latin

Just to mark this point in time, in which I’m feeling quite relaxed with the sun shining on my balcony and I have a peace of mind, and it feels great. Off Dave Pike’s Manhattan Latin album

The world of lounge, exotica and easy listening is a bottomless pit, with an unfathomable amount of golden material buried under crap music every day. Who would have thought the talented Mexican pianist Pepe Jaramillo will one day be forgotten?

No one will shun you if you haven’t heard the genre called Chicha, a psychedelic take on Cumbia which is itself a rather obscure Latino genre. Inspired by fermented maize beer of the same name, this Peruvian Amazonic version of Cumbia features “Andean melodies and the psychedelic sounds of surf guitars.

Here’s a 4 song selection suitable for sunny summer/early autumn days. Starts off with one of the alltime best soul pieces; Gil Scott-Heron’s timeless Lady Day & John Coltrane from his 1971 Pieces of a Man album.

Strut Records the !K7 sublabel who gave us the Nigeria 70 compilation a few months ago is back with a new compilation from the same time period in a new setting : Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul 1969-1979.

Our friend from UK, Jonathan Radford aka Diesler (Tru Thoughts, Freestyle and also remixes on Ninja Tune, Sundays Best and others) has made an exclusive summer mix for us. A 40 minute mix of the best beat, nujazz & latin grooves mixed flawlessly, this mix might be a lifesaver in case of being subject to bad commercial music on your holiday trips. (Which I’m sure will happen at one step).

Back from our one-week vacation. Couldn’t post anything in the meantime but never stopped to think about our fellow readers while basking in the hot sun and selected some tunes that should accompany you on your future trips to the beach.

Another journey through exotica filled skies by error101, the red baroness of dusty cabinets, old gems, vintage jazz, saudade and then straight into some latin party mood, not the cheesy latin party with the chicks from the latin dance class though! A real latin party in heaven with El Rey.