Vampi Soul Spain 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: This 2024 edition marks the return of Joe Bataan, via the same track that made his name in 2004. Vampi Soul first welcomed the Latin Soul king to the label two decades back, facilitating the release of his 2005 album Call My Name. The pre-release singles for the album were 'Chick-A-Boom' and 'Cycles Of You', packed onto a single 7"; these quickly became DJs' favourites and have thus since remained long out of print. As it was twenty years ago, 'Chick-A-Boom' is a simultaneously upbeat but ghostly track, with Bataan's vocals quadrupling up in a wall of sound while providing the vibe equivalent of a Jackie Chan flick. 'Call My Name', meanwhile, goes heavy on the clavichord and synth whistle, as Bataan revels in a funereal theme, dancing, thundersticking into the great beyond.

Review: Black Sugar were a Peruvian Latin funk band who formed in the late 1960s but unfortunately disbanded in 1975, leaving a wealth of musical trace magic behind. One such collection of vestiges now comes in the form of 'Baila', an EP comprising four tracks that were first released as singles between 1971 and 1974, and which takes its namesake from the band's greatest hit. The titular opener lays bare their blitzing blend of Latin funk via brass bellowings and organ solos, while the likes of 'Checan' and 'Too Late' deal in black-market flutes and loose-wristed percussion breaks, perfect for sunning by the shore, or wining in a winding, cobbled street somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Review: Spanish label Vampi Soul continues to bring you off-centre party starters with a global outlook, this time looking to Peruvian cumbia legend Carlos Pickling and his orchestra. Pickling's fabled organ skills take centre stage on this pair of tracks, originally published in the 1960s on MAG but never available on a 45 before now. Whether you're a seasoned cumbia digger or just someone who appreciates infectious, vibrant grooves, this is a record with universal appeal timed perfectly for the sunnier months.

Review: MPB is a vast and vital musical genre with a rich history and many iconic artists ad cult albums. But Chico Lessa's self-titled album is right up there on its own. This is a first-ever reissue of what some call "one of the greatest achievements of Brazilian Popular Music." Some of the country's heaviest hitters feature such as Wagner Tiso, Mauricio Maestro, Robertinho Silva, Pascoal Meirelles and more and the songs remain wholly fresh to this day. They offer a superb take on the post-Tropicalia sound of 70s Brazil and come on a deserving heavyweight slab of 180g vinyl for extra punch.

Review: Peruvian percussionist Coco Lagos y Sus Orates dropped this Descarges album in 1967. He called up talents including Alfredo Linares, Charlie Palomares, Otto de Rojas and Mario Allison to cook up its irresistible percussive Latin charms. It has long been all but impossible to find on wax and so this overdue reissue is welcome indeed. The record feature a version of Cal Tjader's 'Mamblues' and a classic by the so-called father of boogaloo, Joe Cuba, in the form of 'Brava pachanga.' It is a lively and vibrant album with percolating rhythms and tin pot percussion that hit deep.

Review: El Tic Tac by the Cuarteto Yemaya quartet is a cult, expensive and hard to find treasure form Latin America. It was the band's second album back in 1971 and offers up a great set of Peruvian tunes with a Cuban flavour and irresistibly sunny feels. Pancho Acosta's electric guitar denies much of the record and is backed up with conga and timbales. This is the first time it has ever been reissued and has been remastered from the original tapes for the occasion. Do not sleep on this classic.

Review: Julio Ernesto Estrada, simply known as Fruko, is a Colombian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and orchestra leader who pretty much gave salsa its name from the early 1970s. You go ask any serious DJ who is into South American music, and the name Fruko will no doubt get dropped on a regular basis. In fact, up until now, this man's records have made themselves scarce on the second-hand market, and there is a very particular sort of crowd whose willing to spend big money on them. A La Memoria Del Muerto is his second LP, from 1972, and what is perhaps the man's most definitive work. It's just one of those albums that runs fluidly from start to finish, showcasing all of its native beauty with effortless skill and furore. Rampant trumpets, seductive piano keys, kinetic percussion, and a sense of tropicality make this into a spectacular piece of work.

Review: Now reissued on Vampisoul comes an undeservedly obscure Fruko album from 1973, full to the brim with unrelentingly hard and heavy salsa bangers that never let up (hence the title, The Violent One). A pleasing mix of originals and covers, the album contains the anthems 'Tronco seco', sung by Wilson Saoko, and 'Nadando', a hit for Joe Arroyo. But there's a whole lot more, including hot holiday tunes and the stomping descarga 'Salsa Na' Ma'. All killer and no filler - designed to set the dancefloor ablaze!

Review: If you listen to those who know about such things, then The Ghetto Brothers' Power-Fuerz album is one of the best-ever Latin funk records. The group formed on the streets of New York City's South Bronx in the late 1960s and often called themselves a gang as much as a band. They were keen supporters of Puerto Rican nationalism and were motivated to help uplift fellow Latino and Black men in their community. Back in 1971 is when they released their one and only album and it had little to no promotion and was only distributed locally so is one of those that has since taken on cult status.

Review: Vampisoul dedicate one more 7" to another fresh-from-the-woodfired slice of modern cumbia, this time from the eponymous La Cumbia Moderna De Soledad band and Machuca Cumbia respectively. On the A, the former band offer up a two-toning cumbia version of Rod Stewart's 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?', sparse but well-wrought in its sound. The B is a treat that vibrates at a different, but equally as effective frequency, being a convincingly retro take on the Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive', and lending the song's ineluctable melodies a Latin twist by way of hypnotic percs and guitars.

Review: La Retreta Mayor hail from Venezuela and includes members such as trumpeters Lewis Vargas and Jose Diaz, saxophonists Nelson Hernandez, Benjamin Brea and Rolando Barbosa on trombone amongst others. This self titled album is the only one the short-lived outfit ever released and it came in 1976. It's a fine fusion of jazz and funk with plenty of Latin flair and rich percussive layers, lead wind instruments and danceable disco grooves that bring real colour and vitality to the dance floor. Originals are hard to find and expensive so this is a timely reissue.

Review: This a unique release that features a song that was released by two different bands during within the same year. The song 'Meshkalina' was by a psychedelic and prog band from Peru called Traffic Sound and then, soon after, by Latin duo Paco Zambrano and Reynaldo Murrieta under the name Paco Zambrano Y Su Combo. The latter version is more traditional and Latin while the Traffic Sound version is more psychedelic garage rock band-like. Two formidable and very different versions featured on limited splattered 7" vinyl.

Review: Vampisoul continues their sole, ultra-niche calling: to reissue obscure international music from such regions as Peru, West Africa, Cuba, the list goes on. 'They Do It' is their latest focus; it's their next reissue fr Venezuelan pianist Ray Perez and his backing trombone salsa band Los Dementes, this time in collaboration with salsa pioneer Perucho Torcat. Restored from the original tapes, Vampisoul do their utmost best at reviving one more classic, hopefully preserving the music to infinity.

Review: A real soul gem from 1970 on the James Brown affiliated Deluxe label, the first and only album by this mysterious singer: Marie Queenie Lyons. The songs are a combination of funky covers, some of which she'd been doing in her live shows, like 'Fever' and 'Try Me,' and originals co-written by pianist Don Pullen, who was the bandleader on the session. Vampisoul's reissue features an alternative cover photo and includes a booklet with rare photos, extensive liner notes by Andrew 'Monk-One' Mason and the first ever interview with Queenie herself!

Review: Edu Lobo, Vinicius De Moraes, Roberto Menescal and Marcos Valle were some of the writers involve din this superb vocal bossa jazz album. Many of the musicians playing on the recording sessions are just as esteemed, all of them from Brazil, and include Luis Carlos Vinhas, Tenorio Jr. and Menescal himself. It was the first solo album from Wanda Sa who not long after went on to join Sergio Mendes' Brasil 65. it is a much sought after record that makes a welcome return to vinyl, and just in time for the summer months when it sounds best,

Review: Peruvian artist Betico Salas dropped his first album Betico Salas y su Sonora and immediately got plenty of acclaim. It shows off his talents as the lead trumpet player of the great Sonora de Lucho Macedo who were a legendary Cuban ensemble back in the mid-60s. This album arrived in 1966 with Alfredo Linares on piano and the majestic and truly spellbinding sonero vocals by Benny del Solar. Plenty of Latin styles - guarachas, guanguanco and cumbias - all influence the sound. Two more albums followed from Betico Salas and they helped cement his legendary status.

Review: Tito Puente's classic 'Guayaba' has been rerecorded by a plethora of artists over the years, but it's safe to say these two covers by Sonora de Lucho Macedo and La Logia Sarabanda are among the best. In their respective versions, we find two proper dancefloor shakers for all tropical heads out there, recorded under the influence of the early 70s Latino rock. Here Vampi Soul reissue this precious gemlike cut, with the two versions never paired together before, on 45 for the first time.

Review: Peru has enjoyed a thriving and exciting music scene since the mid-1960s. Bands such as Los Saicos, Los Shain's, and Los York's, to name just a few, released a number of brilliant records that drove young fans crazy and set an example for many to follow. The end of the decade brought about an evolution in sound and new music, as Peruvian bands kept an eye on the groundbreaking British and US artists. One of them was Traffic Sound, founded in Lima in 1967. Over a very short period of time the band managed to successfully develop their career, and by 1971 their Latin influences had overpowered the psychedelic prog vibe of their previous records. The song became a local hit and several versions were recorded by different Peruvian artists. On the other side of this single we find Black Sugar, a Peruvian band considered to be 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 Barrabas, 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. Their own take on 'La Camita' was released in 1978, and adds a modern twist to the original song.

Review: Cumbia or chicha is a richly and widely infused sound that brings together a multitude of influences. It has styles from Colombia and Cuba, plus Western influences including the likes of 60s beat and psychedelic rock, plus an exotic array of indigenous melodies from the Amazonian jungle as well as a weakth of traditional Andean songs. The music that realists is vibrant and vivacious and packed with life and is all perfectly showered here on this superb new collection of tracks by the most important bands of the golden age of the sound.

Review: Vampisoul have always been loyal purveyors of Latin cumbia music, but no release so far has documented their love for the genre with quite so much commitment and dedication as their latest, Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia! This selection of 24 Colombian cumbia bangers is made up entirely of deep hauls salvaged from the deep-sea doomsday vault that is Discos Fuentes, the best remembered label of the golden age of the genre. Highlights from Combo Sampuesano, Lucho Campillo, Los Candelosos and Rodolfo Aicardi Y Su Tipica Ra7 make for a thoroughgoing, raw OG's cumbia favourite, with all tracks naturally carrying that original Fuentes flair and authenticity that could have only come from the genre's '60s and '70s heyday.

Review: Latin funk music's best and brightest recollector-reissuers Vampi Soul continue to do what they do best with this latest reissue of the debut self-titled album by Zulu. One of the last great albums of the first wave of Peruvian rock,and originally released in 1974, Zulu was infamous for its linking of psych-tinged rock with Afro-Latin American beats and folk pop. The enigmatic Zulu (real name Miguel Angel Ruiz Orbegoso) was best known during his lifetime as a member of the bands Traffic Sound and Los Nuevos Shain, but his only solo album commands a unique aura as a numinous rarity, immediately pre-dating his latter-career immersion in the religious community. Reissued for the first time with the collaboration of Zulu, including extensive liner notes and one extra track, the likes of 'Si en el cielo yo viviera', 'Laberintos' and 'Candela' are pastoral gems of folk-cumbia and salsa, playing back with a level of sensitivity and texture that could only be born of a worthy spirit.