Latin | Brazil 228 Items

The 1974 debut album Ojinga’s Own and single Basa Bongo/Black Pepper by Guyanese Afro-Folk band The Yoruba Singers has been remastered for vinyl and digital. The Yoruba Singers formed in Georgetown, Guyana in 1971. Despite their name they were not from Nigeria, but identified strongly with the area from which so many of the African diaspora in Guyana and neighbouring regions were originally descended. The group started adapting Guyanese traditional folk music as well as writing their own - blending a mixture of protest, social commentary, blues, and genres inspired by the times. Beginning with about 12 people sharing vocal duties, most of the early repertoire was inspired by folk songs that started life on plantations or in religious settings accompanied by a few sparse musical instruments. Integral to the Yoruba Singers’ sound are echoes of Obeah traditions which are very closely related to the Santería religion of Cuba and the Orisha and Shango traditions of Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso and steelband culture from nearby Trinidad and Tobago was to some extent part of the musical DNA of the group, but they were naturally also influenced by the massive volume of rocksteady and roots-reggae coming from Jamaica.

Guyana folk music reinterpreted and infused with Afroroots and culture, reissued on vinyl for the first time. A year after their debut album ‘Ojinga’s Own’, the Yoruba Singers from Guyana released the singles ‘Black Pepper’ and ‘Basa Bongo’. These two songs were recorded in Barbados and released on the Green Shrimp label and became extremely popular throughout the Caribbean and South America. The music also became an integral part of the very beginnings of what was later to become the Champeta Criolla sound in the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Here it comes the first tropical Uluru! The A side sees an instant classic from uprising french producer Yeahman! Produced in 2016, this jewel sees the light for the first time on a 7” and featured some “badman” lyrics on a crispy cumbia beat. On the b side we welcome to the label Austrian trio Restless Leg Syndrome with a classic cumbia re-work called Hornrace. Pull up guaranteed! Pressed on high quality black and turquoise vinyl (38 gr.) Edition of 500, coming with “hand stamped” paper sleeves.

Here it comes the first tropical Uluru! The A side sees an instant classic from uprising french producer Yeahman! Produced in 2016, this jewel sees the light for the first time on a 7” and featured some “badman” lyrics on a crispy cumbia beat. On the b side we welcome to the label Austrian trio Restless Leg Syndrome with a classic cumbia re-work called Hornrace. Pull up guaranteed! Pressed on high quality black and turquoise vinyl (38 gr.) Edition of 500, coming with “hand stamped” paper sleeves.

Wilfred Trevor Woodley aka Woods (1934 - 2010) is certainly one of the best kept secrets in Caribbean jazz. A pianist composer from Point Fortin, Trinidad & Tobago, Woods was a fascinating man who lived an incredible life traveling to more than 70 countries. Even though he composed hundreds of songs he had never released an official album. Woods was a man who lived a fearless life. Even when faced with life's adversities he dealt with them with such courage and calmness that all who knew him could only remember him with admiration and respect. In july 1990 he was involved in an accident where a truck crushed one os his legs. facing the doctors, he replied with aplomb: "As long as I can play the pinao, everything is fine". This EP is the first project of a series to pay a tribute to his legend and to keep his music alive.

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...

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.

Jorge Ben is surely one of the world’s greatest all-round musical artists. He is internationally renowned and vastly influential as a vocalist, musician, performer and phenomenal songwriter. Famed for penning ‘Taj Mahal’, which was the source for Rod Stewart’s ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy?’, and also ‘Mas Que Nada’, one of Brazil’s most iconic anthems, Jorge Ben is a powerful musical force. A simple glance at his impressive back catalogue reveals a master of his craft, with a depth and quality that is seldom paralleled.

For 'Tudo Ben' we take a side-step, focusing on Jorge Ben’s songs that have been performed by other artists. Complied by Mr Bongo, Greg Caz and Sean Marquand, this collection features the Brazilian legends Elza Soares, Claudette Soares, and Wilson Simonal, alongside prodigious artists such as Marijô, Os Brazoes, and Doris Monteiro to name but a few. The selection covers a wide range of genres including samba, bossa nova, MPB and batacuda workouts. Many of the songs featured have become staples in Mr Bongo DJ sets over the years and are some of our most loved classics. As with many of history’s great songwriters, Jorge Ben’s songs transcend genres and styles, they can be covered and reinterpreted, yet the quality of the writing holds up to the standard of the original.

In the dark days of the mid to late 2000s when the end of vinyl seemed inevitable, Mr Bongo released 'Tudo Ben' on CD only. Years later, we finally get to put this right and present it for the first time on vinyl with alternative artwork by Mr Krum.

Jorge Ben is surely one of the world’s greatest all-round musical artists. He is internationally renowned and vastly influential as a vocalist, musician, performer and phenomenal songwriter. Famed for penning ‘Taj Mahal’, which was the source for Rod Stewart’s ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy?’, and also ‘Mas Que Nada’, one of Brazil’s most iconic anthems, Jorge Ben is a powerful musical force. A simple glance at his impressive back catalogue reveals a master of his craft, with a depth and quality that is seldom paralleled.

For 'Tudo Ben' we take a side-step, focusing on Jorge Ben’s songs that have been performed by other artists. Complied by Mr Bongo, Greg Caz and Sean Marquand, this collection features the Brazilian legends Elza Soares, Claudette Soares, and Wilson Simonal, alongside prodigious artists such as Marijô, Os Brazoes, and Doris Monteiro to name but a few. The selection covers a wide range of genres including samba, bossa nova, MPB and batacuda workouts. Many of the songs featured have become staples in Mr Bongo DJ sets over the years and are some of our most loved classics. As with many of history’s great songwriters, Jorge Ben’s songs transcend genres and styles, they can be covered and reinterpreted, yet the quality of the writing holds up to the standard of the original.

In the dark days of the mid to late 2000s when the end of vinyl seemed inevitable, Mr Bongo released 'Tudo Ben' on CD only. Years later, we finally get to put this right and present it for the first time on vinyl with alternative artwork by Mr Krum.

Glorious Various Artist on the beloved Legofunk Records. Moving sensations for an always pleasant vibe!

From the rare and obscure to the unknown, producer Tee Cardaci mines eleven genre-spanning gems from the waning days of Brazil's military dictatorship, recorded by a new emerging class of artists operating outside of the major label system. Sonhos Secretos, or Secret Dreams in English, alludes to the quiet aspirations of those that made these independent and privately released seven-inches as well as to the fact that many of these records have long remained essentially a secret. It's also, to some extent, a reference to a certain dream-like quality that permeates this collection. These songs contain elements of jazz, soul, folk, prog, baroque rock and shimmering pop (housed under the blanket term Música Popular Brasileira, or Brazilian Popular Music). This unique compilation, presented by reissue specialists Org Music and online audio journal Aquarium Drunkard, includes a fold-out insert with artist interviews and additional liner notes by Brazilian music scholar Allen Thayer.

From the rare and obscure to the unknown, producer Tee Cardaci mines eleven genre-spanning gems from the waning days of Brazil's military dictatorship, recorded by a new emerging class of artists operating outside of the major label system. Sonhos Secretos, or Secret Dreams in English, alludes to the quiet aspirations of those that made these independent and privately released seven-inches as well as to the fact that many of these records have long remained essentially a secret. It's also, to some extent, a reference to a certain dream-like quality that permeates this collection. These songs contain elements of jazz, soul, folk, prog, baroque rock and shimmering pop (housed under the blanket term Música Popular Brasileira, or Brazilian Popular Music). This unique compilation, presented by reissue specialists Org Music and online audio journal Aquarium Drunkard, includes a fold-out insert with artist interviews and additional liner notes by Brazilian music scholar Allen Thayer.

Exotica, ye-yé cumbia, guaracha infused twist, rock'n roll mambo, Spanish rumba, boogaloo beat, tropical garage and other unexpected bastard genres are featured in this festive compilation of bizarre hits taken from the glorious catalog of records released during the 60s and 70s on the Peruvian label Discos MAG. Some clearly unite genres, others are projects with creative names, but all are bold musical initiatives that got and will always get people onto the dance floor. "Sabroso Go Go" brings together fourteen musical mixes created in the recording studios of Manuel Antonio Guerrero (MAG), in which music directors combine rhythm with alchemy in a quest to find the philosopher's stone of the dance. Exotica, ye-yé cumbia, guaracha infused twist, rock'n roll mambo, Spanish rumba, boogaloo beat, tropical garage and other unexpected bastard genres are featured in this festive compilation. Although this compilation begins in 1957, experiments like this (some more memorable than others) were not new in Peru. The songs on this album were however much more successful hybrids. Some clearly unite genres, others are projects with creative names, but all are bold musical initiatives that got and will always get people onto the dance.

You know that long hot days are fast approaching when it is Brazilian music that you crave. Thankfully the Scruniversal has got us covered with a second release that is as scorching as the first. It pairs MPB, samba and Latin flair with hard-edged hip-hop and funk stylings across a pair of tunes from Scruscru, each one a different collaboration. The first is alongside Tony Lavrutz and has gorgeous vocals and organic percussion paired with cut-up beats and jazzy keys that will ignite any floor on 'Rave Du Brazil.' It is Los Protos's jazz funk groover 'Primavera' that gets the good vibes going on the flip.

Outro Tempo II: Electronic and Contemporary Music from Brazil, 1984-1996 is the second installment of Music From Memory’s Brazilian series. This volume picks up where the first Outro Tempo left off, shedding light on a new wave of experimentalism that emerged in Brazil in the late 1980s and 1990s. The twenty tracks collected uncover another area of Brazilian music that looked to the future for inspiration. This time it drifts beyond the rainforest and into the pulsating heart of Brazil’s great cities, where it meets a generation of young artists eager to radically change the face of contemporary Brazilian music. In Outro Tempo II the avant garde and pop worlds meld in a haze of percussion and electronics. It presents another uncompromising and magnetic reinterpretation of the limits of Brazilian music. Outro Tempo II is compiled again by John Gómez and features original artwork by Alice Quaresma. The CD version also includes the 2 tracks 'Bruhahá' & 'Eyes' which were released as a separate single on vinyl and were not included in the 2xLP version.

Death Is Not The End presents a collection of haunted, brooding flamenco recordings taken from the early 1900s through to the late 1930s.

Curating and ordering the tracks for a Mr Bongo Record Club is always special. You’re reminded of the feelings you had when sitting at home with a cassette player on pause trying to compile the perfect mixtape to impress the latest object of your affection, or that friend with whom you share a musical kinship and spark off each other’s latest discoveries. Hearing old tracks for the first time or diving into the most upfront selections keeps the fires burning and passions alight.

Here, for volume six, we present recent finds and treasured classics from Brazil, Sweden, the USA, South Africa, Portugal, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. We have included selections by the Brazilian rising star Dora Morelenbaum as well as from heritage-Brazilian musicians and vocalists Haréton Salvanini, Copa 7, and Mirna. There’s also the wonderful Brazilian-not-Brazilian take of 'Ye Me Le' by Hazel Scott And The Braza Brasil, plus sublime gospel from the New York Community Choir. We’ve picked disco and soul rarities by General Lee and Ash Soul, Inc., and for the first time on vinyl, an incredible psych-pop song by the illustrious Matthew Tavares. There are cuts from some of our favourite contemporary Swedish musicians, Sven Wunder and Dina Ögon too.

This compilation is packed full of gems that are plucked from differing times and spaces, but somehow all gel together beautifully. We hope you love them too.

Curating and ordering the tracks for a Mr Bongo Record Club is always special. You’re reminded of the feelings you had when sitting at home with a cassette player on pause trying to compile the perfect mixtape to impress the latest object of your affection, or that friend with whom you share a musical kinship and spark off each other’s latest discoveries. Hearing old tracks for the first time or diving into the most upfront selections keeps the fires burning and passions alight.

Here, for volume six, we present recent finds and treasured classics from Brazil, Sweden, the USA, South Africa, Portugal, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. We have included selections by the Brazilian rising star Dora Morelenbaum as well as from heritage-Brazilian musicians and vocalists Haréton Salvanini, Copa 7, and Mirna. There’s also the wonderful Brazilian-not-Brazilian take of 'Ye Me Le' by Hazel Scott And The Braza Brasil, plus sublime gospel from the New York Community Choir. We’ve picked disco and soul rarities by General Lee and Ash Soul, Inc., and for the first time on vinyl, an incredible psych-pop song by the illustrious Matthew Tavares. There are cuts from some of our favourite contemporary Swedish musicians, Sven Wunder and Dina Ögon too.

This compilation is packed full of gems that are plucked from differing times and spaces, but somehow all gel together beautifully. We hope you love them too.

Curating and ordering the tracks for a Mr Bongo Record Club is always special. You’re reminded of the feelings you had when sitting at home with a cassette player on pause trying to compile the perfect mixtape to impress the latest object of your affection, or that friend with whom you share a musical kinship and spark off each other’s latest discoveries. Hearing old tracks for the first time or diving into the most upfront selections keeps the fires burning and passions alight.

Here, for volume six, we present recent finds and treasured classics from Brazil, Sweden, the USA, South Africa, Portugal, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. We have included selections by the Brazilian rising star Dora Morelenbaum as well as from heritage-Brazilian musicians and vocalists Haréton Salvanini, Copa 7, and Mirna. There’s also the wonderful Brazilian-not-Brazilian take of 'Ye Me Le' by Hazel Scott And The Braza Brasil, plus sublime gospel from the New York Community Choir. We’ve picked disco and soul rarities by General Lee and Ash Soul, Inc., and for the first time on vinyl, an incredible psych-pop song by the illustrious Matthew Tavares. There are cuts from some of our favourite contemporary Swedish musicians, Sven Wunder and Dina Ögon too.

This compilation is packed full of gems that are plucked from differing times and spaces, but somehow all gel together beautifully. We hope you love them too.

The latest release in the much loved Mr Bongo Record Club Series, Available on CD, 2LP Standard Vinyl & Special Edition 2LP Pink Translucent Vinyl. Curating the tracks for a Mr Bongo Record Club compilation is always such a pleasure. At a time when the expression "Music is My Sanctuary" has an even greater cathartic impact for many people, we set out to make this volume an extra special one - like an old favourite mixtape or playlist. For Volume 4 in this series we continue in the same mould as with previous editions, selecting current favorites and rare lost gems from the Brazilian, African, soul, funk, and disco genres. We present tracks from artists such as Azwon, Cindy & The Playmates, and Zé Roberto to name just a few. However, one main departure and progression to this edition is the first time inclusion of recordings by contemporary artists. These come from Matthew Tavares (of Badbadnotgood fame), Wax Machine, and DJ Format & The Simonsound, which were originally featured on either limited private press vinyl releases or were previously only available digitally. We felt their inclusion was important and wanted to share these wonderful discoveries with a wider audience. They also complement, enrich, and fit perfectly with the flow and journey of the compilation. Here at Mr Bongo we hope you will enjoy this selection of seventeen eclectic songs (in tempo and style) as much as we do, whether they make you move your feet, take you on a trip somewhere, or trigger a happy memory.

EXCITING LATIN SOUNDS COMPILED BY GLADYS PALMERA

We introduce to you “Loca Ilusion: Exciting Latin Sounds Compiled By Gladys Palmera”, a unique compilation for its quality, selection, sound and taste.

You will hardly find another compilation album like this one, where the best of Gladys Palmera’s Colection is found and with the personal touch of Gladys herself, Alejandra Fierro Eleta.

Here you will find different versions of well-known songs, surprising displays of vocal mastery, crazy jam sessions to immediately dance to, instrumentals full of virtuosity, gatherings of great music stars unnoticed until now and rare songs by artists who can only be found in Gladys Palmera´s archive.

Gladys Palmera herself has spent hours and hours searching, listening to, choosing, selecting and refining each piece of music for all of us to enjoy. These are recordings from the 60s and 70s made in different cities in Latin America and with styles ranging from the most traditional Antillean folklore to mixes and combinations with jazz, swing, twist, exotic and bossa nova.

“Loca Ilusion: Exciting Latin Sounds Compiled by Glady Palmera” is a production of Discos Gladys Palmera and a small sample of what is considered the best and biggest Afrolatin collection in the world.

Latin Freestyle was a dizzying, passionate, ultra-modern music. It was the aural equivalent of a can of thirst-quenching Quatro or a Spanish Harlem dance-off, and it became the electronically constructed bridge between disco and house.

Freestyle grew out of the electro sound of the early 80s, combined clean staccato rhythms with morse code synth hooks, and topped them off with emotive, usually female, frequently Latina vocals. There was plenty more going on besides: proto-house piano lines, Cuban percussion, high emotion and synth hooks to die for.

Put together and annotated by Bob Stanley (who also compiled the acclaimed “The Daisy Age” and “Fell From The Sun”), “Latin Freestyle” is the first compilation to cover the whole gamut of Freestyle from its early 80s breakthrough to its early 90s revival. So many classics… Lisa Lisa made the UK top ten with the 808 joy of ‘I Wonder If I Take You Home’. Stacey Q’s cosmically great ‘Two Of Hearts’ came out in 1986, while 1987 saw the likes of Company B’s ‘Fascinated’ and Exposé’s ‘Point Of No Return’ become huge UK club hits.

Today, Freestyle is a scene with a solid collector’s market, and rarities like Janelle’s ‘Don’t Be Shy’ sell for hundreds of dollars. It’s a classic summer soundtrack, finally condensed in one Ace Records compilation – “Latin Freestyle”.

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.

The first Latin soul collection featuring a mix of chart-topping hits and deeper cuts from the crown jewel of the mambo era Tico Records, celebrating the iconic imprint’s 75th Anniversary. The 2-lp set includes 26 tracks from trailblazers Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, La Lupe, Willie Bobo and more. New liner notes by DJ Dean Rudland that tell the story of the New York City label that launched the careers of some of the most revered names in Latin music.

The popularity of Brazilian music from the 60s, 70s and 80s has experienced quite the renaissance; artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Joyce et al, have become household names to an international audience passionate about global sounds. However, even for die-hard fans and collectors of Brazilian music of the past, discovering contemporary Brazilian artists is not always easy, nor accessible. But, if you know where to look, you will see that there is a resurgence well underway that can be epitomised by an exciting new wave of Brazilian artists beginning to break through and gather momentum overseas. It’s with thanks to Sound and Colours, a website devoted to promoting Latin American music and culture, that we can help shine a light on one particular collective, bursting with creativity and camaraderie.

‘Hidden Waters: Strange and Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro’ is compiled by Joe Osborne (founder of specialist Brazilian music platform Brazilian Wax) and Russ Slater (editor at large of Sounds and Colours). Focusing solely on the 'Rio Scene', rather than taking on the mammoth task of tackling Brazil as a whole, this collection presents 20-plus ground-breaking artists selected from Rio’s resurgent music scene. By presenting a snapshot into the pulse of the city and the vibrant musicians that live in it, ‘Hidden Waters’ collates tracks from a wide spectrum of musical genres from the avant-garde edge to bossa nova, samba, Candomblé, lo-fi rock, jazz and funk.

‘Hidden Waters’ showcases musicians such as iconic Rio mainstays Negro Leo & Ava Rocha, Brazilian jazz upstart Antônio Neves, critically lauded Avant-pop trailblazer Thiago Nassif, breakthrough artists Ana Frango Elétrico and Letrux, lo-fi psych rocker Lê Almeida, plus the Latin Grammy-winning Bala Desejo who are set to explode onto the world stage. The music featured on ‘Hidden Waters’ is unequivocally Brazilian, swelling with samba, bossa nova, funk, and jazz. But it’s within the album's blend; from sunny psychedelia to dusky synth-pop via experimental electronics, that marks the compilation as the sound of modern, multicultural Rio.

This comprehensive compilation comes with album artwork designed by Rio music’s leading album artwork designer, Caio Paiva. It features essays by professor and music critic Bernardo Oliveira and music journalist Leonardo Lichote, plus extensive notes on each track by the artists themselves.

The popularity of Brazilian music from the 60s, 70s and 80s has experienced quite the renaissance; artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Joyce et al, have become household names to an international audience passionate about global sounds. However, even for die-hard fans and collectors of Brazilian music of the past, discovering contemporary Brazilian artists is not always easy, nor accessible. But, if you know where to look, you will see that there is a resurgence well underway that can be epitomised by an exciting new wave of Brazilian artists beginning to break through and gather momentum overseas. It’s with thanks to Sound and Colours, a website devoted to promoting Latin American music and culture, that we can help shine a light on one particular collective, bursting with creativity and camaraderie.

‘Hidden Waters: Strange and Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro’ is compiled by Joe Osborne (founder of specialist Brazilian music platform Brazilian Wax) and Russ Slater (editor at large of Sounds and Colours). Focusing solely on the 'Rio Scene', rather than taking on the mammoth task of tackling Brazil as a whole, this collection presents 20-plus ground-breaking artists selected from Rio’s resurgent music scene. By presenting a snapshot into the pulse of the city and the vibrant musicians that live in it, ‘Hidden Waters’ collates tracks from a wide spectrum of musical genres from the avant-garde edge to bossa nova, samba, Candomblé, lo-fi rock, jazz and funk.

‘Hidden Waters’ showcases musicians such as iconic Rio mainstays Negro Leo & Ava Rocha, Brazilian jazz upstart Antônio Neves, critically lauded Avant-pop trailblazer Thiago Nassif, breakthrough artists Ana Frango Elétrico and Letrux, lo-fi psych rocker Lê Almeida, plus the Latin Grammy-winning Bala Desejo who are set to explode onto the world stage. The music featured on ‘Hidden Waters’ is unequivocally Brazilian, swelling with samba, bossa nova, funk, and jazz. But it’s within the album's blend; from sunny psychedelia to dusky synth-pop via experimental electronics, that marks the compilation as the sound of modern, multicultural Rio.

This comprehensive compilation comes with album artwork designed by Rio music’s leading album artwork designer, Caio Paiva. It features essays by professor and music critic Bernardo Oliveira and music journalist Leonardo Lichote, plus extensive notes on each track by the artists themselves.

Records are slightly warped but still enjoyable.

Finally, and thanks to the hard work of the fine folks at Inamu (Instituto Nacional de la Música de Argentina) and the amazing selection job of Nekro (Fun People & Boom Boom Kid), we're proud to present "The Crazy World of Music Hall vol 3", the third of a 3 volume set of mind blowing lp's compiling the finest of the 60's and 70's cuts output from the legendary Argentinian label Music Hall. This final volume presents tracks from both decades with a great selection of hot sounds ranging from pure unaltered wild Rock'n[Roll to Psychedelia, Latin sounds, visceral Hard Rock, Soul or Funk. Can't miss this final installment, the cherry on top of an amazing set!

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.

Although it is hard to explain why, it's unmistakeable that music's potence only parallels that of the fauna as one moves closer to the equatorial latitudes of this planet. Cachapas is a HANDy effort at exploring the dance-floor oriented sounds of the eastern Caribbean triangle formed amongst Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic where rhythms and percussions have clearly taken new life forms in the production methods of Caribbean studios during the 90s. Taking the American ideas of “House” music and adulterating it in the most pleasantly bombastic ways, some producers have shown that Latin house not only exists outside of the US but it flourishes in the most amazing and unimaginable ways. A collection of 3 edits that celebrate Spanish speaking south Caribbean 90's house based productions re-edited and re-mixed in less orthodox manners. For promotional purposes only.

“Leão Leonardo” and “Guajiru”, here gathered in an exclusive 7-inch record, represent the first two steps in a journey that will lead to the Spring 2024 release of the new album by Toco, a Brazilian singer-songwriter with a unique sensibility and taste. “Leão Leonardo” is a very heartfelt and engaging song that constitutes a homage to a childhood friend, a tribute to a deep and everlasting bond, as well as a return to a place very dear to Toco: the Guarapiranga water reservoir near São Paulo in Brazil; it is mainly inspired by two great samba jazz masters, Jorge Ben and João Donato. “Guajiru”, a classic sambarock track inspired by Orlandivo’s swing and Jorge Ben’s sensuality, explores the more romantic side of Toco’s multifaceted style and tells of a fleeting summer love in northeastern Brazil, where the indigenous fishing village of Guajiru, on the coast of the state of Ceará, is located. As the whole new album, both “Leão Leonardo” and “Guajiru” have been recorded at Schema Records’ Blue Spirit studios and produced by Stefano “S-Tone Inc.” Tirone, who skillfully captured the spirit of these tracks and elaborated the essence and energy of their songwriting. Both of them see Toco’s alluring voice masterfully surrounded by an ensemble of exceptional musicians: Donatinho (keyboards), Tuca Milan (percussion), Ramiro Levy (guitars), Edu Hebling (bass), Mauro Martins (drums), Priscila Ribas (vocals), Gianluca Petrella (trombone), Mirco Rubegni (trumpet) and Marquinho Baboo (percussion). This 45rpm is therefore a tasty appetiser for an album that we expect to be unique, just like Toco’s style!

The record was produced by the twenty years old Alex Tony Okoroji at the legendary ARC Studios in Lagos, a facility set-up by Ginger Baker. This is the third production for the Alex Tony Okoroji’s fledgling independent label Love Records, the previous record was the pioneering release by Udu - Sound of the People (Love Records, Nigeria 1976) also reissued by Dig This Way in 2020. Musically these two records are poles apart but similar in as much as both the band and producer present a personal musical vision that sounds nothing like their piers’ at the time… The Springs Band formed in Ibadan (Oyo State) which is roughly 130km northeast of Lagos. The seven members met while training to be Reverend Fathers for the Catholic Church and come from both Nigeria and Sierra Leone… in retrospect as unlikely as this sounds (particularly when you hear the record) the band were the Seminaries event house band at the time… Musically, the record consists of five prime time dancefloor gems with two very subtle afterhours numbers to close - not a bad track on here - which at times in itself is unique for records from the region in the late 70s. The first five tracks are complex hypnotic afro funk with an almost mesmerizing organ groove, that is deep and raw at the same time which well represent the time, the place and the people involved in the recording... As odd as it may sound the spiritually of the bands chosen profession is reflected in the fluid deep funk of the groove ... not being there we can only guess how the live performances of this "band in full flight" must have been ... as luck would have it the recording captures all of those elements and that’s what the end result sounds like near unbeatable! Judge for yourself via this enlightening release!!! Reading the original hand written press release for the record it would be fair to say, at the time, the members of the band were potentially not entirely focused on their chosen vocation and, reading between the lines, were mildly concerned what their educators might think… years later it’s pleasing to discover that all of the survivors became as good as it gets in their original career choice… better still… for the Afro-Centric music collector… the very same set of individuals (in their wilder days) recorded one of the most forward thinking and dance floor friendly records of the period… little known until now… “This is our dream world cristalised in vibes. In a world of uniform hate where people experience death in a trance , it is through love's cry that we see through the eyes of wisdom that he needs somebody. Music is the message transmitted in this super disko funk for funky people, to tell the brandifield dad the truth or ask a music-minded-lass, introduce me to your loving. So, if you have anything to say, why not join us and say it...after all it's a happy world... We have a right to the good things of life.”

Coltrane, Shorter, Hubbard, Davis & Perkins from a Latin perspective! The Mantecas represent one of the finest concentrations of experience and talent in Latin and Jazz music ever to be based in the UK. A pure uplifting Latin Jazz music celebration. Not-to-be-missed!! Recorded at different locations in London during 2022/23. Mixed at Abbey Road Studios in March 2023. The Mantecas (formerly known as "Manteca") is an eight piece, London-based, Latin Jazz, Soul and Boogaloo band well known for creating a party mood at festivals and gigs everywhere they go, from Glastonbury, Ealing Festival and Tropical Pressure Festival to The 606 Club and The Jazz Café in London. They have a particular ability for bridging the culture gap with any audience getting all crowds up hitting the dance floor in a jive. The Mantecas will blow your mind with a mesmerising mix of salsa, Cumbia, Funk, Latin jazz and Boogaloo. For this new release album, the band is exploring the legacy of some of the Jazz giants through a Latin lens, reworking timeless pieces by Coltrane, Shorter, Davis, Hubbard and Perkins, giving them the infusion of Latin rhythms while remaining true to the Jazz language. The band is made up of some of the best musicians in the Latin, Jazz and Pop scenes in London: Trypl Horns: Paul Booth (Incognito/Brand New Heavies), Trevor Mires (Jamiroquai/Incognito), Ryan Quigley (Gregory Porter/Beverly Knight) Dave Oliver: Keys (Lisa Stansfield/Snowboy) Satin Singh: Percussion (Jazz Jamaica/Roberto Pla/Pucho and the Latin Brothers) Javier Fioramonti: Bass and arrangements, MD (Alex Wilson/Jack Costanzo/Joe Bataan/Salsa Celtica) Flavio Correa: Vocals (Omar Puente/New Regency Orchestra) Will Fry: Percussion (Tom Misch, Tony Allen) Rob Luft: Guitar (Dave O'Higgins, Byron Wallen) "Expect loads of hard-hitting salsa, exploding drums and outrageously funky boogaloo". Time Out * "Ripping new Latin Jazz band from the finest musicians of London". Fact Magazine * "One of the best Latin Jazz-funk bands working the scene today". The Jazz Café,

After releasing their debut project “Voyage” in 2022, Tapioca, the Brussels-Kigali-based, Brazil-inspired duo return with LP “Samba em Kigali.” Building on their sound and influence, “Samba em Kigali” is a definitive step up and clear sonic growth for the twosome, whose debut, RA wrote, is "if Anderson Paak. & Marco Valle made a Brazilian pop-funk record.”

Vinyl is close to NM. tiny wear

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.

Record Store Day 2023 limited run / regional release limited to 1000 copies.
New one-off limited-edition heavyweight special-edition yellow vinyl pressing exclusively for Record Store Day 2023 of Soul Jazz Records’ Gipsy Rhumba: The Original Rhythm of Gipsy Rhumba in Spain 1965 – 1974, with a 28-page booklet and download code. The extensive booklet in this release contains definitive sleevenotes by the musicologist Jose Manuel Gómez, record designs and stunning photography from the celebrated photographer Jacques Leonard.

Soul Jazz Records’ Gipsy Rhumba is the first album outside of Spain to focus on one of the most exciting musical culture clashes ever. In the early 1960s, Gypsies from the Catalan region of Spain, primarily known as the creators of Flamenco, came up with a fascinating hybrid style – Gipsy Rhumba – which blended the Latin and Rhumba music of Cuba and the Caribbean together with their own Flamenco, as well as the emerging Rock ‘N’ Roll from America.

“A capsule of supercharged clapping and joyous vocals” -- The Guardian

“Must-have”. “You all know Gipsy Kings’ blend of flamenco and Latin rhythms … but where did this convergence of Latin music styles occur? This compilation demonstrates how mid-1960’s Barcelona hot-housed gypsy musicians who employed the rumba rhythm… Gipsy Rhumba unearths a forgotten corner of Europop.”-- The Sunday Times

“Musicologists aren’t the only ones who will enjoy pulling at the threads that bind this particular sound clash … Messing with the traditional form is daring at any time, but the result was something quite fantastic, potent and intriguing, full of marvelous grooves and compelling rhythms.”-- Irish Times

“A victory for gipsy party music… A collection worthy of conquering the world”--Dagens Nyheter, Sweden

“Punchy, rhythmic and popular …specialist Rhumba research starts here with this compilation released by the London Soul Jazz label. Another genre of pop history.” -- Junge Welt, Germany

La Sonora Mazuren is the latest addition to the already rich indie-tropical scene out of Bogotá, Colombia. Deeply rooted in the popular sounds and rhythms of South America, the group draws from cumbia, chicha, guaracha, champeta and other styles mostly from Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

Far from being revivalists or folklorists, the group combines synthesizers and electric guitars with accordion and percussion to create a style indebted to early pioneers such as Polibio Mayorga or Bogota’s own Eblis Alvarez, of Meridian Brothers fame, who also produced their new album. The result is a psychedelic feast reminiscent of the golden years of tropicalia.