The Blue Rhythm Combo from Barbados were responsible for some of the heaviest funk and soul to come out of the Caribbean in the ’60s and ’70s.
Jazzman Records have just released some of their best sides in a triple 7″ pack – vital pieces in the sprawling jigsaw of Caribbean music.
Towards the end of last year Drummer Antonio Rudder gave a short interview about the origins and history of the group…..
Next up in the Sofrito Super Singles series is the Highlife Underground EP – celebrating the bassline heavy sound of ’80s Highlife. For this release we’ve teamed up with new London producer DrumTalk and asked him to remix a track from Ghana’s Mpese Mpese Band.
Originally released in 1986 the track is in fact a medley of songs that covers an entire side of the album. The many changes and variations make for an absorbing listen but at nineteen minutes long, it’s not the easiest piece of music to play in a club. DrumTalk took an interest in reforming the track into something that can more easily be played in a modern context. What started as a mere edit ended up as a full re-work. It’s an intense example of futuristic highlife – balancing the swing of the rhythm with heavy bass and chopped chords, bringing the track up to date while respecting the vibe of the original. You can keep up to date with DrumTalk on twitter here…
Mpese Mpese Band – Mpese Theme (Original – not on release)
Mpese Mpese Band – Mpese Theme (DrumTalk Remix)
A quick session with the Red Bull team in Cologne recorded earlier this year, running through some classic sounds…
Sofrito returns with more heat for your Tropical Discotheque, this time dipping into the mysterious sounds of Nigerian Acid Boogie – click on the titles to listen!
Benis Cletin – Jungle Magic (Edit)
Money Make Man Mad – Sofrito Disco Dub
Benis Cletin’s dog-rare 1979 effort “Jungle Magic” lays a warped synth over a lethal bassline and a slow afro disco groove, topping the whole thing off with a unique homage to Donna Summer…Originally released on Afrodisia records in 1979, the result sounds like the the confused love-child of a time-travelling Derrick May and a Nigerian disco queen – timeless eccentricity…
“Money Makes Man Mad” is an uptempo slice of percussive Afro disco. Bubbling bassline and skittering drums lock down the groove for a serious Tropical dancefloor excursion….
Sofrito Super Singles 003 – Jungle Magic EP by sofrito
The Rhythmagic Orchestra is a collaboration between acclaimed jazz producer Benedic Lamdin aka Nostalgia 77 and Hugo Mendez of tropical music collective Sofrito, based on their shared love of jazz, Afro-Cuban, Latin and tropical sounds. The band comprised a young crop of London’s finest jazz musicians and a team of Cuban percussionists. Comprising members of the Nostalgia 77 Octet, the Alex Wilson Band, Jazz Jamaica, the Heliocentrics and Ska Cubano, together the players combine years of experience with innumerable jazz and Latin greats, and had the chops to lay down a session that would have made the dancers at the Palladium ballroom proud. The finished album features a selection of classics of the jazz and Latin canon from the ’50s, with new compositions that stand up proudly alongside. Paying tribute to the giants of Afro-Cuban jazz like Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and Machito; combining traditional arrangements with Cuban bata drums and a fresh outlook on the Latin jazz sound, all cooked up in 21st century London, the album continues a great musical tradition and adds its own flavour to the melting pot of jazz and non-western music. You can check some tracks below and download the Rhythmagic version of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo’s Manteca for free!
There is a very limited vinyl run with hand letter-pressed covers available from the good people at Tru Thoughts here…
Sofrito Tropical Discotheque limited 12″ sampler.
A: Les Ya Toupas du Zaire – je ne bois pas beaucoup
B: Lord Shorty – Sweet Music (Sofrito Edit)
We couldn’t resist putting one of our favourite tracks from the recent compilation on extra-loud 12″ for maximum dancefloor impact. On the other side is the Sofrito edit of Lord Shorty’s classic slice of Afro-Soca-Disco “Sweet Music”, smartened up for the dancefloor in a Tropical fashion…
The 12″ is available at all good record shops.
Feliz Navidad! Here’s Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe performing La Murga live – originally on the “Asalto Navideño” LP so a tenous Christmas connection! Part 2 below – for info on NYE happenings please send us an email….
Check “La Moutarde” radio show with Jerome Blackjoy Caron on Red Bull Music Academy radio, digging some tracks from Guadeloupe, Martinique and Haiti with a french-lessons-in-progress commentary from guest Hugo Mendez…
Check out the recent documentary on cumbia broadcast on CBC Canada – tracing the roots of the music up to the present day with appearances from Soundway’s Roberto Ernesto Gyemant, Brooklyn based Uproot Andy and music from none other than Natural Self!
“Mettez-vous a l’heure de la biguine kombass”
Henri Debs -Douce Kombass (Debs 002)
One from deep in the crates! Very early recording on the Disques Debs label from Guadeloupe featuring Henri Debs’ new ‘biguine kombass’ style – mixing the traditional biguine style with a larger, latin-influenced percussion section but retaining a very jazzy vibe. The track features percussion from an uncredited Serge Christophe, conguero and long-time stalwart of the Debs studio. Check it out and enjoy!
Great footage of Bembeya Jazz live on Guinean TV in 1979 – a seriously deep groove! If you are into the music of Guinea and Mali check out the excellent Radio Africa website – lots of information about West African music.
An absolutely amazing TV program first broadcast on New York public television in 1972 – 60 minutes of live performances from Tito Puente, Willie Colon and Felipe Luciano plus some great interviews, historical information and a fine line in brown polyester suits…Vaya!
The video can’t be embedded, but please Check it out here and enjoy!
Ti Celeste has been on lock-down in mine and Hugo’s record bags for the last four years. Here is a wicked video of one of his Gwo Ka sessions in Guadeloupe.
Late night radio session – check out Hugo’s selection on the Gilles Peterson show on Radio 1 – Tropical crate digging! Listen to some Classic Sofrito tracks, new edits and upcoming sounds from the new Soundway and Analog Africa compilations.
You can listen here…
Tropical Godfather John Armstrong is launching the new-look Kilombo Vibe website. If you haven’t already, check out his “South African Funk Experience” compilation for Nascente – killer sounds from SA!
He will also be joining us on the 17th July for a special all-vinyl set of amazing African and Latin rarities to make the dancefloor shake! We’ve been working with him on the forthcoming Soweto Disco EP so expect more collaborations in the future! In the meantime check out his heavy mix of African sounds here!
King of the Mozambique Pello El Afrokan cuts loose on Cuban TV in the ’60s!
Great footage of Puerto-Rican housewives favourite Joe Valle on television in Puerto Rico laying down some heavy big-band Plena – Que Rico!
During a recent visit to Paris Guillaume Le Roux met up with Hugo to eat some amazing cheese and listen to music. Guillaume runs two websites, one for music and one for food, with some top recommendations on hidden places to eat in Paris!
Fedor Hüneke runs the Konpa.info website – an amazing online resource for Haitian music that covers thousands of releases and artists working over the past fifty years. The website is a rare resource that opens up a world of amazing music that often does not get the exposure it deserves. Fedor had a chat with the people from the Klymaxx website – check it out below and thanks Fedor for all your hard work!
Q: How did the idea to create konpa.info emerge?
(more…)
?
A 1973 live performance from Congolese legends Trio Madjesi celebrating Congo’s first appearance in the World cup. The band show off their musical prowess and their keepy-uppy skills to a killer rumba backing!
Amazing (if a bit grainy) footage of Salif Keita and Les Ambassadeurs performing the classic ‘Mandjou’ on Malian television in 1979/80 – check it out!
Hide and Genki from the excellent Soul Bonanza website have recently put up a great Latin/Caribbean mix from the intrepid DJ Papito – check it out on their site here! They have a great selection of mixes and other bits and bobs to check out on the website and are spearheading the way in promoting Tropical music in Japan -
highly recommended!
Great footage of Nigerian singer Sonny Okosun as he works on his 1979 album “power to the people”
As a taster for a forthcoming mix of deep highlife (that should be on the site next week), we’ve put one of our favourite highlife tracks up to whet your appetite!
Although a bit crackly, this outstandingly beautiful slice of deep highlife from the Eastern Minstrels has been on constant repeat at Sofrito HQ recently – deep, hypnotic and powerful – please check it out here and enjoy! Perfect listening as the days are getting longer and the weather’s getting warmer….
Eastern Minstrels de Prestige Entertainers – Ugo Nwata Gbagburu (originally released on Philips Nigeria, 1974)
We were sent this video by JC from Here and Now Recordings – stunning footage of ‘El Rey’ Tito Puente burning up the timbales in the ’70s – has to be seen to be believed – Vaya!
Bako Dagnon – La Guide de la Révolution
Simbad & Frankie Francis reworks
Frankie Francis and Simbad get to grips with some new material from Malian sensation Bako Dagnon – available at Juno, check it out here!
Sofrito comes to France!
Thursday 25th March – Tumbélé Party! Le Maquis, Besançon (Gratuite)
DJ’s Hugo Mendez, DJ Soulist et Honeyboxxx
Friday 26th March – Soul Spektrum presents Sofrito Night @ Djoon, Paris (€12)
DJ’s Hugo Mendez, Emile Omar (Radio Nova), Radio Salah (Soul Train)
Thursday 8th April – Sofrito in Pujuat, near Avignon
Dj’s Hugo Mendez + Selector the Punisher
Friday 9th April – Afrobeat Times @ El Ache de Cuba, Marseille (€5)
DJ’s Hugo Mendez + Selector the Punisher
Saturday 10th April – Palmwine et Sofrito @ la Marquise, Lyon (gratuite)
DJs Hugo Mendez, Palmwine Soundsystem and Jun Matsuoka
In preparation for the French soujourn here’s a little mix done for the excellent 716 blog out of Paris – 40 minutes of tunes from Africa and the Caribbean! If you are in Paris on the 26th March come and check out the Sofrito night at Djoon – Tropical Discotheque comes to France!
To read the full post check it out here…. Thanks to Guillaume for this!
Family Atlantica y Quantic perform “La Murga” @ Sofrito Tropical Warehouse Bash, March 2010 from Sofrito Soundsystem on Vimeo.
Thanks to everyone that came down to the Sofrito con Quantic event on the 6th March – great sounds from all the bands and DJs involved and a great atmosphere! That’s what we call a Tropical party…. You can check out photos from the night here, if you have any you want to send us please let us know!
Having heard rumblings of Bucharest’s bumping parties, the Mighty Crime Minister set off to the snow clad city to see if the rumours were true. He’s happy to report they were no word of a lie.
Alongside local impresario Tom Wilson, the MCM worked up a serious sweat in Bucharest’s favourite after hours joint, a wonderful little club tucked down a residential street. Bucharest’s party people turned out in force and crammed themselves into every nook and cranny. What followed was pure tropical discotheteque til the early hours. Big thanks to everyone who came down and taught Sofrito a lesson or two about how to party. The tropical sound bursts its banks once again – check the gallery for more photos….
Check out this great video of the legendary Loulou Boislaville performing in Martinique in 1983 – a deep bélé session!
The night of the Dead Tropical Soundlcash featuring the Sofrito DJ’s plus Miles Cleret (Soundway Records) and MC Kwasi is now up on Red Bull Radio – for a taste of a live Sofrito session check out the audio below!
While trawling for records in the Caribbean at the end of 2008 I spent a month in the village of Castle Bruce on the East coast of Dominica. Apart from being one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, there was some great music going on…
After many months in the pipeline, the Tumbélé album is finally coming out on Soundway Records on the 6th October!
The album shines a light on the amazing and overlooked music from the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the ’60s and early ’70s: heavy biguines, raw Gwo-ka drums, Antillean Latin and Congolese styles all mixed up together.
The album comes from several trips to both islands over the past few years to track down musicians, producers and records. Despite their relatively small size, the islands have put out a huge amount of music over the past forty or so years, so it was great to be able to go to the source and find out more.
One of the artists on the compilation is the legendary Clarinet player Barel Coppet who I met at the studios of RFO Martinique (the main radio station in Martinique) along with record-digger extraordinaire Paolo Goncalves (of Superfly Records) – check some photos below!
For more info on the release check out Soundway Records here…
A little compilation of Caribbean Funk for the Nascente Label – a mixture of some classic and obscure tracks from across the Caribbean, including some killers from the Blue Rhythm Combo, De Boys an Dem and the great Andre Tanker. Out now and available at Amazon here!
For a taste of Caribbean funk check out the Funky Roseau mix here
See below for tracklisting….
Great footage of maestro Lucho Bermudez’ orchestra playing a gaita on Colombian TV.
For more vintage Latin and Caribbean footage check out the Sofrito TV youtube channel here…..
Karl Hector and the Malcouns
“Afrodelic Kraut Funk from the minds behind the Poets of Rhythm and the Whitefield Brothers.”
Headed by the mysterious Karl Hector – erstwhile leader of the Funk Pilots project – and aided by Poets of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers guitarist Jan Whitefield alongside Thomas Myland and Zdenko Curlija (founders of the Malcouns), the band take a trip through heavy psychedelic Afro Funk, taking in melodies from Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Their album Sahara Swing came out on Stones Throw/Now Again last year but their sizzling live show has never been seen in the UK – the 23rd May is their first UK appearance!
For more information check out an interview with Jan Whitefield on the excellent
Soulsides Blog here…
Tradition in Transition: A Postcard from Cali (TRAILER) from Quantic on Vimeo.
Trailer from the forthcoming Mochilla/Sonido del Valle production.
Shot in Cali and Buenaventura in Colombia. Based around the music of Quantic and his Combo Barbaro from their forthcoming Tradition in Transition album on Tru Thoughts Records featuring the talents of Will Quantic, Alfredito Linares, Nidia Gongora, Freddy Colorado, Arthur Verocai, Joao Comanche Gomes and Malcolm Catto.
“The Skeleton” is a new project from Ben Lamdin, aka Nostalgia 77. Venturing deep into Afro territory, the project combines heavy jazz licks with a myriad of Tropical Rhythms – the 23rd May will be their first gig and the first live show of any Nostalgia 77 project for nearly a year!
The Skeleton album will be released on Impossible Ark/Tru Thoughts later in the year – to give you a bit of a preview of the sound check the track “Positive Force” below!
The Band features players from the Nostalgia 77 Octet (including über-bassist Riaan Vosloo) alongside some of the cream of the players working in the UK today.
Band line-up:
Mark Hanslip – tenor saxophone
Fulvio Sigurta – trumpet and flugelhorn
Tim Giles – drums and percussion
Kit Downs – piano
Riaan Vosloo – Bass
Ben Lamdin – guitar and percussion.
For more info check www.nostalgia77.com
A quick and grainy clip of the ‘Combinacion Atlantica’ super-group that played at our September warehouse bash – featuring Jack Yglesias (Heliocentrics/Saravah Soul) Rene Alvarez (Sur Caribe), Randy Compadre and Kwame Owusu (Family Atlantica)
