Since 2003, Madrid's Vampisoul Records has been a label to treasure for all those in search of the cool. The vibrant Spanish label has developed a colorful roster of eclectic music, unearthing once-lost Peruvian psych, Brazilian rock, Harlem boogaloo, Detroit soul, Afrobeat, lounge, salsa and much, much more. Releases are enhanced by deluxe, stylish packaging -- on both CD and vinyl formats -- offering extensive liner notes and rare photos. Vampisoul remains absolutely essential for soul, funk and rare groove fans in search of more of the old gold.
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LP
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VAMPI 218LP
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$32.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 11/13/2020
Vampisoul present a reissue of Jaime & Nair's self-titled album, originally released in 1974. Loaded with an exquisite quality, marked by all good aspects the Brazilian popular music of the '70s, and obscure as hell, the self-titled debut by the duo Jaime & Nair is a revelation of all sorts. Recorded in 1974, when the artists had just turned 22, the album was released on CID a company that -- at that same moment -- had signed other important musicians like Nana Caymmi and Emílio Santiago. Outsiders par excellence, and influenced by the Clube Da Esquina (1972) sound (a sui generis musical architecture blended by Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges in 1973), forró (a propulsive North-Eastern rhythm), samba, bossa, classical arrangements, and country-pop touches, this is an expressive album full of charm through a gesture of swing. The outstanding and largely hailed song "Sob O Mar" brings you back to a pure Brazilian soft-bossanova-beat adorned by luscious orchestral arrangements. It became a popular DJ tune for those in the know after being comped in the fantastic High Jazz series in the early 2000s, gaining this album grail status among collectors worldwide. But there is much more to it, the catchy "Névoa Seca" stars a psych-guitar, subtlety, soloing all the way through a seductive pop atmosphere while "Reino Das Pedras" has a melodic-rootsy vibe, close to a toada (a rhythmic variation of a lament), that recalls some shadows of Tom Jobim and Edu Lobo. And the delightful soft trip goes on and on, combining a dreamy lullaby vibe with subtle touches of Brazilian folk. The mind-blowing list of studio musicians present at the recording sessions includes a mix of cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro), well know names like Wilson Das Neves, José Roberto Bertrami (from Azymuth) and Copinha, with paulistas (natives of São Paulo) from the suburbs like future luminaries as Elder Bedaque and Jorge Carvalho, making this album an even more essential addition to any serious Brazilian music collection.
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7"
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VAMPI 45072EP
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$12.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/25/2020
Many music fans will remember Jimmy Salcedo due to his wonderful work as arranger and producer with the duo Elia and Elizabeth. The celebrated anthology La Onda de Elia y Elizabeth (VAMPI 160CD/LP) made half the world aware of a handful of lost pearls in Latin America's underrated pop music history. Their delicate songwriting acquired, after his treatment, a special tropical aroma that even included the funk influences received by Salcedo at that time. Jimmy Salcedo (Barranquilla, Colombia) was a talented and charismatic musician from the bohemian and jazz scene in Bogotá. After touring some time with Los Be-Bops, his first band, he founded a new group, La Onda Tres. His increasing popularity boosted after conducting a TV show of musical and comedy content: El show de Jimmy. He released with his band, La Onda Tres, a few LPs and singles on Famoso, a Codiscos sublabel, that had a limited distribution, mainly in Colombia only. Here are two songs from the mid-70s that seem to have been conceived to round off a perfect dancefloor-oriented 45. "Maraguango" is an irresistible mix of Afro-Latin percussion and catchy tropical harmonies spiced up with Moog keyboard sounds, fuzz and wah-wah guitars and even touches of Hammond, in a psychedelic funk style. On the flip, "Moogambo" is an exhilarating Moog-driven instrumental with a heavy Afro-funk rhythm that could have easily been recorded by any of the many solid Afro-American bands following the teachings of James Brown, George Clinton, or The Meters at the time. This song has never been available on a single before. Both songs are reissued here for the first time, acknowledging the undisputed genius of Jimmy Salcedo.
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LP
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VAMPI 217LP
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$26.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/25/2020
"While Discos Fuentes was known for recording all sorts of interesting sounds from traditional folkloric Colombian music to the latest popular international styles, every once and a while they would put out a 'novelty' record, perhaps to exploit a passing fad, and at times the label would green-light something strange or even outlandish. Many of those left-field releases have their merits and have subsequently become collectors' items over the years. One such case is the mysterious Los Picapiedra (which translates as The Flintstones, no doubt inspired by the 1960s American sitcom cartoon show), a short-lived studio group with one album to their name, 'Kabwlú' (an unpronounceable, invented 'caveman' term that is also untranslatable, but seems to have been the 'traditional rhythm' of Los Picapiedra's 'homeland'). What is interesting about the record is that it is very musically diverse; not only are there the requisite genres that could be found on similar Colombian teenage-oriented groups' records of the time, such as cumbia, gaita, rock, twist, and pachanga, but there is also a smattering of surf, doo-wop, Latin jazz, guajira, ska, and calypso. But what makes the whole thing so special is the odd, off-kilter arrangements, spooky tunings, rudimentary clanging percussion, invented 'cave' language, prominent twanging electric guitar and many zany sound effects. Much like its namesake American cartoon The Flintstones, Kabwlú trades in creative anachronism, mixing 'folkloric' and 'modern' elements with calculated 'caveman' humor that works on many different levels. For instance the title tune seems to have been inspired by the pachanga craze and recalls the vibe of Ray Barretto's massive 1962 hit, 'El Watusi', but it has a certain joyful simplicity and rock-solid underpinning that elevates it beyond mere novelty or exploitation -- and argues for its timely reissue for today's audience. The band was a studio invention that had no major significance in Medellin's live music activity. However, several of Los Picapiedra's songs were very popular in Colombia as well as Venezuela and especially in the 'rebajada' (slowed down) version as played by the 'sonidero' sound system DJs in Mexico, such as 'La Hossa'." --Pablo E Yglesias (aka DJ Bongohead, Peace & Rhythm) Additional research by Luis Daniel Vega. Part of Vampisoul's reissue series of classic Fuentes LPs. Presented in its original artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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7"
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VAMPI 45073EP
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$12.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/25/2020
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 Sebastião Tapajos for several sessions accompanied by other musicians such as Arnaldo Henriques, Maria Nazareth, or Pedro "Sorongo" Dos Santos. Two albums and one single would be published in the Argentine record label Trova of the recordings along with the latter. After the great acclaim of our recent reissue of their second album from those sessions, with the killer dancefloor tune "Tornei A Caminhar", Vampisoul present this perfect follow-up that includes the exclusive "Tudo É Moda", an amazing samba funk number previously only available on a rare 7" released by Trova at the time. A great club tune for discerning DJs and a delight for the dancers! On the flip, "Sorongaio" shows the connection between the delicate guitar of Tapajos and the surprising experimental percussion of Pedro Dos Santos, with some flute touches (most likely played by Danilo Caymmi). A beautiful add-on to the much-hailed Pedro Dos Santos album Krishnanda (1968) in the collection of anyone with an interest in the most adventurous sounds of Brazil and also an essential work in the discography of Sebastião Tapajos.
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LP
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VAMPI 221LP
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$26.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/25/2020
"At the age of 24, Juan Piña formed the eight-piece La Revelación with his brother Carlos, releasing their first album in 1975 on Discos Zeida. This self-titled debut LP of Piña with his group is something of an anomaly in his discography as subsequent albums would feature a different sound and concentrated almost exclusively on Colombian coastal Caribbean and 'sabanero' genres. Although Juan Piña's debut record never made much of a splash, it is an excellent little slice of Colombian mid-70s madness, with a very diverse sound. An interesting and joyful sounding mix of New York style salsa, Cuban son montuno, and guajira with Colombian tropical flavors, the simple, spare arrangements featured electric guitar, piano, Latin percussion, two trumpets, occasional sax, and Juan sang lead while Carlos backed him on chorus. It also sounds like Joe Arroyo may have done 'coro' chores on Juan Piña Con La Revelación (Arroyo was a very close friend of Juan and sang chorus on several Revelación albums). This album is hard to find in the original edition, but collectors in the know treasure it for its two hot salsa tunes ('Negro Con Salsa' and 'Chana', both written by famous Chocoano composer and vocalist Alfonso Córdoba 'El Brujo') as well as producer Rafael Mejia's salsa guajira 'Hogar Campesino' and the genius rendition of the Peruvian classic 'Virgines Del Sol'. A beautiful and mature sounding work for the relatively young Juan Piña and his crew, and well-worth rediscovery by today's Colombian music enthusiasts." --Pablo E Yglesias (DJ Bongohead of Peace & Rhythm) First-time reissue. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and presented in its original artwork.
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LP
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VAMPI 216LP
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Vampisoul present the first vinyl reissue of The Silvery Boys's self-titled album, originally released in 1968. The Silvery Boys was created in 1965 in the district of Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, featuring a unique blend of organ, guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, and trombone. They became known as "The Famous Bandinha de Campo Grande" and released their debut album on RGE in 1967. At the end of the '60s, the sound of the garage beat and the bossa nova and samba coexisted smoothly in the repertoire of a good number of Brazilian bands. You could find playful Farfisa licks and guitar riffs combined with moving bossa rhythm drum patterns and powerful brass arrangements, groovy club tunes next to lounge mood sounds, across the track list of so many albums released at the time. That is exactly what the second album of The Silvery Boys comprises. Band members José Carlos (trombone) and Fernando Soares (guitarra) sign most of the songs on this self-titled record that also includes some versions of the Spanish famous Duo Dinámico, "Amor Amargo" and "A Recordar", as well as other international hits (Tommy James & The Shondells' "Gone, Gone, Goner"). However, "Você Balança Meu Coração" -- composed by José Messias -- is the stand-out cut here and became a much sought-after club tune after being included in the second volume of the cult compilation series High Jazz in the early '00s. A dance song so irresistible that makes the search for this elusive Brazilian album worthwhile. Original artwork and quality 180 gram pressing.
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LP
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VAMPI 215LP
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Vampisoul present a reissue of Marcos Valle's 1983 self-titled album. Valle is one of the few artists one cannot miss if one has the slightest interest in Brazilian music. Whether one's taste is focused on bossa jazz, samba, psych folk or soul, Valle has surely recorded an album to match. By the late '60s he had already put out enough quality records to secure a place within the top Brazilian songwriters of all time, but his career did not stop there and he continued releasing amazing music over the following decades. He settled in Los Angeles in the mid-70s, tired of living under Brazil's military dictatorship, and started to collaborate with such talented artists as Leon Ware and Chicago. This LP from 1983 is the follow-up to the great Vontade De Rever Você (1981), his second album after moving back to Brazil. It shows all the music influences from his US years, especially boogie, soul and funk, and features stellar collaborators in Lincoln Olivetti, Robson Jorge, and Leon Ware. The opening track, the Brazilian boogie anthem "Estrelar," is Valle's biggest hit from the '80s and one of the most celebrated songs, making clear that what he accomplished while in LA would now make its way into Brazil. Valle pictures a beach lifestyle and summertime vibe across the entire album that describes his surfing days in Southern California. A couple of early Valle's classic songs are updated here to sit nicely next to soaring disco, killer vocal boogie numbers, and blissing instrumentals, making a well-balanced track list that satisfies both listening pleasure and dancefloor needs. This is an essential album for lovers of the work of Ware, who is the co-writer of three songs in the LP, including "Estrelar," first drafted when both artists were working together in the States and then recorded again when Valle returned to Brazil. Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180g vinyl.
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2LP
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VAMPI 199LP
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Compiled by Colombian music experts Lucas Silva and Philippe Noel, Guasa, Cununo Y Marimba: Afro-Colombian Music From The Pacific Coast is a selection of Afro-Colombian music from the Pacific Coast. The Colombian Pacific coast has always been one of the most forgotten regions of Colombia: ninety percent of the population are of African descent and ten percent are indigenous peoples and mestizos. It borders Panama to the north and Ecuador to the south. It was colonized late, after several failed attempts by the Spanish who were thwarted by the impenetrable jungle and climate of the territory. Two or three centuries of slavery filled the Pacific coast with men and women who brought their musical instruments with them. In the department of Chocó in the north Pacific, African descendants reinterpreted the military drums brought in by the colonizers, creating the chirimía style. The Pacific coast is home to a wealth of musical styles: apart from the currulao and chirimía, there's a host of other genres. Meanwhile, in the city of Buenaventura, the urban center of the Pacific and the biggest port in Colombia, orchestras and bands flourished. For music from the Pacific there was a long and winding road to go down before it emerged from anonymity in a country dominated by cumbia and Caribbean beats. The music of the Colombian Pacific is one of the greatest treasures of Colombia and its African past, but not many people remember the songs recorded on anthologies, a forgotten chapter of Colombia´s musical history. This album aims to revisit these formats and recording styles so that new generations of musicians can reconnect with this heritage and these wonderful musical gems can see the light at last, as they are immortal aspects of Afro-Colombia and its culture. This compilation includes recordings by artists like: Gertrudis Bonilla, Peregoyo y su Combo Vacaná, Markitos Micolta, La Sonora del Pacífico de Cachito Vidal, Julián y Su Combo, and more in an outstanding selection of songs that covers the early '70s through the '00s. Heavy drumming combines with hypnotic vocals and the sounds of the marimba, clarinet and euphonium in this selection of Afro-Colombian music from the Pacific Coast. Also features: Gertrudis Bonilla Y Jimmy Puche, Chencho Trompeta Y Los Brujos Del Folklore, La Marucha, Los Trovadores Del Pacífico, La Contundencia, La Banda De Alexis, Conjunto Folklórico Los De La Bahía De La Cruz, Buscajá, and Bambazulú.
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LP
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VAMPI 214LP
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Vampisoul present the first vinyl reissue of Perú Negro's second album Son De Los Diablos, originally released in 1974. Peru has a rich folklore that reflects the cultural variety of its population as well as its history. Peruvian identity has been created from a mixture of traditions that includes those from the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and also those from the ancestral cultures of the Andes, the Spanish heritage and the rhythms and chants coming from its African communities. Afro-Peruvian music, also known as "música criolla", finds its roots in West African music, Spanish and European genres and native musical traditions from Peru. Flamenco-influenced sounds sit next to African tribal elements and a simple yet effective percussion instrument called cajón. Perú Negro, a dance company that also incorporated percussion combined with música criolla, celebrated and recreated black culture in Peru and they quickly became regulars at Lima's theaters in the late '60s. The lyrics and music would reflect the country's multicultural diversity, blending elements from the African tradition and echoes of Spanish-influenced melodies around stories of slavery days, rural labor and folklore. Their international success (in 1969 they won the main award at the Festival Hispanoamericano de la Danza y la Canción in Argentina) led them to record two albums in the early '70s conducted by Ronaldo Campos, Perú Negro's founder and artistic director. Son De Los Diablos is their second LP and was released in 1974 on Virrey Records, home to the likes of Sonora Lucho Macedo, Jaime Delgado Aparicio, or Los Belking's, and a follow-up to their self-titled debut album (VAMPI 194LP). Although lesser known than music from other nearby countries, Peru Negro's recordings are reminiscent of Afro-Colombian or Afro-Cuban rhythms. If you have an interest in Cuban son or Colombian bambuco, this record will be an essential addition to your collection and the perfect introduction to the fascinating música criolla. Reissued on vinyl for the first time and presented in facsimile artwork.
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LP
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VAMPI 213LP
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"The aptly named Goza La Salsa (Enjoy Salsa) is the second album by Los Afroins, the flagship salsa band of the obscure but beloved INS label (Industria Nacional Del Sonido Ltda., Medellín, Colombia). The combo's repertoire focused mostly on cover versions hit tunes from New York, Cuba. and Puerto Rico, both classic and contemporary, but for this record, their sophomore outing from 1975, their arrangements got tighter and there are more original compositions, which makes for a satisfying evolution in both style and content. Pianist Agustín 'El Conde' Martínez, who would later work with Joe Arroyo and Juan Piña, led the group and did some arranging, with studio session production by INS artistic director Alfredo 'Sabor' Linares. The vocals were handled by a pair of fresh-faced singers, Lucho Puerto Rico and Roy 'Tayrona' Betancourt, who would later go on to fame in the 1980s, the former with his own Lucho Puerto Rico Y Su Conjunto Sonero and Conjunto Son Del Barrio (both in collaboration with Alfredo Linares), and the latter with Willie Salcedo, Reales Brass De Colombia, and Los Caribes. Additional arrangements were by Luis Felipe Basto of Los Black Stars and Luis E Mosquera, while the rest of the band was made up of INS related studio musicians. Goza La Salsa is just as hard to find as their first record and contains ten bright and sassy salsa dura treasures that light up the dance floor with their incessant rhythms, syncopated trumpets and trombone, and buoyant melodies. There are smoking covers of hits by Panama's Bush y sus Magníficos ('Salsa Al Pindin') and Bronx timbalero Orlando Marín and His Orchestra ('Está De Bala') as well as updated renditions of old Cuban chestnuts 'La Masacre' (written by Joseíto Fernández) and 'Matusa' (composed by Francisco Repilado aka Compay Segundo and made famous by Duo Los Compadres). This time around there are six excellent originals with the hottest pair being Lucho Puerto Rico's theme song 'Puerto Rico Power' and the percussion-heavy final track, 'Alejada' sung and composed by Roy Betancourt. Just like the first album, the entire record makes for a very tasty and satisfying party platter filled with guaguancó, mozambique, pachanga, descarga, and bolero that deserves to be more accessible and better known by today's fans of Colombian salsa..." --Pablo E Yglesias, DJ Bongohead of Peace & Rhythm Presented here in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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VAMPI 211LP
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"Hugo Macedo was a member of the first sonora in Peru, directed by his brother: the Sonora de Lucho Macedo. His brothers were the singers of the band while he performed as a timbalero. After nine years he founded the Sonora Casino of Hugo Macedo in 1964, later incorporating his wife, Lucía 'Pochita' Rivera as a vocalist. Trompeteros was released on the Peruvian record label MAG in 1972. Previously, the Sonora Casino had already recorded several albums for Philips since the mid-60s. At the time their repertoire was fed by rhythms such as cha cha cha, bolero, guaracha... Their MAG period would start in 1970 with the albumPochita y la Sonora Casino de Hugo Macedo in which Hugo Macedo's wife was granted with an important visual presence on the front cover, with a similar follow-up on Trompeteros, creating some confusion since vocalist Pachito Nalmy was the actual main singer on the record. The vocalist, who hails from Callao, demonstrates here a great vocal versatility as captured on songs like 'Guajira del amor', with a heavy rhythm that will surely delight boogaloo lovers, or the bolero number 'Pasa, pasa', being both songs own compositions of the multitalented Nalmy. Guarachas, descargas, and cumbias complete the offering of this fantastic album, one of the strongest tropical LPs in the MAG catalog. But the real banger here is the almost magical 'Astronauts to Mercury', a cosmic descarga full of electronic effects, filtered voices, and fierce guitars with wah-wah and raw distortion, closer to the sound of any psychedelic recording than the classic tropical sound of La Sonora Casino, and right next to those elements, an impressive brass section that boosts the intensity of the song to the highest levels. It is not surprising that Trompeteros has become in recent years a highly sought-after album not only by Latin music collectors but also by those after the most exotic and experimental psychedelic sounds around..." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead
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LP
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VAMPI 212LP
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Vampisoul present a reissue of Sebastião Tapajos and Pedro Dos Santos's Vol. 2, originally released in 1972 only in Argentina. 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 Sebastião Tapajos for several sessions accompanied by other musicians such as Arnaldo Henriques, Maria Nazareth, or Pedro "Sorongo" Dos Santos. Two albums would be published in the Argentine record label Trova of the recordings along with the latter. In this Vol. 2, 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 Argentina. Years later, when Brazilian rhythms were incorporated, along with jazz, to the spectrum of sounds regularly played at London clubs, by DJs such as Gilles Peterson or Paul Murphy, a renewed interest in this album arose as it includes the killer dancefloor tune "Tornei A Caminhar", an amazing samba funk number. But the general vibe of this solid album is driven by an exquisite and delicate dialogue between the guitar of Sebastião Tapajos and the rhythmic approach provided by Pedro Dos Santos that generates ambiences of unusual beauty and depth. From the personal approach to Jobim's classic "Samba Do Aviao" to the energetic and fast paced "Ganga", the album opening song, the mysterious beauty of "Rio Das Ostras" to the cinematic moods of "Ambush" (bossa meets action film music?), this Vol. 2 is absolutely wonderful from beginning to end. It is a necessary complement to the much-hailed Pedro Dos Santos album Krishnanda (1968) in the collection of anyone with an interest in the most adventurous sounds of Brazil and also an essential work in the discography of Sebastião Tapajos.
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LP
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VAMPI 192LP
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Welcome to the third instalment in Vampisoul's series dedicated to the original Italian library music from the vaults of Nelson Records. In this album, the label digs deeper into the most experimental recordings in the archives of Nelson Records. The label was founded in 1970 by the musicians Maurizio Majorana, Antonello Vannucchi, and Roberto Podio (who along with Carlo Pes would be known as I Marc 4), after establishing the Telecinesound studio, right where the New Italian Library Sound was created. They recorded with Armando Trovajoli, Piero Piccioni, Ennio Morricone, Piero Umiliani, Henry Mancini, and many others, and created a special sound, mixing jazz, pop, rock, and psychedelic music, to produce records aiming to be used by the programmers of the Italian RAI television. The music of Thrilling Mortale is mostly special effects, drum breaks, fast bongo rhythms, and groovy Hammond background sounds inspired by cinema noise experts who did not use any musical instruments and had only a few objects to recreate the noises of the films; from horse rides to closing gates, everything was done in the traditional way. I Marc 4, instead, would recreate those sounds with bass, guitar, drums, piano and Hammond organ. Many musicians, record producers and film directors still like, look for, rediscover and re-use for their work, and the music on these albums recorded by I Marc 4 between 1970-1976 have reached cult status among library music collectors.
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VAMPI 208CD
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Discos Fuentes, the renowned Colombian record label, home to some of the best tropical recordings ever made, turns 85 this year, becoming the longest running independent music company in the world. Their vast catalog comprises many different tropical genres, from cumbia or boogaloo to hard salsa, cumbelé or bomba, becoming an essential reference point for any Latin music aficionado. Vampisoul started the ongoing Discos Fuentes reissue series in early 2017, making some of the most solid and highly sought-after titles available again, presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Many of the reissues have become instant collector items as the demand was big due to the extreme difficulties of getting hold of original clean copies and the very high prices paid for them. Vampisoul have put together a collection of 12 top dancefloor-oriented songs, as a taste of and introduction to the reissue series and as a celebration to the 85th anniversary of Discos Fuentes. It includes tracks by the likes of Fruko Y Sus Tesos, Michi Sarmiento Y Su Combo Bravo, and Lito Barrientos Y Su Orquesta, and also lesser known artists whose legendary recordings have become classic DJ spins in the tropical sound scene over the years. Also features Lisandro Meza Y Su Combo, Combo Los Yogas, Peregoyo Y Su Combo Vacaná, Adolfo Echeverría Y Su Orquesta, Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros, Los Supremos, Conjunto Miramar, Tita Duval Y El Nuevo Ritmo De Bobby Rey, and Sexteto Miramar.
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VAMPI 208LP
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LP version. Discos Fuentes, the renowned Colombian record label, home to some of the best tropical recordings ever made, turns 85 this year, becoming the longest running independent music company in the world. Their vast catalog comprises many different tropical genres, from cumbia or boogaloo to hard salsa, cumbelé or bomba, becoming an essential reference point for any Latin music aficionado. Vampisoul started the ongoing Discos Fuentes reissue series in early 2017, making some of the most solid and highly sought-after titles available again, presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Many of the reissues have become instant collector items as the demand was big due to the extreme difficulties of getting hold of original clean copies and the very high prices paid for them. Vampisoul have put together a collection of 12 top dancefloor-oriented songs, as a taste of and introduction to the reissue series and as a celebration to the 85th anniversary of Discos Fuentes. It includes tracks by the likes of Fruko Y Sus Tesos, Michi Sarmiento Y Su Combo Bravo, and Lito Barrientos Y Su Orquesta, and also lesser known artists whose legendary recordings have become classic DJ spins in the tropical sound scene over the years. Also features Lisandro Meza Y Su Combo, Combo Los Yogas, Peregoyo Y Su Combo Vacaná, Adolfo Echeverría Y Su Orquesta, Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros, Los Supremos, Conjunto Miramar, Tita Duval Y El Nuevo Ritmo De Bobby Rey, and Sexteto Miramar.
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VAMPI 205CD
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Synth ambiences, acoustic landscapes, deep songwriting, and subtle candombe percussions combine in most of the musical output released in Uruguay during the '80s. A very unique sound was developed within the narrow boundaries of Montevideo, the country's capital city, by just a small group of very talented artists. These sounds reverberated in singer-songwriting (Eduardo Darnauchans, Fernando Cabrera, Estela Magnone), jazz fusion approximations (Hugo Fattoruso's La Escuelita), experimental music (Leo Maslíah, Hugo Jasa), and the work of musicians at the intersections of these worlds (Jaime Roos, Mariana Ingold). In América Invertida, ethereal vocal arrangements and acoustic guitars cohabit with synthesizers and drum machines; Candombe and Latin American music form a fellowship with new wave and dream pop. However, the overwhelming musical harvest produced by giant neighbors, Brazil and Argentina, shadowed any attempt for this scene to transcend beyond the local market. It's only now, a few decades later, when some of those records have achieved cult status among a discreet group of collectors that try hard to get hold of those titles, pressed in only tiny numbers at the time. No wonder, the timeless beauty of these songs remains in full effect while retaining the uniqueness of a sound resulting from multiple cultural encounters on the streets of Montevideo. This compilation, América Invertida, reveals part of this hidden world. It veers towards the most experimental side of Uruguayan singer-songwriting of the '80s, both from an acoustic and electronic point of view (with artists who moved between both universes) as well as towards instrumental fusion. A collaboration with Montevideo based label Little Butterfly. Compiled by Spanish DJ and collector Javi Bayo. Extensive liner notes by Uruguayan journalist and music expert Andrés Torrón. Also features Contraviento, Jaime Roos Y Estela Magnone, Eduardo Mateo, and Travesía.
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VAMPI 205LP
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LP version. Synth ambiences, acoustic landscapes, deep songwriting, and subtle candombe percussions combine in most of the musical output released in Uruguay during the '80s. A very unique sound was developed within the narrow boundaries of Montevideo, the country's capital city, by just a small group of very talented artists. These sounds reverberated in singer-songwriting (Eduardo Darnauchans, Fernando Cabrera, Estela Magnone), jazz fusion approximations (Hugo Fattoruso's La Escuelita), experimental music (Leo Maslíah, Hugo Jasa), and the work of musicians at the intersections of these worlds (Jaime Roos, Mariana Ingold). In América Invertida, ethereal vocal arrangements and acoustic guitars cohabit with synthesizers and drum machines; Candombe and Latin American music form a fellowship with new wave and dream pop. However, the overwhelming musical harvest produced by giant neighbors, Brazil and Argentina, shadowed any attempt for this scene to transcend beyond the local market. It's only now, a few decades later, when some of those records have achieved cult status among a discreet group of collectors that try hard to get hold of those titles, pressed in only tiny numbers at the time. No wonder, the timeless beauty of these songs remains in full effect while retaining the uniqueness of a sound resulting from multiple cultural encounters on the streets of Montevideo. This compilation, América Invertida, reveals part of this hidden world. It veers towards the most experimental side of Uruguayan singer-songwriting of the '80s, both from an acoustic and electronic point of view (with artists who moved between both universes) as well as towards instrumental fusion. A collaboration with Montevideo based label Little Butterfly. Compiled by Spanish DJ and collector Javi Bayo. Extensive liner notes by Uruguayan journalist and music expert Andrés Torrón. Also features Contraviento, Jaime Roos Y Estela Magnone, Eduardo Mateo, and Travesía.
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VAMPI 202LP
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"Born on September 3, 1934 in the barrio of San Roque in Barranquilla, Adolfo Ernesto Echeverría Comas started singing on the radio first as a young man, forming his own conjunto and signing with various labels over the years, becoming one of Colombia's premier band leaders, composers, interpreters, and producers of tropical costeño music in the process. Among many other accolades, he is a winner of five Congo de Oro and one El Cacique de Oro awards; his holiday songs 'Las Cuatro Fiestas' and 'La Inmaculada' are recognized as national treasures. During his long and successful career, he has toured Venezuela, Panamá, and Ecuador, and while performing in the United States was befriended by Celia Cruz and Tito Puente. Recognizing his songwriting talents, the pair asked him for a tune and he gave them "Salsa De Tomate", inspired by Tito's hatred of the term, which they recorded for their 'Alma Con Alma' release on Tico Records in 1971. By 1976, Adolfo Echeverría had signed with Discos Fuentes, where he was to remain until 1990 when he suffered a heart attack and was sadly never able to resume his career. Echeverría's first year with the label was a great success, with his eponymous debut LP containing his biggest hit, the self-penned cumbia party anthem 'Amaneciendo'. The following year, working again with the Fuentes hit production team of Isaac Villanueva and Hernán Colorado, Echeverría came out with 'Sabroso Bacalao', sharing the vocals with Freddy Cruz and Manuel Cassiani. As with the first album, in addition to some hot, driving hardcore salsa tracks like 'Mi Viejo Barrio' and 'Perdóname', Echeverría made sure to include his beloved tasty indigenous cumbia and porro. In addition, the cut 'Llorando Por Ti' is in the Afro-Cuban oriza rhythm style, while 'Locura Es Mi Cumbelé' is described as a 'cumbelé' (inspired by The New Swing Sextet's 1970 song 'Cum Cumbele', which is a variant on the bomba, an Afro-Puerto Rican folkloric drum-based genre). Throughout this diverse genre-hopping album one can always hear the forcefully fiery piano of Hugo Molinares, who also composed the monster guaguancó track 'Sabroso Bacalao'. At the time, the LP yielded the domestic hit 'Fantasía Marina' but in recent years 'Noches De Cumbia' and the title track have become international tropical DJ dancefloor standards across the globe, making this record a must-have for collectors, disk jockeys and aficionados of the classic Fuentes sound." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead
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VAMPI 203LP
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"Although Pete Vicentini's El Afrocombo did not have the overwhelming commercial and international success of Fruko y sus Tesos, Joe Arroyo y La Verdad, or Grupo Niche during the height of Colombian salsa in the 1970s and '80s, Pedro 'Pete' Luis Vicentini del Valle (born in 1946) and his combo did have a popular following among fans in the Atlantic and Caribbean coastal areas of Colombia . . . In addition to founding what would become El Afrocombo, Vicentini was associated for several decades with the popular singer Jackie Carazo and was a member of Carazo's El Clan Antillano as well as Chico Cervantes y su Sonora Caliente. Pan Con Salsa is Vicentini and El Afrocombo's first long play and was released in 1971. As the title (and humorous cover) suggest, the majority of selections on the record are in the salsa genre that was gaining steam at the time in South America. In reality, though, the album includes Vicentini's native costeño rhythms like cumbia and porro as well (on the tunes 'Barranquilla, Sol Y Cumbia' and 'Tus Lindos Ojos'). The LP has its own lively 'combo' sound in the plucky brass section (two trumpets and two saxes), plus the always bright and happy piano stylings of Willy Newball and of course the prominent bass playing, expert direction and arrangements of Vicentini. Additionally, the record contains the band's first hit, 'El Huevo', which is a cover version of Peruvian vocalist Félix Martínez's popular 1971 tune in the guajira genre with Lima's Los Girasoles, 'Ese Huevo Se Pasó'. In addition, there are some super hot original salsa tunes like 'Mira Muñeco' and 'La Fiesta Del Mar', a funky boogaloo cover of Tito Puente's ubiquitous 'Oye Cómo Va' (with a cool clavinet solo), a Puerto Rican style bomba written by Carazo, and the title track, composed by Vicentini, which is a frenetic descarga (jam session) with lots of tasty brass solos, in-the-pocket piano tumbaos (riffs) and break-neck percussion work-outs. This album is definitely a persuasive argument for including the unjustly obscure El Afrocombo in the pantheon of hot Antillean-inspired bands from Barranquilla and proof that Colombia's Caribbean coastal region was instrumental in pioneering the popularity of domestically produced salsa there in the 1970s, helping it spread into the interior and from there internationally by the '80s and '90s." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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VAMPI 206LP
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"... Roberto de la Barrera was arguably the first cartagenero to record music that would later be labeled 'tropical' and 'salsa' with his group Roberto de la Barrera y su Sonora, starting off with cumbia, porro, charanga, and pachanga in the early to mid-1960s, and ending the decade with guaguancó, guaracha, descarga and son montuno, leaving a handful of gems for posterity, such as 'El Baile De Los Cocacolos', 'Vamos A Guarachar' and 'Se Formó' from the earlier period and 'Se Formó La Salsa', 'Mi Sonora' and 'Oye Mi Ritmo' as the 1970s began. After taking the piano seat in the Discos Fuentes house orchestra and being hired in 1964 by label boss Antonio Fuentes as the regional musical director in the Caribbean area (based in Cartagena), where he subsequently discovered, signed and produced a lot of local talent, the following year Roberto de la Barrera y su Sonora recorded Pa' Los Cocacolos, his first long play under his own name for the label, succeeded by ¡Pa' cumbanchar! and finally Se Formó La Salsa in 1970. All of his arrangements feature an interesting mix of Colombian and Cuban flavors, sometimes within the same tune, and often with that wonderful raw, loose, improvisational quality associated with the 'descarga' jam sessions of Cachao and others a decade before. Perhaps the best example of this is 'Mi Sonora' from Se Formó La Salsa, where the vocalist Felipe Sembergman actually name-checks New York's famous Village Gate, home of many Latin jazz and salsa concerts at the time, thus making the connection explicit between what was beginning to catch on in Colombia as "salsa" and its New York Latin roots. Whatever the case, immediately in Roberto de la Barrera's wake, a whole slew of groups from the coastal regions started performing in this style . . . Sometimes the Colombian 'salsa' sound was mixed, at other times the genres were kept separate, but a certain Caribbean aesthetic carried its way through everything these artists did, and Roberto de la Barrera was a pioneer in introducing modern Latin sounds from Havana, New York and San Juan..." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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VAMPI 204LP
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"... Octogenarian musician, composer, vocalist and teacher Pedro Beltrán aka 'Ramayá' hails from Patico, a small town in Colombia's Bolívar province, not far from the Caribbean coast. He has been crowned Rei Momo of the carnival in Barranquilla, and recorded many albums as a leader and sideman, working with various domestic and international pop artists as well, from Quantic and Thornado to Systema Solar. While his main instrument is the 'caña de millo' flute, he is also proficient in the various percussion instruments of his region as well as the reed instrument known as 'gaita'. His group La Cumbia Moderna de Soledad (named for the large city within the municipality of Barranquilla) was founded in the early 1970s when Ramayá had already retired from a career in the army and was living in Soledad. With this group he set out to 'modernize' the folkloric music of his people, adding the electric bass and a brass section to fresh arrangements of cumbias, porros, fandangos, puyas, and other costeño genres. What's more, the band often did left-field cover versions of international dance hits that were popular in the region's sound systems (picós) and discotheques, from Fela Ransome-Kuti And The Africa '70's 'Shakara Oloje' to Rod Stewart's 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy'. If you think this sounds like a case of post-colonial cargo-cult worship or a record label marketing gimmick, think again, because there is something fantastically otherworldly yet 'right' about this cross-cultural mash-up, especially since La Cumbia Moderna de Soledad proudly maintained its authentic Afro-Colombian and indigenous roots throughout, making for an infectious mix that was very popular at the time (especially in the Carnaval de Barranquilla) and is still danced to today by Colombians and other fans all over the world. In a way it's as if these musicians, brought up in the ancient rural traditions of their culture, were trying to make musical sense of the rapidly changing and mechanizing urban environment around them. La Clavada (1979) was La Cumbia Moderna de Soledad's sixth record and first for Codiscos' Costeño imprint. The LP has many excellent examples of Pedro 'Ramayá' Beltrán's innovative, catchy and downright playful mix of the ancient and the modern, making for a collection of tunes brimming with tradition and yet fearlessly bristling with innovation..." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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7"
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VAMPI 45060EP
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The career of Atlanta's singer and guitarist Lee Moses only left behind eight 45s and an album between the mid-60s and 1973. Heard today, it's difficult to understand why success evaded those recordings, as they possess a quality and emotional intensity to match any soul track from that classic era. Particularly his 1967 Musicor single, produced by Johnny Brantley, featuring the two parts of his own composition "Bad Girl". After its slow build-up comes a torrent of passionate, raw emotion delivered with throat-shredding vocals that is incredibly powerful and moving. Pure soul gold.
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VAMPI 193LP
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Voyage Of Exploration (2012) and Synaptic Beat (2013) established Akron as one of the best sonic and mood explorers out there, achieving an engaging personal sound while carrying on the legacy of greats such as Les Baxter, Delia Derbyshire, Mort Garson, Sun Ra... Free from any scene or genre constraints, Akron managed to combine a myriad of sounds in a completely unique way. Soon after the release of Synaptic Beat, Akron became a quartet in order to perform their music on stage. After a few gigs they recorded an album with the aim to capture the essence of their live set-up. The result, Ritualul Sferei (The Ritual of the Spheres), resembles a pseudo-tribal ceremony that takes place in an inhospitable corner of the universe. It could be a rite from an unknown civilization living in a different planet or an enigmatic earthly celebration from another time (past or future). For five years that recording was put aside and the band's live performances stopped. At last, Ritualul Sferei has been finished and sees the light of day.
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VAMPI 200LP
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"Julián y su Combo was founded in 1962 by left-handed guitarist Julián Angulo Ponce, who was originally from Guapi, Cauca, Colombia and made his name in Cali and Buenaventura, signing initially with Bogotá's Sello Vergara in 1966. During a 20-year period Julián y su Combo released eight records (with several band name variations). Angulo was part of the first generation of artists from the Colombian Pacific who migrated to Bogotá in the 1970s, and his combo enjoyed popularity in his adopted city as well as in Medellín and Mexico. The band also travelled to Venezuela and the US. Angulo described his sound as 'Afroantillano', combining Cuban, New York Latin, and Puerto Rican elements with Colombia's own tropical traditions. The combo's arrangements were distinguished by the bandleader's funky, jazzy electric guitar work (Angulo played without changing the order of the strings), a hot rhythm section and the potent brass line-up of two saxophones and a trumpet (much like Cortijo y su Combo). Noche De Fiesta (1975) was the first of two albums Angulo cut for the Medellín-based INS label (Industria Nacional del Sonido Ltda), and the record was distinguished by having the great Peruvian bandleader and composer Alfredo Linares guesting on piano. Linares also shared the arranging duties with the combo's trumpet player Carlos Rivas. At that time Alfredo Linares was musical director at INS and this album bears his influence in the funky 'mambo rock' sections (breaks and handclaps galore!) and hot Cuban and Latin jazz piano styles that also graced his own records. The lead vocals were equally split by Julian's long-time singer José Arboleda and the band's drummer 'Guapachá' (guest artist Clelia Ramírez joined the band on coro). Noche De Fiesta is sought after by collectors and DJs the world over not only for its hard salsa and instrumental 'descarga' (jam) tracks but also because of the funky dancefloor cuts 'Enyere Kumbara' (covered by Quantic), 'INS-Rock' and 'Estoy Soda' as well as the excellent original version of 'Las Caleñas Son Como Las Flores' (made famous later the same year by The Latin Brothers)." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead Part of a new Vampisoul reissue series of classic LPs from Colombia's INS label. Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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VAMPI 201LP
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"By 1974, salsa was taking Colombia by storm and so the directors of the INS label (Industria Nacional Del Sonido Ltda), based in Medellín, Colombia, decided to create a band that would appeal to 'salsómanos' (salsa fanatics) and be able to compete with the area's two larger labels, Discos Fuentes and Codiscos. Thus was born the oddly named Los Afroins (a contraction of Afro, indicating the roots of the music, and '--ins', for the label name), an obscure, short-lived combo that would release two albums and six 45s. The repertoire focused on cover versions of hit Afro-Antillean tunes both classic and contemporary. Pianist Agustín Martínez 'El Conde', who would later work with Joe Arroyo and Juan Piña, led the group and did some arranging. INS artistic director Alfredo Linares 'El Inca', the famed Peruvian keyboardist and composer, oversaw the project and guested on piano for several tracks, doing some arranging as well. The vocals were handled by a pair of young as yet unknown singers, Lucho Puerto Rico and Ray Betancourt, who would later go on to more fame in the 1980s, the former with his own Lucho Puerto Rico y su Conjunto Sonero and Conjunto Son del Barrio, and the latter with Willie Salcedo, Reales Brass de Colombia, and Los Caribes. Óscar Toscano "El Márquez Argentino" (whose orchestra backed Palito Ortega in the 1960s) and Luis E Mosquera arranged as well, while the rest of the band was made up of INS-related studio musicians. Their first album, A Gozar Salsomanos Con Los Afroins, is a sought-after collector's item and contains ten brassy, heavy-duty salsa gems that don't let up for the duration of the record. There are covers of salsa hits by Ismael Rivera ('El Nazareno', 'Orgullosa'), Los Ahijados ('Virgen De La Cueva', 'Guayo, Pellizco Y Pata'), Roberto De La Barrera ('Sabrosón'), Cheo Marquetti ('Apriétala'), and even the smash pop hit by the French modern classical and electronic music composer Saint-Preux (a great instrumental descarga version of 'Concierto Para Una Sola Voz'). In addition, there are two originals ('Afroinspiración' and 'Cuídate') that are equally hot. The whole package makes for a very satisfying party record that deserves to be more accessible and better known by today's salsómanos who may have heard of Fruko y sus Tesos or Grupo Niche but have yet to discover Los Afroins." --Pablo Iglesias, aka DJ Bongohead Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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