necessary Addition To The Much-Hailed Pedro Dos Santos Album "Krishnanda" In The Collection Of Anyone With An Interest In The Most Adventurous Sounds Of Brazil And Also An Essential Work In The Discography Of Sebastiao Tapajos.Includes The Killer Afro-Samba 'Mungangá' And The Hypnotic Groover 'Sorongaio'.Info:The Ion Studios, Located In The Buenos Aires Neighborhood Of Balvanera, Have Been The Usual Setting For Recordings By Argentine Artists As Popular As Les Luthiers Or Charly García. In The Early 1970s They Also Hosted Brazilian Guitarist Sebastiao Tapajos For Several Sessions Accompanied By Other Musicians Such As Arnaldo Henriques, Marianazareth Or Pedro "Sorongo" Dos Santos. Two Albums Would Be Published In The Argentine Record Label Trova Of The Recordings Along With The Latter.Following The Success Of Our Recent Reissue Of Several Recordings From These Sessions ("Vol. 2" Vampi 212 And "Tudo É Moda" Vampi 45073) We Are Now Happy To Present This "Vol. 1". The Connection Between The Delicate Guitar Of Tapajos And The Surprising Experimental Percussion Of Pedro Dos Santos, Based On Unusual Objects Such As Spoons, Deodorant Containers Or Matchboxes, Creates Extraordinary Beauty Throughout The 12 Songs On The Album. The Sound Of The Flute Is Another Of The Ingredients Present In Several Of The Songs And, Although His Actual Involvement Is Not Confirmed On The Sleeve Credits Of The Album, Everything Seems To Indicate That Danilo Caymmi Was The Musician Invited To Accompany The Tapajos-Dos Santos Duo.Since Its First Release In 1972, This Album Has Been Highly Sought After By All Tapajos Fans, Both Inside And Outside Brazil, Becoming A Title Hard To Get Hold Of Due To The Fact That It Was Initially Only Published In Argent...

El Clan Antillano was an obscure, short-lived salsa group started in 1975 by singer Jacky "El Caballo" Carazo, originally from Cartagena, and radio host / song composer Mike Char, from Barranquilla. The band was active only until 1977, with a mere two albums to its name. Carazo and Char, "los amigos costeños" (friends from the Caribbean coastal area) created El Clan Antillano, backed by astudio orchestra comprised mostly of Fruko Y Sus Tesos band members, as a fresh start after the previous group Carazo had been had become inactive. The record has been remastered from the original tapes, with an additional three bonus cuts taken from two rare 45 singles, including the sought after track 'Alma'. First time reissue. 180g Vinyl. While the ephemeral El Clan Antillano may not be as well known as the groups it's related to, namely El Afrocombo and Fruko Y Sus Tesos, it certainly deserves credit as a worthy participant in the historical evolution of salsa colombiana.

This is the quartet's second LP, recorded in 1971, and contains mostly Peruvian songs with a strong Cuban flavor where Pancho Acosta's electric guitar reaches vertiginous heights and is combined with outstanding conga and timbales playing. Extremely rare and hard to find in its original issue, this is the first-time reissue. Remastered from the original tapes.The guitarist Francisco "Pancho" Acosta Angeles (1946) played a significant role in spreading love for Cuban rhythms across Peru, those sunshine beats breaking through the cloudiness that hangs over Lima most of the year, as the city bears a closer resemblance weather wise to London than to Havana. In 1967, after making a name for himself with his six-stringed skill, he made his vinyl debut with Compay Quinto. Shortly after Pancho left Company Quinto, he joined Los Kintos. When Los Kintos disbanded, Pancho Acosta swiftly moved on to his next project for MAG: the Cuarteto Yemayá, formed by tumba drummer and singer Miguel Montoya, bassist Máximo Pecho and timba drummer José Luis Fiallega, all under Pancho's direction and arrangements. The quartet's debut album, "Ecos del Trio Matamoros", was a tribute to the Cuban trio of the title and comprised cover versions as well as a couple of their own songs. This is the quartet's second LP, recorded between July and August 1971. "El Tic Tac" contains mostly Peruvian songs. The foreign versions on the album include the classic 'Compay Gallo', written by Miguel Matamoros; 'Toribio carambola' and 'El Tic Tac', from the repertoire of the Cuban Trio Servando Diaz; and 'Sandunguéate', best known in Celia Cruz's version. 'Oye Mi Son' and 'Oye Mi Guitarra' were composed by the album's lead vocalist, Miguel Montoya. Percussionist Jorge Mariazza (Los Pachas, Manzanita y su Conjunto) co-wrote 'Descarga Yemayá' with Pancho, which features outstanding conga and timbales playing. Pancho also composed tracks on his own: 'Me Voy a Monsefú', 'Mi Provinciana', 'Yo Me Voy de Aquí' and 'Flaca y Fea', th...

Despite his popularity in Peru as a famous comedian, Melcochita devoted himself to music for many years and worked as in-house studio musician for the label Discos MAG, taking part in countless sessions. This album was recorded between 1967 and 1968, accompanied by the orchestras of Betico Salas, Joe di Roma, Nilo Espinoza, Carlos Muñoz and Tito Chicoma. The album comprises amazing guarachas, mainly international hits, and the hilarious bolero 'Cobardía' where Melcochita brings in his comedian talent. First time reissue! - Back in 1968, the year "Dejen bailar al loco" was released, Pablo was still known as Pacocha (the name of a popular brand of soap) and worked during the day as a session musician for the MAG label. At night, from eight to six in the morning, he used to play percussion in clubs. Then, at the weekends, he performed on the popular variety show La Peña Ferrando, which featured "Quality acting; very funny, simple sketches", impersonations and musical performancs. Most of the guarachas on the album are international hits, such as 'El limoncito' and 'Pa' gozá candela'. The track, 'Quiero casarme contigo' has Mexican origins, and it has been adapted to guaracha style by Betico Salas' orchestra. The humorous 'No es un gato' hails from Colombia, while 'Ahorita va a llové' and 'Carta de mamita' come from Cuba. 'Dejen bailar al loco' and 'Libre de pecado' are also from the Caribbean Island. 'Cobardía' and 'Dos almas' are classic boleros, which were already part of the repertoire of most singers back then and were also included on this album. The only way to perform them to the demanding audience at La Peña without being booed was to put a new spin on the songs, deconstruct them and reinvent the structure, as the Tito Chicoma and Joe di Roma orchestras did, and above all Melcochita, who sang them in a supernatural voice and a created Creole scat that must have wowed the audience, who would then burst into applause and laughter, going home happy after a great night out.

A wild and funky collection of Afro grooves that was ahead of its time in 1977 and has become a collector's item in recent years, especially due to the growing international interest in Colombian picó sound system culture. Fruko and his studio bands Wganda Kenya and Kammpala Grupo treat us to a diverse set of African and Caribbean styles, laced with crazy synths, psychedelic guitar and infectious pan-African polyrhythms.First time reissue. 180g vinyl. By the time Discos Fuentes released the album "Wganda Kenya Kammpala Grupo" in 1977, Wganda Kenya's discography was expanding with many 45 singles and appearances in various artists collections. The group's 1975 debut record "Africa 5.000" was a full length LP in the U.S. and a various artists compilation in Colombia, which was followed by the self-titled long player the following year. However, Kammpala Grupo, which shared the album's title and was credited to three songs on the record, had never appeared before, yet was basically the same studio group as Wganda Kenya. Most likely the creation of this short-lived studio band was just a ploy by the label to make it seem like there were more groups playing the type of exotic afro tracks favored by the picotero DJs of Colombia's Caribbean coast (especially in Barranquilla and Cartagena).The record kicks off with the joyful 'El Gallo Africano' which features exquisite interplay between Sepúlveda's highlife style guitar and an authentic-sounding African style saxophone, perhaps played by Carlos Piña. In reality it was 'Go Call Police Chief' by prolific Nigerian highlife guitarist Chief Oliver Sunday Akanite, aka Oliver De Coque. Next up is Kammpala Grupo's 'La Yuca Rayá' ('Grated Yuca'), written by Isaac Villanueva in a style he termed son haitiano which sounds much more like Zimbabwe Shona mbira music. Wganda Kenya's 'Caimito' (star apple, a type of tropical fruit), on the other hand, is actually a cover of a relatively well-known Haitian merengue song.Kammpala Grupo then takes us from the...

All DJs have their own way of building their set. Some pick records entirely on the spur of the moment and trust their instincts, others write down a precise list on a piece of paper and never stray from it; the set is a kitchen where the DJ is the Chef. It doesn't matter how it’s done, as long as it's done properly and enjoyed by everyone, that's what matters the most.

I think I'm combining these two methods when building my set, except that instead of a meal, I'm talking about a story. A story that crosses styles, countries, atmospheres, and that I tell in a different way every night. With, however, a method that I respect.

Between the new stuff I get from the labels, the stuff that friends and fans send me, and what I dig myself, I have enough to make a different set from A to Z, every night! However, before these treats can delight the dancefloor, each of them has to go through a quite precise process.

The first step is to digitalize my tracks in high quality. I can play several dates in a week, so carrying boxes of records to places that are sometimes far apart is out of the question. The WAV format has become my best friend. With it, I can edit some tracks, cut parts or lengthen others. Sometimes, an interminable intro is not necessary, while a furious break needs to repeat itself a bit longer.

Then, the second step consists in classifying the tracks by genre and origin. A real library is thus created where each title has its own place. Accessible (almost) without searching. I know all too well the experience of getting lost in one's own collection, trying to read the spines, pulling out a record halfway from its shelf only to put it back in it immediately. No, that's not the one... where did I put that other one then?...

From these folders I then draw the titles which will be part of the third stage: the selection for the DJ set. Nothing is set in stone, tracks come and go on a regular basis. I have year-round squatters as well as residents passing through for a few weeks. Or days. It is from there that I begin to elaborate the story that I will be telling for three or four hours.

The beginning of the set is always the same. Welcoming the dancers gently. Letting them take their marks with a musical aperitif of tracks at 80/90 BPM, something that many DJs don’t do or no longer do.

The end is always the same. Parting with the dancers gently. Letting them go down peacefully. Their evening with me is over, but it is perhaps another one, more intimate, that will be starting for them.

In between these two moments, it’s all about the story itself, with its cumbia, reggae, hip hop, lusophone music, funk, soul-jazz twists... A rich story which tells itself in the mood of the moment and back on the dance floor. Depending on the general atmosphere, the rise in musical power can start after an hour and thirty minutes of preliminaries, or it can happen only after 45 minutes. The climax is reached with the Afro-house part, a furious passage that makes overexcited music from Zimbabwe and punk music from South Africa confront each other along a total experimentation with tracks so disturbing that they put the dancers' legs out of sync. This represents a moment of rupture in the narrative, its only purpose being to help reconnect with the dance floor as soon as it is over and to re-launch the story with even greater interest.

Those who have already come to see my DJ set know this: each of my stories is unique.

I hope you’ll enjoy the one I’m telling you in this third volume.

Pura Vida

Guts

(Classicos EM Vinyl, LP 180gr, Simple cover) Recorded live at "Maracanãzinho" (Rio de Janeiro) on the 23rd of February, 1974. Liner notes by Gerson Conrad.

As the album title suggests, this work represents a big step forward for Gerardo Frisina, an artist that has always been open to any influence and whose unstoppable creativity has given birth to a 2-LP’s worth of new material! Nu-latin, Afro and electronic beats merge with Afro-Cuban rhythm into a massive dancefloor groove!

Lendas is the Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento’s fifth album for Now-Again Records. Like his previous albums Prelúdio and Ykytu, Lendas features do Nascimento’s compositions, this time with orchestral arrangements by Vittor Santos and also special participation by Arthur Verocai. Vittor Santos is a composer, arranger, trombonist and music producer from Rio de Janeiro, who has worked in Brazilian music for over thirty years. Do Nascimento and Santos met in Rio in 2017 during the recording of Do Nascimento’s hero, and 70s and 80s Brasilian guitar catalyst Carioca Freitas album Aquarelas. The two bonded over a mutual appreciation for Do Nascimento’s uncle Lúcio and the Bossa Nova star Leny Andrade, both of whom largely influenced Do Nascimento’s musical foundation. In Santos, Do Nascimento found an arranger who was sensitive enough in his orchestrations that he could create an orchestral dialogue between stacks of strings and Do Nascimento’s plaintive plucking. It was only natural to invite the highest regarded, now legendary, 1970s Brasilian arranger, Arthur Verocai, to contribute. Verocai, who had worked with Do Nascimento on his forays in Los Angeles, was pleased to participate. In this way, the circle of old and new, so crucial in Do Nascimento’s work, comes together and flows outwards. “Lendas” translates from Portuguese as "legends,” but the literal translation itself doesn’t describe this album. With Lendas, Do Nascimento recalls memories from places that no longer exist; from fever dreams in the Amazon; from parts of the world we might never see or engage, but can imagine through music. Fabiano Do Nascimento’s Brazilian guitar meets a full orchestra arranged by Vittor Santos and with special participation by Arthur Verocai and his string quartet. Lush yet lively, standing alongside Jorge Ben’s work with Verocai, and Tom Jobim and Baden Powell’s work with Vinicius de Moraes.

Ykytu is Brasilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento’s fourth album for Now-Again Records. Produced by Nascimento’s longtime engineer Jason Hiller, this album is do Nascimento’s first solo guitar album and, like his previous album, Preludio, is reliant on do Nascimento’s own compositions, with a little help from like-minded musical travelers. In keeping with the trajectory of his previous albums, including Dança dos Tempos and Tempo dos Mestres, Ykytu follows folkloric Brasilian music, Brasilian jazz, bossa-nova and samba as experienced through the mind and able fingers of an expansive musician, this time in a minimalist, meditative manner. “Even though this album is a bit experimental and even abstract at times, It is meant to be a calming and easy listening experience,” do Nascimento offers. “I choose to keep the songs and arrangements intentionally very bare and stripped down. Just adding few layers and colors here and there.” The album came together during the Covid-19 pandemic, but one hears anything but isolation in Ykytu’s grooves. Do Nascimento performed the album almost entirely with a Strimon Timeline pedal, with a few loops and overdubs, and the result is a full-fledged, if quiet and subtle, conversation Do Nascimento has with himself, as he ruminates about this stage in his life, in his musical journey, and his music’s place in the world. Ykytu means "wind" in the indigenous Brazilian Guarani language. In his own way, as he was quarantined in Los Angeles, Do Nascimento has succeded in journeying outwards, in heeding the call of the open world. At the same time, he has remained true to the spirit and calling of his forebears, hearing their whispers, amplifying them, augmenting them, and allowing them to flow outwards.