Très bel album, leur troisième et dernier, pour ces new-yorkais. Bless.

La Locura de Machuca is the story of one man’s bizarre odyssey into Colombia’s coastal music underground, and the wild, hypnotic sounds he helped bring up to the surface.

One night in 1975, a successful tax lawyer named Rafael Machuca had his mind blown in Barranquilla’s ‘Plaza de los Musicos’. Overnight he went from a high ranking position in the Columbian revenue authority to visionary production guru of the newly formed record label that bore his name, Discos Machuca, and for the next six years he devoted his life to releasing some of the strangest, most experimental Afro Psychedelia Cumbia and Champeta ever produced.

The Colombian music industry was thriving in the mid-seventies, but while homegrown bolero and vallenato tunes were doing well on the charts, it was imported African records that were setting crowds on fire at the picos – the sound-systems that fuelled neighbourhood parties – and wherever those records were played there were always a handful of groups who were inspired to plug traditional Cumbia directly into the electric currents coming from across the Atlantic.

It was these obscure bands, who fused Colombian and African rhythms with the swirling organs and psychedelic guitars of underground rock, that fired Machuca’s imagination. While the label made its money releasing popular hits by legends such as Alejandro Durán and Aníbal Velásquez, that money was poured back into a unique run of experimental releases by fringe artists such as La Banda Africana, King Somalie, Conjunto Barbacoa, and Abelar- do Carbono, one of the godfathers of Champeta Criolla.

When Machuca couldn’t find groups to realise his particular vision, he simply created them himself. Drawing on a fearsome roster of musicians associated with the label, he assembled bands that lasted only as long as it took to record an album, and unleashed the results – complete with arrestingly unusual album covers – under a series of different names such as Samba Negra or El Grupo Folclórico. This unorthodox approach led his longtime recording engineer, Eduardo Dávila, to describe Machuca’s productions as the “B-Movies of Colombian music.”

The story of Doctor Machuca and his eccentric exploits tells of one of Colombia’s most atypical and peculiar record companies; a defining pillar of Afro-Caribbean psychedelia. His productions have come to represent the roots of Champeta and set the pedigree standards for Afro and Costeño avant-garde. The seventeen tracks on La Locura de Machuca, harvested from the darkest, strangest corners of the Discos Machuca catalogue, sound like little else recorded before or since.

Bless.

El Rego is a true legend of African Soul Music.

Here for the first time on album are 12 of his greatest recordings from the late '60s and early '70s hand-picked by Daptone Records. Afro-Soul collector/DJ Frank Gossner had spent years combing West Africa tracking down 45s by Theophile Do Rego (aka El Rego) before nally meeting him face to face in his home in Benin. The music of El Rego varies astoundingly in style and rhythm: traditional rhythms of Benin played with modern instruments, John Lee Hooker-esque blues, Fela Kuti inspired afro-beat, afro-cuban claves, and straight-up James Brown style funk.

This unique compilation spotlights the best tracks of Mocambo Records' scarce 7 inch vinyl releases that took the deep funk scene by storm in summer 2006.

Along with the labels own productions (Mocambo Allstars, The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band & Gizelle Smith), the first releases host new recordings by obscure English groups like The Delta Rhythm Section, The Sound Stylistics and the supreme Vinylizor Productions team (Jay Glover, Gary Crockett & Dominic Glover), together with unreleased tracks by all time greats such as the James Taylor Quartet and Speedometer...

Deep FunkyGrooves

(Le Volume 3 est déjà sur le site )

Voici les 4 autres volumes de la série Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International orchestré de main de maître par le collectif français Paris DJs qui à l'origine partageait gratuitement la musique sur internet.

Une mine d'or de mix (bientot sur le site). Epoque révolue.

We take over! 

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.1: Dis Is Good For You (2012)

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.2: We Are The Fire Inside Your Mind (2013)

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.4: Have You Ever Been To Electric Afroland? (2013)

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.5: A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand (2014)

Broasted Or Fried: Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo (2000, Harmless)

Freak Off: Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo (2001, Harmless)

 Brown Sugar: Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo (2002, Harmless)

Des pépites Latin. Classic All-Stars. Afro-Cuban, Descarga, Boogaloo & Latin Jazz.

Le tout réuni par le Label Anglais Harmless.

Comme bien des musiques de tradition orale, le funk n’est peut être pas à l’abri, un jour ou l’autre, d’une révélation qui chamboulera tous nos savoirs sur ses origines. Pour l’heure, c’est par la musique syncopée des Caraïbes à la fin des années quarante que le spécialiste Bruno Blum débute un voyage torride - et sans la clim’- en 67 escales qui nous mènent de l’Afro-cubain Machito au Louisianais Eddie Bo. Comme le rappelle le compilateur, le terme « funk » signifie mauvaise odeur corporelle. Ce qui peut aussi endosser une connotation positive dans certaines communautés noires quand on désigne comme « funky » celui qui a travaillé et transpiré. Un premier CD titré « The Deep Caribbean Roots of Funk » voyage de Kingston à Port-au-Prince, via La Havane, les Bermudes et Pointe à Pitre. On y découvre comment « El Loco Cha Cha Cha »  de René Touzet prépare le terrain au « Louie Louie » de Richard Berry, ou encore quatre manières de décliner du limbo. Avec en fil rouge les influences croisées d’Allen Toussaint et de Bo Diddley sur le funk US. Le second, « Funky Jazz, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz », parle de lui-même. Rares sont les combos qui n’ont pas inscrit au moins une fois à leur répertoire un thème afro-cubain. James Moody ou Dizzy Gillespie devenant même des familiers du genre. Sun Ra est là aussi, qui jette les bases du cosmic funk, alors que plus rien ne semble séparer Moondog enregistré dans une rue de New York d’un griot capté dans la brousse. Agitez ces deux CD, mélangez, branchez le mixeur et vous obtiendrez le contenu du troisième : « Negro Spirituals, Blues & Soul ». Forcément le plus familier à l’amateur de R’n’B 50/60 avec l’incontournable Bo, James Brown – le type qui a le plus transpiré dans le showbiz’-, plein de Louisianais et même un clin d’œil à Elvis, pourtant toujours si propre sur lui. Dégustez et surtout ne laissez pas refroidir.
Par Dominique LAGARDE  - ABS MAG    

Bless.

Analog Africa No.9 - ANGOLA SOUNDTRACK
The Unique Sound of Luanda 1968 - 1976

The nascent Angolan music scene was set on fire by a small group of intrepid singers, backed by an array of super tight bands and led by extraordinary guitarists who revolutionized the musical and the political panorama of the 60s and 70s.

A powerful confluence of traditional rhythms from Luanda's islands, psychedelic guitar sounds imported from neighbouring Congo, Latin grooves, old school Caribbean merengue and the hard beat of the angolan carnival bands conspired to create the modern music of Angola. These sounds were immortalized by two excellent recording companies - Fadiang (fábrica de discos angolano) and Valentim de Carvalho... (Analog Africa)

Album de cumbia péruvienne, un peu barré rock/psyché parfois... Bless.

Unique album pour ce groupe des Barbades, entre funk, calypso, ballades jazzy... Bless.

Toujours de la cumbia, cette fois du Pérou, avec ce groupe hyper productif dans les 70's et 80's. Bless.

On reste dans la cumbia, un peu plus moderne parfois cette fois. Bless.

Pas de lézard, même topo que la compile précdente... Bless. 

Fatale compile cumbiesque, explorant le mythique label Fuentes...Bless.

Super groupe de Leeds, dont plusieurs membres font également partie d'autres groupes qu'ont a déjà vu sur ce label, notamment les fameux The Sorcerers, ainsi que The Magnificent Tape Band. Deux albums assez différents, le premier étant dans un style qui nous rappelle les Sorceres justement, le second clairement plus orienté Latin-Jazz. Bless.

Excellente compile de cet ancien membre d'Antibalas, dont voici une petite bio trouvée sur streetnsports.fr :

Chico Mann est un multi-instrumentiste-producteur-voyageur dans le temps, qui à l’aide de boîtes à rythmes, synthétiseurs et guitares a rempli à lui seul le trou béant de plus de 30 ans entre l’afrobeat, l’afrocuban, le freestyle et la musique électronique.

Chico Mann a grandi dans une famille musicale de New York et dans le New Jersey. Son père était le propriétaire d’un label de musique latine basé à Hell’s Kitchen, à New York, où le jeune Chico a pu observer les tenants et aboutissants de l’industrie, tout en travaillant sa guitare et son piano. C’est à ce moment-là qu’il commença à explorer ses racines musicales, avec des influences telles qu’Afrika Bambaata, Lisa Lisa, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz ou Fela Kuti. Ignorant son père, qui lui conseillait de se tenir éloigné du business, il trouva pourtant sa voie à l’âge de 12 ans.

C’est à l’hiver 2004 que Chico commence à assembler des morceaux pendant son temps libre sur la tournée avec Antibalas. Ce qui commença comme du beat making lo-fi devint rapidement « Manifest Tone Volume 1 », une leçon musicale qui démontrait tout ce qu’était la musique de New York City, Miami, Cuba et l’Afrique. Classique immédiat, il représente les premiers pas d’une carrière incroyale.

Chico Mann a créé une machine à voyager dans le temps qui mêle à la fois les sons de l’Afrobeat des 70’s et du Freestyle et de l’Afro Cuban des 80’s, comme si Chico reprenait tous ces styles là où Stevie B, TKA, George Lamond, Sa-Fire, Information Society, Noel, Cult Jam ou Exposé les avaient laissés.

Bless.

Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s

A Stunning ‘Melting Pot’ Mix Of Underground Rock, Synthetic Electronics, Funk, Jazz And Latin American Rhythms

Soul Jazz Records’ new Venezuela 70 is the first-ever album of its kind to take a look at the groundbreaking experimental rock music made in Venezuela and created in the 1970s – during a time when the country was both a modern cultural and economic powerhouse in Latin America on account of wealth from its vast oil supplies.
Venezuela lies at the northern part of South America, with neighbouring Colombia to its west and Brazil to its south. The north coast borders the Caribbean.
Whilst much of 1960s Venezuelan rock music emulated British and USA styles, the 1970s saw the evolution of a new generation of creative artists such as Vytas Brenner, Angel Rada, Pablo Schneider and Miguel Angel Fuster, who all explored the possibilities of mixing together rock with elements of electronica, funk, jazz, latin rhythms simultaneously exploring their links with Venezuelan roots music, creating a new sound which blended a multitude of new and old world influences, uniquely Venezuelan.
These Venezuelan artists looked to the future while exploring their country’s own musical heritage to create a new cultural identity. Similarities can be drawn with then contemporary movements around the world such as the Trópicalia and post-Trópicalia 1970s scene in Brazil of Os Mutantes, Novos Baianos, Secos e Molhados (all of which feature on Soul Jazz Records’ earlier Brazil 70).
A similar parallel can be made in Europe with the experimental German groups of the 1970s (Can, Amon Duul, Harmonia, Neu all featured on Soul Jazz Records’ Deutsche Electronische Musik) who deconstructed and reconstructed the links between rock music and electronics to define a new German cultural identity.
Most of these artists featured on Venezuela 70 remain practically unknown outside of Venezuela’s borders and yet their progressive forward-thinking music is some of the most sophisticated in the world – a stunning ‘melting pot’ mix of underground rock, synthetic electronics, funk, jazz and Latin American rhythms all of which explored new sounds and broke down musical boundaries to create a distinct and unique Venezuelan music and cultural identity.

Soul Jazz Records’ new album 90 Degrees of Shade features the music of the Caribbean – Mambo, Calypso, Mento, Merengue, Latin Jazz and much more. The music of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and more all feature in this lightning journey through the many island sounds.

This is the sound of independence, righteous and hot jump-up sounds from the 1950s and 60s, an exciting period of endless new musical styles that would travel across the world – Mento, the Jamaican precursor to reggae; mambos and descargas from Cuba, Dominican merengue, Haitian compas – and more.

 César's Salad ‎– The Latin Beat

When the unique percussionist Cesar Granados and his latin-jazz quartet play only three things count: groove, groove and more groove! On "The Latin Beat" Cesar's Salad play a selection of their favourite Latin and Brazilian jazz tunes from the likes of Mongo Santamaria, Weldon Irvine Jr, Marcos Valle, Gil Fuller and more.

Cesar Granados (congas, vocals) from Panama City is one of Europe's leading percussionists. He is joined by Jo Junghanss (piano) who lives and works in New York City, Jerker Kluge (bass) and Hajo von Hadeln (drums), who have played together as a rhythm-section for years and are the foundation for this band.

César’s Salad ‎– The Latin Beat Vol.2

The « Man from Panama » is back in action again – and even harder-hitting now! Percussion master Cesar Granados is back - burning every bit as hard as on Volume 1, and we dare say: burning even harder.

Cesar Granados and his group are in top form throughout – serving up a blend of afro-cuban grooves and 60s soul and jazz influences that few other artists of our time could deliver in such an energetic and dynamic manner.
Listen to the complex, highly intriguing rhythms and the great interplay of this fantastic percussion and drum section, delivering a groove that burns mightily across all tracks.

Titles include the classics Watermelon Man, Song for my Father and A Night in Tunisia, as well as new compositions like Yenyeré, The Man from Panama, La Serpiente and Pushing Space.
In addition to his mighty Conga grooves, Cesar contributes infectious vocals on three tunes (Yenyeré, The Man from Panama and El Dynamico and delivers two outstanding timbales solos!