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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2LP
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VAMPI 293LP
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$37.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 12/15/2023
The Vampisoul Chicas! are back. And for the third time. And, although collectors and connoisseurs have never stopped playing the songs by these Spanish female singers, here they are again, sounding as vibrant as they did half a century ago. Because these children of their times, the musical decades of the '60s and '70s covered by this compilation, boldly ventured into the limited spaces of freedom open to female artists back then. And they did so with attitude, in search of the right repertoire, proudly presenting new, daring personal projects often breaking away from the demure tone adopted by mainstream local female singers. And they were canny about it too. Realizing that the censors working back would just listen to the song that the record company flagged up as the listening target on the A side and not bother to flip the single over, they recorded many of their racier songs on the B side. That exciting dark side of singles, which have long tempted collectors. Lacking the freedom and visibility enjoyed today, these daring records by these female singers went as far as they could and a few managed to go beyond. The songs on this compilation tell everyday stories, narrating small socio-musical conquests revolving round the enduring theme of young love. Sass, sex, boy-girl rivalry, the defense of liberating women's fashion and, saying what women think loud and clear, all characterize these grooves. Performed in a variety of musical styles ranging from ye-yé, twist, disco, beat, popcorn, flamenco pop to Northern Soul, and, even more surprisingly, sung in an everyday, natural and self-assured tone that must have ruffled some feathers. As in previous volumes of Chicas!, this third compilation includes female singers from outside Spain but whose career, their decision to sing in Spanish or their long tours and local stays, and occasionally permanent residence, meant their albums were created, recorded or produced here in Spain. It's a winning proposition for everyone. Many of the 24 tracks are reissued for the first time, including very hard-to-find records. It includes extensive notes by Vicente Fabuel featuring all the original record sleeves and artist photos. Featuring Enterprise, Gelu, Mary Gema, Sonia, Marion, Los Antifaces, Chocolate Menta Mastik, Cecilia, Sylvia Nelson, Hermanas Ros, Suzie, María José Cantudo, Soledad Miranda, Teresa María, Los Zarmatyseis, Franciska, Marian Conde, Elvira, Dolly, Eros, Rosa Morena, Albertina Cortés, Nena Catherine, and Doris Y Rossie.
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LP
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VAMPI 292LP
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$28.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 12/15/2023
Hard salsa with rocking tropical electric guitar. Príncipe y Su Sexteto, from Caracas, Venezuela, were early pioneers of "salsa con guitarra eléctrica" (salsa with electric guitar), a subset of the salsa genre where the electric guitar is the main melodic rhythm instrument, often taking the spotlight in place of the piano and brass section. They were the perfect combination arriving at the right moment, when salsa spontaneously emerged as a new musical movement coming from working-class youth of the barrios in Caracas. Príncipe's 1967 debut album, featuring powerful Afro-Latin rhythms like guaguancó and pachanga played with youthful exuberance and originality. Truly unique sound from the dawn of salsa in Venezuela. All the compositions are original to the band, and hold up really well more than 50 years later. Though the arrangements and playing are deceptively simple, the effect is both mesmerizing and energizing, like early rock and roll fed through a Caribbean filter. This first-time reissue has been remastered directly from the original tapes and licensed from Discomoda; it has also been augmented by three smoking bonus tracks that were never released during Príncipe y Su Sexteto's existence as a band. Features in-depth liner notes and augmented by three smoking bonus tracks. 180g vinyl.
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LP
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VAMPI 288LP
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$28.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 11/17/2023
El Clan Antillano was an obscure, short-lived salsa group started in 1975 by singer Jacky "El Caballo" Carazo, originally from Cartagena, and radio host/song composer Mike Char, from Barranquilla. This is their first album and was recorded with local studio musicians. It's been said that most on the first album were from Fruko Y Sus Tesos (the voice of Joe Arroyo can be heard on coro) as well as others involved with various groups like La Protesta (de Colombia) and Juan Piña's La Revelación. Three bonus tracks have been added to the album as it was originally very short. Interestingly, there were four songs from two 45 singles cut by the band that were never included on either long play. While the ephemeral El Clan Antillano may not be as well-known as the groups it's related to, namely El Afrocombo and Fruko Y Sus Tesos, it certainly deserves credit as a worthy participant in the historical evolution of salsa colombiana. First time reissue. 180g vinyl.
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7"
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VAMPI 45100EP
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$15.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 11/17/2023
Our series of tropical 45s aimed to shake up the dance floors presents two incredible versions of one of the best songs ever composed by maestro Tito Puente: Guayaba. In the late 1950s, rock'n roll shook the foundations of music in Peru, and orchestras rushed to cover hit songs and explore the possibilities of mixing them with tropical music. Lucho Macedo followed this trend, even many years later. In 1972 his version of "Guayaba" was published, combining elements of the emerging Chicano rock sound, popularized internationally by bands like Santana or Malo, blended with a Latin flavor loaded with elements of mambo, son montuno, boogaloo. Timbales and distorted guitars shaking hands in this very dance floor friendly version. La Logia Sarabanda would arrive all the way from Rio de la Plata but -- despite their origin -- they'd release their records exclusively in Peru and Mexico. Their only single opened with another very interesting version of "Guayaba" that highlights the sounds of fierce and psychedelic guitars while keeping the Latin essence of the original song. First time single reissue!
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VAMPI 289LP
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Considered one of the most innovative groups on the Colombian musical circuit in 1973, Columna de Fuego forged its sound by creatively and organically mixing elements of heavy rock with rhythms rooted in the music of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of the country. Columna de Fuego, the first Colombian rock band to tour outside South America, was the supporting act for Leonor González (La Negra Grande de Colombia) for months and featured members of Los Young Beats, Los Speakers, and Siglo Cero. Their only LP, recorded in Spain and released in Colombia only in 1974, was a turning point in the history of Colombian rock, an album full of funk, soul, cumbia and currulao that maintains a fast pace from start to finish. After unsuccessful attempts to establish themselves in Europe, the group parted ways; some members returned to Colombia and others stayed in Europe as part of La Banda Salsa, a vibrant and little mentioned chapter in the history of Latin rock. Roberto Fiorilli, the stand-out drummer of Colombian rock, returned to his native Italy. Over the following five decades, the myth of Columna de Fuego, that wonderful Bogota rock band that dared to experiment with the music of the Colombian coastline, grew. The curiosity of musicians interested in the traditional music and folklore of the coasts since the late '80s, the consequent mixture of different musical genres (modern and roots) at the end of the 20th century and the almost impossible desire of collectors to find a copy of the album or one of the band's singles, gave it the status it should always have had as a pioneer, milestone and beacon. After remaining unavailable for five decades, we are proud to now present the first-time reissue of this obscure gem with its original artwork, including an insert with notes and rare photos.
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VAMPI 287LP
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The 1973 album El Violento was the fifth full-length salsa LP led by Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón, aka Fruko, and the second credited to Fruko Y Sus Tesos. It features Fruko's two main vocalists that took over from the first pair of Humberto "Huango" Muriel and "Píper Pimienta" Díaz, namely the beloved duo of Álvaro "Joe" Arroyo and Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma. Los Tesos were a talented "wild bunch," with Fruko holding down the bottom end on electric bass, Hernán Gutiérrez in the piano chair, the Villegas brothers on hand percussion (Jesús tickling the bongos and Fernando slapping the congas), augmented by Rafael Benítez on timbales and an ace horn section of Freddy Ferrer and Gonzálo Gómez (trombones) and Jorge Gaviria and Salvador Pasos (trumpets). The super aggressive sound comes directly from the South Bronx playbook of Willie Colón. Sonically lightening the mood somewhat, "Nadando" ("Swimming") is a bouncy tune in the "Mercy" genre (basically a hybrid of pop, funky soul, cumbia and salsa, in the style of Nelson y Sus Estrellas), gleefully sung by Joe Arroyo. The beats are complex and ever changing, with a little bit of mozambique, conga, bomba, jala jala and of course salsa thrown in for good measure. The side closes out with a brilliant, up-tempo salsa reworking of the venerable ranchera chestnut, "Tú, sólo tú." Side two explodes with the frenetic descarga jam session "Salsa na' ma," which is exactly that: nothing more than the hottest "sauce" to make the dancers go crazy. Fruko's tune is dedicated to the Latin community in New York that listens to salsa from everywhere and dances to it so fervently on the weekend. The relentless percussion propels the listener along at breakneck speed as if hurtling down the Bronx Expressway, demonstrating that Fruko y Sus Tesos have mastered the "violent" form of urban salsa that was having its transnational moment in the early 1970s. While El Violento may not be as well-known as some Fruko records, it certainly deserves a new look and should be assessed on its own merits as a very powerful, confident entry in the historical evolution of Colombian salsa dura.
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7"
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VAMPI 45077X-EP
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Few melodies have been played so many times on radio, movies, or TV commercials as these two compositions from the golden age of mainstream disco music. Top international hits and iconic milestones of an era, both songs are immediately recognizable after just a few chords by almost anyone on this planet. These two compelling tropical versions retain all the party spirit of the originals, guaranteeing some dancefloor heat each time the needle hits the surface of the vinyl. A perfect follow-up to the acclaimed previous singles in Vampisoul's Tropical 45s Series that so far has included recordings by the likes of Jimmy Salcedo and Sebastiao Tapajos/Pedro Dos Santos. In the rendition of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" there is a playful mix of the old and the modern made by Pedro "Ramayá" Beltrán, signed under his project La Cumbia Moderna de Soledad; a group from Barranquilla, Colombia that recorded a set of songs that exudes both tradition and innovation. Machuca Cumbia, a Colombian studio band under the direction of "Cachaco" Brando, add some unexpected cumbia arrangements to the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," resulting a dancefloor winner full of hypnotic percussions and guitars that, at times, even recall other genres such as surf.
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7"
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VAMPI 45099EP
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"Suavecito" has been called "The Chicano National Anthem." It was originally recorded by Santana-related band Malo in 1972 and reached the Billboard's Top 20. This Peruvian version, released on Discos MAG that same year, features Beto Villena and We All Together (WAT's Carlos Guerrero on lead vocals). Villena was one of the most accomplished trumpet players in Peru with a successful career in the Latin soul and tropical scenes while We All Together were one of the epoch-making groups in the history of Peruvian rock. A perfect blend of talents delivering a true-to-original rendition of the vocal-harmonies wonder that is "Suavecito." A sophisticated sweet soul "rola" for those into the lowrider sounds. On the flip we find Black Sugar, Peruvian pioneers in mixing funk influences with rock and Latin rhythms. "Viajecito" is one of the strongest tracks of their debut album, starting off with a psychedelic guitar-driven intro then throwing layers of infectious percussion and piano. The track gets a turn once the horns and vocal section start, resulting an amazing jazzy Latin soul dancer.
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LP
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VAMPI 286LP
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Despite his popularity as comedian in Peru, Pablo Villanueva Branda -- known as Melcochita -- proved himself being also a very talented musician whose recordings on Discos MAG portrait his solid career throughout the late '60s. Back in 1968, the year "Dejen bailar al loco" was released, Pablo was still known as Pacocha (the name of a popular brand of soap) and worked during the day as a session musician for the MAG label. At night, from eight to six in the morning, he used to play percussion in clubs. Then, at the weekends, he performed on the popular variety show La Peña Ferrando, which featured "Quality acting; very funny, simple sketches", impersonations and musical performances. All these facets of Melcochita's life are reflected in the twelve songs of the album, recorded between 1967 and 1968, accompanied by the orchestras of Betico Salas, Joe di Roma, Nilo Espinoza, Carlos Muñoz, and Tito Chicoma. Most of the guarachas on the album are international hits, such as "El limoncito" and "Pa' gozá candela." The track, "Quiero casarme contigo" has Mexican origins, and it has been adapted to guaracha style by Betico Salas' orchestra. The humorous "No es un gato" hails from Colombia, while "Ahorita va a llové" and "Carta de Mamita" come from Cuba. "Dejen bailar al loco" and "Libre de pecado" are also from the Caribbean Island. "Cobardía" and "Dos almas" are classic boleros, which were already part of the repertoire of most singers back then and were also included on this album. The only way to perform them to the demanding audience at La Peña without being booed was to put a new spin on the songs, deconstruct them and reinvent the structure, as the Tito Chicoma and Joe di Roma orchestras did, and above all Melcochita, who sang them in a supernatural voice and a created Creole scat that must have wowed the audience, who would then burst into applause and laughter, going home happy after a great night out. First time reissue.
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7"
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VAMPI 45097EP
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Once resettled in Lima, Peru, in 1974 after spending some time playing in a jazz quintet in Berlin, sax player Nilo Espinosa would put together the Nil's Jazz Ensemble, a top-notch array of local talent. They recorded one single album (1976) that remains not only as one of the grails for collectors of Latin-American jazz but also as an outstanding piece of music on its own. Most of the line up of the ensemble were also part of Sangre Joven, a side project to release covers of international disco and funk hits for Discos MAG. A full album and a single were released under that moniker in 1975. "Zamba Zamba" is a true-to-the-original cover version of the song "Samba Samba" by Colombian brothers Elkin and Nelson, who moved to Spain in the '70s and recorded a couple of albums with the famous singer Juan Pardo on the production duties. "Lindo Caballito," on the flipside, is an up-tempo Latin track for the dance floor that had been previously recorded by Enrique Lynch and Grupo Ecuación. It includes elements of descarga and boogaloo but with a funky rock twist.
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7"
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VAMPI 45098EP
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First time reissue. Afrosound was born from the desire of Discos Fuentes vice-president José María Fuentes to come up with a domestic version of the emerging African and Latin rock sounds coming from outside the country, inspired by groups like Osibisa and Santana. The mission was to emulate the guitar-heavy tropical sounds emanating from Perú and Ecuador at the time. According to various sources, the 1972 tune "La danza de los mirlos" (by Peru's Los Mirlos) emerged as a great success in Colombia and with it a new way of interpreting the country's most famous musical export, namely cumbia, through a Peruvian perspective. Fuentes executives convened an expert crew of musicians led by Julio E. Estrada, aka Fruko, the following year to create this type of music for the domestic market because they sensed a potential for similar success. Once again Fruko is at the helm in the studio for this recording, simultaneously holding it down and allowing the musicians to explore their most spaced-out fantasies. This time Jose A. Villerias is in control at the mixing console, pulling all sorts of tricks with space sounds, reverb and echo, and everyone sounds as if they are having a lot of fun. Both songs had been previously recorded and included on Afrosound's 1974 album Carruseles -- recently reissued on Vampisoul (VAMPI 282LP) -- but these new versions from 1983 feature an updated sound with an extensive use of space effects and unexpected sonic tricks. Taking advantage of the pull the film was having at the time, the result was carefully packaged with an E.T. themed artwork, aiming commercial success.
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LP
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VAMPI 263LP
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First time reissue, originally released in 1970. The only album by Venezuela's most prolific percussionist, Nené Quintero, and his first band sounds like a somewhat artisanal classic rock album from the end of the '60s but made by "salseros" (as involved in Salsa music). Grupo Pan was formed in 1970 in the popular Caracas neighborhood of Marín at the initiative of Carlos "Nené" Quintero together with his brother Jesús "Chú" Quintero. His experience as a professional musician as part of Los Dementes, Ray Pérez's group, would allow him to retain the rhythmic strength and brass arrangements typical of salsa, but also explore other sounds based on powerful guitars. The band would be completed with Alfredo Padilla (percussion), David Azuaje, and Carlos Guerra (trombones), Henry Camba (trumpet), and Rubén "Micho" Correa (electric guitar), already with a solid reputation as a guitarist after years playing in rock bands. Nené Quintero would resume contact with his acquaintance Mario Tepedino, at that time artistic director of 2001 Juvenil, a Venezuelan TV show focused on the promotion of young musical values, who would offer them to appear on said program. Through the popularity provided by, their frequent television appearances, they were offered the opportunity to record an album. In December 1970, their first and only LP would be released, recorded at the Fidelis studios in Caracas and produced by Mario Tepedino. It was published by Souvenir, a label responsible for the release of many other essential Venezuelan rock albums, such as the highly sought-after records by The Love Depression or Ladies W.C. Pan's successes in overcoming through its grooves the eternal rivalry between the followers of the hard rock sounds and those who, on the contrary, were devotees of salsa. All the songs on the album are written by "Nené" Quintero himself and remain as fundamental milestones in the history of Venezuelan rock. The album would contribute to the birth of a new paradigm of Latin rock, along the lines of what other artists such as Santana or El Chicano were doing from the United States in those same years. After this Souvenir release, the band would also record two singles on another label called Promus. Grupo Pan would remain active until 1973 when the band members would follow different paths. Pan, their only LP, has become one of the essential and most sought-after Venezuelan albums. Remastered sound; includes two bonus tracks, liner notes, and exclusive photos; 180 gram vinyl.
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7"
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VAMPI 45096EP
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Black Sugar is a Peruvian band, considered a pioneer group in Latin America in mixing funk influences with rock and Latin rhythms. In 1976, following their gig at Coliseo Amauta in Lima, opening the night for the legendary Spanish band Barrabás, they started to show a growing interest in disco music, resulting in some line-up changes with members leaving the project due to their lack of interest in the new sound and new ones joining in. Word is that Sono Radio, home to a bunch of local Tamla MoTown releases for the Peruvian market, thought that Black Sugar's prestige, and their credibility in the new orientation towards disco sound, would benefit from seeing their new single pressed with the labels of the famous record company from Detroit. And so it was. Under certain lights and shadows, "Baila" was finally released in Peru only in 1978, sporting the same look as the releases of the likes of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Commodores, or Thelma Houston. A clever marketing ploy that however failed in boosting the sales of the single... Only a few original copies have survived to this day, of either the first and the second edition from 1979 released on the US label Libra, and reached the collectors' market. It's now, over four decades later, when the interest on this recording has gone stronger and "Baila" is getting regular spins at international soul/disco scene events, having become a very sought-after collectors' item and, on top of that, the dance floor anthem that should have always been. The stunning piano arrangements of the intro, the outstanding brass sections -- faithfully copied from the disco recordings coming from the States --, a very catchy chorus... "Baila" has all the necessary ingredients to become an addictive invitation to join the dance floor. On the B-side, a cover version of Barry White's hit "Sha La La (Means I Love You)" -- as appeared on the original issue of this record -- shows what the interest of the band was at the time. First time reissue.
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LP
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VAMPI 285LP
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First time reissue. 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 África 5.000 was a full-length LP in the US 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. 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 French Antilles to the multi-cultural discotheques of Paris, where a cover version of Black Soul's Afro-boogie anthem "Black Soul Music" is retooled and renamed "King Kong", perhaps in a nod to the 1976 remake of the monster flick of the same name. Side two introduces you to the infectious merengue rebita of Angola via "La riphyta" with "Paparí", aka Mariano Sepúlveda, doing the vocals and faithfully replicating the Angolan guitar style. "La Trompeta Loca" (The Crazy Trumpet), probably the nuttiest track on the album, is an ingenious cover of "Ye Gbawa Oo Baba (Tribute To Nigeria)" by Joe Mensah of Ghana. As with all their covers of African tunes, this rendition tightens up the original with some pop sheen. This is followed by one of the most powerfully original songs to come out of the entire Wganda Kenya project, Mike Char's reggae anthem "El Nativo" with Joe Arroyo on vocals. The record ends on a more authentically Caribbean sounding note with the instrumental "El testament", a cheerful islands banger with bright brass, syncopated calypso beats and chunky cuatro guitar (or ukulele). With all this wild and funky sounding Afro-based music in its grooves, Wganda Kenya Kammpala Grupo was ahead of its time. 180 gram vinyl.
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2LP
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VAMPI 284LP
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The historical origins of cumbia in Colombia are nebulous and imprecise. The mythology surrounding it suggests an ancient past when Amerindian, African and European musical sounds were mixed together. The main record companies in Colombia such as Discos Fuentes, Discos Tropical, Sonolux, Zeida-Codiscos, Silver, Ondina, Discos Atlantic, Vergara, and Curro were created between Barranquilla, Medellín, Cartagena, and Bogotá from 1936 to 1954. All of them, without exception, recorded Colombian tropical music that over the years was given different names such as porro, gaita, fandango, paseaito, merecumbé, mapalé, bullerengue or, of course, cumbia. This first volume in the series Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! comprises 24 Colombian cumbia bangers for the dancefloor from the deep vaults of Discos Fuentes, the most emblematic and best remembered label in the golden age of the genre. This is complemented by a selection of cumbias recorded by the label Discos Tropical, which sold most of its catalog to Discos Fuentes in 1990. Discos Fuentes concentrated on recording cumbias played on the accordion and by orchestras and ensembles. The label produced a prodigious number of albums devoted to cumbias between 1962 and 1979, which served to define ambiguous stereotypes, rooted as much in authenticity and modernity as in demure sensuality and joyful nostalgia. Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! combines well-known classics and rarities that are difficult to find in their original formats. An invitation to enjoy and be amazed, above and beyond ethnographic and academic concerns. Features Juan Piña Y Sus Muchachos, Los Corraleros De Majagual, Aníbal Velásquez Y Su Conjunto, Cumbia Cipote Vaina, Calixto Ochoa Y Su Conjunto, Lucho Campillo Y Su Conjunto, La Sonora Del Caribe, El Sexteto Miramar, Pello Torres Y Sus Diablos Del Ritmo, Combo Los Galleros, Los Guacharacos, Combo Sampuesano, Conjunto Típico Vallenato, Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros, Andrés Landero Y Su Conjunto, Los Golden Boys, Orquesta Nuñez, Los Candelosos, Morgan Blanco Y Su Conjunto, Pacho Galán Y Sus Sabaneros, Los Gavilanes De La Costa, Las Estrellas De Tolú, Los Warahuaco, Rodolfo Aicardi Y Su Tipica Ra7.
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2LP
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VAMPI 283LP
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Cortijo y su Combo with Ismael Rivera, and Mon Rivera with his tongue twisters and trombones, are pioneers of a story that opened up the way to the salsa movement. With an unprecedented mix of flavors and Afro-West Indian rhythms, their dance proposals competed with the best tropical orchestras of the '50s and '60s. The legendary legacy of these Puerto Rican orchestras, however, hadn't been the subject of a proper retrospective until now. In the case of Cortijo and Ismael, it's a cultural legacy related to the "third root", or African contribution, in Puerto Rico's Caribbean culture. Since its birth in the year 1954 until today (half a century after its break up in 1962), Cortijo's combo and its stellar singer, Ismael Rivera, have been the best exponents of a modern, orchestrated and commercial way of performing bomba and plena, Afro-Puerto Rican genres in whose tradition they had been raised in the capital's neighborhood of Santurce. To these native rhythms they added other Caribbean ingredients which were popular at the time, creating an integrating and innovative proposal that many consider the greatest precedent of the salsa movement that would emerge years later in New York. In only eight years of existence, the group became hugely successful in Puerto Rico and New York, the West Indies and part of Latin America, and even Europe. With percussions upfront, Cortijo y su Combo were a tight mess of rhythms, expressive even in the shaking and dancing of the band members while they performed their choreography on stage. This compilation looks at the importance of Cortijo and Ismael in the context of the time, contrasting their recordings with those by other contemporary artists with more or less similar styles. Among them is the essential figure of another great "plenero" and salsa pioneer such as Mon Rivera, known as "El Rey del Trabalengua" (The Tongue Twister King) and for having started the "trombanga" kind of sound, which replaces trumpets and saxophones with trombones. It was a key innovation in the birth of boogaloo and salsa, which particularly inspired Eddie Palmieri and Willie Colón. Coproduced with Puerto Rican label Ojo de Tigre. Extensive liner notes by compiler Yannis Ruel illustrated with original artwork and memorabilia. Also features Canario Y Su Grupo, Baltazar Carrero, Moncho Leña Y Los Ases Del Ritmo, Orquesta Panamericana, Los Caballeros Del Ritmo, Angel Luis Torruellas Y Su Conjunto Pleneros De Borinquen, Odilio González, Al Torruellas Y Su Conjunto, Monse García Y Su Conjunto, La Sonora Ponceña, Chivirico, Juanchin Y Sus Pleneros Del Palmar, Ramito, and Mario Ortíz All Star Band.
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LP
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VAMPI 282LP
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First time reissue. Afrosound was born from the desire of Discos Fuentes vice-president José María Fuentes to come up with a domestic version of the emerging African and Latin rock sounds coming from outside the country, inspired by groups like Osibisa and Santana. The mission was to emulate the guitar-heavy tropical sounds emanating from Perú and Ecuador at the time. According to various sources, the 1972 tune "La Danza De Los Mirlos" (by Peru's Los Mirlos) emerged as a great success in Colombia and with it a new way of interpreting the country's most famous musical export, namely cumbia, through a Peruvian perspective. In their perpetual competition with Sonolux, Fuentes executives gathered a veteran team of musicians the following year to address this musical "invasion" from Peru because they sensed a potential for similar success. Released in 1974, Afrosound's Carruseles is the band's third long player and is one of their most sought-after records, with good reason. The recording continues the fantastic mix of psychedelic guitar, exotic keyboards, deep bass, and heavy Afro-Caribbean rhythms of its predecessors, but this time around the band really stretches out on a couple of numbers, making it arguably their most experimental and entertaining. Once again Fruko is at the helm in the studio, simultaneously holding it down and allowing the musicians to explore their most spaced-out fantasies. His trusty mentor, Mario "Pachanga" Rincón, returns to the mixing console, pulling all sorts of sonic tricks with edits, panning, reverb, and echo. Wilson Saoko adds his usual playful and wigged-out vocal bits that float over everything like some sort of twisted inner consciousness. Add to this the occasional drum machine, Moog, and Mellotron and you have a formula for a truly unique hybrid unprecedented at the time in Colombia. What makes this Afro-sonic experiment so captivating is the inherent contradictions and contrasts within the formula itself, mixing as it does conventional Latin forms like cumbia, pasebol, son pregón, descarga and salsa with rock, funk and African music as well as unclassifiable studio improvisations. The miracle is that Fuentes trusted the house musicians and their engineer enough to not only let them make a record, but to keep on producing releases through the decade and into the next, yielding a treasure trove of tunes, with Carruseles being the crown jewel on top. Remastered from the original tapes, with its original "cheesecake" artwork intact. 180 gram vinyl.
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7"
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VAMPI 45095EP
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Colombian sisters Elia and Elizabeth Fleta recorded a handful of songs between 1972 and 1973, accompanied by Jimmy Salcedo and his group La Onda Tres, mixing soft-pop with a touch of tropical-pastoral funk, singer-songwriter sweetened by the subtle perfume of Caribbean music and psychedelia. These elements blended graciously, brimming with freshness, in a perfect partnership of sharp melodies with lyrics inspired by a genuine juvenile curiosity about life's mysteries, love and nature in their simplest forms. The songs of Elia y Elizabeth remain among us as part of the most wonderful pop legacy of all time. "Alegría" and "Ponte Bajo el Sol" are two of the most celebrated songs by the Colombian sisters. Vampisoul present them together on a 45 for the first time. A tropical funk pop gem!
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7"
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VAMPI 45094EP
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If Bach can go Moog, so can cumbia! This surprisingly funky novelty tune has one of those break-beat intros that loop makers drool for and is hardly recognizable from its original '60s version by Los Falcons (worth checking out for its dark syncopated beauty). The weird synth noodles and chipmunk chorus vocals only add to the "what the?" factor (in a good way!) Lyrics sketch a night time party on the beach with drink and dance, with the smell of sea salt, the beat of the drums, and the rustle of swaying palm leaves providing a natural stimulant for the proceedings. The B-side of Cumbias en Moog's sole 45 is equally brilliant. Like the A side, this gem is a radically updated costeño classic, with crazy synth noodles, scratchy guitar looping and odd vocals (this time wordless, sounding like a Mellotron). The only thing wrong is it's too short! Hats off to Fruko and Fuentes for letting this experiment in Afro-modernization happen.
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LP
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VAMPI 278LP
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This LP introduces the Peruvian-Cuban singer and composer Króffer Jiménez, leader of Poppy y sus Pirañas, who recorded Quiero... in 1969 for MAG. The group prepared the album, consisting of twelve songs specially created for the record: ten original compositions and two cover versions. Quintets such as Compay Quinto, Pedro Miguel y sus Maracaibos, and Los Totos were the stars of the Peruvian tropical scene at that time, winning over listeners with their powerful rhythm section and fast-paced melodies. In contrast, the dozen guarachas and cumbias on Quiero... are slower and more relaxed, where the elegant intonation displays Króffer's Cuban roots, with the Pirañas contributing during the more festive moments. The cumbia "Mala mujer" and the guarachas "Amar en el mar" and "El sortilegio" were ahead of their time, as the singing style adopted would only become fashionable from 1971 onwards. There are also much more rhythmic tracks such as "Fiesta en el callejón", "La tamalera", "Ritmo en furor", and "Quiero", which include folkloric references and touches of humor, as a foretaste of the direction Króffer would take in his future work. Two cover versions round off the album: "Elvira no se vira", from the late '50s repertoire of Cuba's Los Guaracheros del Oriente; and "La plañidera", a poetic ballad describing the role of women who specialize in crying at funerals. Although other songs from these sessions came out as singles, MAG did not release this LP until 1972, when Dinsa was beginning to have hits with Poppy y sus Pirañas, whose line-up included a number of top musicians from the tropical world. Perhaps this period of applause and awards on another label, contributed to the fact that MAG's Quiero... went almost unnoticed in 1972. An oversight that we hope to begin to remedy with this first reissue of the LP. 180 gram vinyl.
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LP
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VAMPI 276LP
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First time reissue of the awesome Latin jazz-funk self-titled LP from Venezuelan band La Retreta Mayor, founded and led by guitarist Alex Rodríguez, originally released in 1976 on Discomoda. Rodríguez is a classical and jazz trained guitarist who in the early days of his career would join some of the best orchestras in Venezuela, including Aldemaro Romero's Onda Nueva. He put together this brief project: La Retreta Mayor, which only released this one album. La Retreta Mayor was a short-lived ten-piece band with the addition of numerous guest musicians, totaling 29 members, that created a jazz-funk and fusion gem considered a reference in Venezuelan music history. The group unfortunately disbanded right after the recording and did not play live or record any more music together. The album contains quite a few heaters for the dance floor like "Zambo" and "Líquido Elemento", blazing with the rich brass section and percussion, not to mention the opener "Torta de Pan", reminiscent of recordings of classic US funk bands such as the JBs. Rodríguez would follow this album two years later with the now much sought-after LP Búsqueda recorded and produced between the States and Venezuela. 180 gram vinyl.
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2LP
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VAMPI 281LP
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The two-volume collection Fruko Power is not an homage, career overview, greatest hits or "best of" collection showcasing the evolution of Fruko (Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón), the Renaissance man of Colombian tropical music. Instead, this compilation series shines a light on a lesser-known side of the bassist and band leader's work during the early 1970s with Fruko y Sus Tesos, reissuing in physical form many of his rare or hard to find salsa 45s as well as a few deep album cuts from the first half decade of his career, assembled in chronological order. There are interesting cover versions as well as originals, some of which never appeared on an LP. All of Fruko's classic vocalists are represented, from early collaborators Humberto "Huango" Muriel and Edulfamid "Píper Pimienta" Díaz to golden-era stars Joe Arroyo and Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma. Fruko Power is less for the newcomer and more for the serious salsa collector, DJ, and dancer who may have a few of the maestro's albums or hits but wants to dig deeper and have all these obscure rarities in one place. However, it also serves as an excellent compendium of powerful Latin dance tracks by Fruko y Sus Tesos that have stood the test of time, so even those who do not know much of his work will be sure to feel the power of Fruko. Includes insert with photos and liner notes by DJ Bongohead (of Peace & Rhythm).
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LP
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VAMPI 279LP
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First time vinyl reissue of this awesome Latin jazz-funk gem by Venezuelan guitarist Alex Rodríguez -- originally self-released in 1978. Rodríguez is a classical and jazz trained guitarist who in the early days of his career joined some of the best orchestras in Venezuela, including Aldemaro Romero's Onda Nueva. He put together a brief project, La Retreta Mayor, in 1976 which only released one album and would later move to New York where he had the opportunity to record his own songs with renowned musicians of the city at that time, like Víctor Paz, Charlie Camalliari, Sam Burtis, Mario Bauza, Guillermo Edgil, Bernard Purdie, Jorge Dalto, among others. It took him a little more than a year writing the songs and preparing the material for Búsqueda but in 1978 Alex Rodríguez would return to New York City. Jorge Dalto had spoken with Dennis Davis (drums), Stanley Banks (bass) who played together with George Benson, and Víctor Paz contacted Alex with Ronnie Cuber (saxes), an excellent saxophonist, who later recorded "Cumana" on his own album The Eleventh Day Of Aquarius. Before going to the recording studios they did a rehearsal to review the music, and the next day Dalto, Banks, Davis, Cuber, and Alex Rodríguez were recording in the CBS studio on 52nd street in Manhattan. The production and mixing of the album were finished in Caracas, at Sono 2000 studios, with the participation of excellent Venezuelan musicians such as Nené Quintero, Lucio Caminiti, Edgar Saume, Carlos Acosta, Alberto Naranjo, Rolando Briceño, Leo and Frank Quintero, among others. The resulting album contains quite a few heaters for the dancefloor, like "El Mercado", and tight, keys and guitar punctuated fusion jams! (just check the groovy opener "Cumana".) Búsqueda was then self-released and distributed in tiny quantities, becoming over the years a very sought-after collectors' item, probably one of the most obscure albums from Venezuela. It now gets reissued on vinyl for the first time, including notes by Alex Rodríguez. 180 gram vinyl.
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7"
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VAMPI 45092C-EP
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Splatter vinyl. Back in 2004, Vampisoul played a role in the return to recording of the legendary Joe Bataan, which fully materialized in the acclaimed album Call My Name, written and produced by Daniel Collás (The Phenomenal Handclap Band, Incarnations). Now, the song that marked the return of Joe Bataan finally makes it into a 7" single for the first time. "This whole project grew out of a song called 'Cycles of You', which I had written around 2000-2001 with the guitarist and bassist of my band at the time, Easy. The chord progression and vocal melody really reminded me of Bataan, and it occurred to me that it wouldn't be impossible to get him into the studio to do a guest vocal if we ever recorded it. I had met Bataan a few years before at a small, family-reunion style show at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in my neighborhood, where he not only still sounded great, but was also gracious and easy to talk to. By the time we got around to recording with Easy, the band was about to break up but we still had the studio booked. We all agreed that we didn't want to continue as a band, but at the same time, it would be a shame to never record what we had been working on. Around this time Bataan was playing out again, so I went to the show to see him and find out if he'd be interested in doing some vocals with us. He was agreeable, so we decided to turn it into a Joe Bataan session and do 'Cycles of You' . . . The rhythm section was a band called TransLove Airways that I formed in 2002. We got really tight and developed a great sound that was, to me, equal parts Heart, Shocking Blue, Brian Auger, and Rare Earth. To this core group I added pieces from a few other local bands: The Middle Initials, who are a great Temptations/Main Ingredient-style vocal group, and members of an incredible Latin band called Grupo Latin Vibe, who were responsible for almost all the percussion. There was also some fine trombone playing by Aaron Johnson of Antibalas and great flute work by Neal Sugarman and my cousin Sonny . . . The 'Call My Name' sessions took place when Daptone had just moved to Bushwick, its classic location..." --Daniel Collás, producer of "Call My Name".
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LP
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VAMPI 280LP
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First time reissue. Aníbal "Sensación" Velásquez is one of Colombia's most innovative and prolific Costeño musicians, known as "El Mago del Acordeón" and "El Rey de La Guaracha". Velásquez grew up hearing Cuban music as well as the local rhythms of his region, and this led him to tinker with and transform the beats and melodies of the regional music encountered in his home city of Barranquilla during the 1950s and '60s. By 1960, after being a sideman in several groups, Velásquez formed his own conjunto with his elder brother Juan, a talented musician in his own right, and his younger sibling José. Aníbal Velásquez En Tremenda Salsa is a perfect example of the musician's wanderlust and restless creative spirit. A pioneer of the adventuresome mixing of rhythms, genres, and styles that was happening at the time in Barranquilla and the rest of coastal Colombia, in retrospect one can say that Velásquez was quite daring in combining the music and instrumentation of his native country with other Caribbean forms. In 1968, when he made this album, very few Colombians were attempting to record an accordion-led session of descarga, guaracha, boogaloo, guajira, guaguancó, and mambo, and for that Velásquez should be recognized as a forerunner of various other records by Lisandro Meza y su Combo, Los Corraleros de Majagual, Los Caporales del Magdalena, and Chico Cervantes y su Conjunto Internacional. The album kicks off with an intense and mesmerizing descarga featuring the guaguancó bass line, hot Cuban style piano and a heavy timbales solo, reminding one of the Tico-Alegre or Fania All-Stars jam session records. And yet, the accordion and caja are there throughout the tune, giving it plenty of "sabor colombiano" and distancing it from the New York or Havana sound. It bears repeating that for this album Velásquez and Fuentes added a crucial ingredient in salsa, the piano. Overall, the feeling on the album is of the loose, improvised jam session implied in the genre term descarga. Although En Tremenda Salsa is just one of many such records that Velásquez cut with his Cuban and Puerto Rican influences writ large on his sleeve, it is perhaps his most consistent and well-recorded, certainly only one of a few of his featuring prominent piano played in a salsa style, and this is why it is a highly sought after record by collectors in the know. Remastered from the original tapes, with original artwork intact. Includes two bonus tracks. 180 gram vinyl.
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