Review: If you're into little-known South American gems from the dim and distant past, Mexico City's Discodelic label has got you covered. This limited-edition "45" marks the second instalment of their ongoing "Nicaraguan Afro-Latin" series and offers-up two deep cuts from the catalogue of tropical Afro-rock kings Bwama. Both tracks were originally featured on the band's second self-titled album in 1972. Our pick of the pair is A-side 'Ritmo Martizon', a richly percussive fusion of Guajira rhythms, salsa style pianos, gravelly funk-rock guitars and life-affirming vocals. That said, flipside 'Pa Goza' - a funky, shoulder-swinging affair featuring duelling organ and guitar lines atop a locked-in Latin beat - is also superb. In a word: essential!
Review: It might be getting cold and dark and wet here in the UK but music will always be able to transport us to warmer, sunnier, happier climes. And so it is with this new 7", which includes a booklet, from Discodelic. It's a two tracker from Cizana and La Nueva Generation that is flame hot and bristling with energy - Cizana's 'She Sold Her Soul' kicks off with its joyous flutes, hand drums and percussive Latin grooves then La Nueva Generacion slow things down and up the brass with their carnivalesque Afro-funk workout 'Uhru Sasa'.
Review: For their latest release, Mexican reissue specialists Discodelic take us back to Alajuela, Costa Rica, in the mid 1970s, and the sweltering, cross-cultural fusion works of the Vargas brothers and their short-loved Combo Guarajeo. Our pick of an extremely strong pair is A-side 'Alamo', a sweet and jangling take on Latin funk blended with distinctive Guaguanco and psychedelic soul influences. It's humid, colourful and classy, and original copies of the record it first featured on are almost impossible to find. There's a more straightforward, central American take on Afro-Cuban music on side B, which we think - but have yet to confirm - has never previously been released. It, too, is a treat for the ears.
Review: The Scepters, formed in 1967 in Paraiso by guitarist Celso Spencer, were a popular Panamanian band known for their energetic performances across military bases and high school dances in the Canal Zone. Alongside Lionel Best and Jose James, they covered Top 40 hits and iconic rock bands like Santana and Jimi Hendrix. They released two 45s, including 'Message,' which debuted at Panama's first National Soul Music Festival in 1971 and features next here to a jam from Conjunto Raza, another project led by Agustin Leiro, this one with rotating musicians. They released a single 45 on Onda Nueva in the mid-70s and it blends Zonian and Panamanian talent with aplomb.
Review: Discodelic is starting a series dedicated to the music of Panama and they kick off with Los Criollos and a fully authorised reissue of their 'Pa' los Panas de San Francisco.' The band might not be as well known as they should and that's down to the fact they recorded only two tunes with this orchestra in the mid-seventies and disappeared forever. Which is a shame, because as this 7" proves - it also comes on coloured vinyl - they had a red hot and infectious sound full of big horns, percussive liveliness and fiery vocals.
Review: Discodelic and Groovie Records unveil a pair of rare 1970s Panamanian gems here with forgotten tracks from The Meditators, and Los Misticos. Originally recorded for radio and left in storage, these Latin psych funk bombs capture the underground spirit of Panama's vibrant music scene from more than 50 years ago. Licensed through Tamayo Records, these songs have been beautifully mastered and now the long-lost recordings, which barely made it to vinyl the first time around, become available for all who are keen to drop the heat and learn about Panama's hidden musical treasures at the same time.
Review: Mexican record store-turned-label Discodelic has previously proved adept at unearthing and reissuing quirky and unusual gems - records that are inspired and superbly made, even if they're a little on the eccentric side. They've struck gold once more on this must-check "45", which features two cuts from Guatemalan salsa/Latin jazz fusionist Poder Del Alma's second self-titled album from 1975. On the A-side you'll find the richly percussive, horn heavy 'Mimo', a kind of laidback US funk/salsa hybrid that's as infectious as it is righteous. Those looking for sweatier dancefloor thrills should head for floor-filling salsa flipside 'Bacanal 76', where jammed-out electric piano riffs and squealing horns catch the ear.
Review: The debut release from the freshly-minted Discodelic label offers up two exceedingly rare - and rather fine - "funky Latin" cover versions from the glory years of hallucinatory funk and soul. Side A sports Via Libre's flash-fried samba-funk cover of Marcos Valle's "Chi Chi Mentira", a heady re-imagination rich in Hammond organ stabs, undulating Latin percussion, groovy bass and a percussive middle section just tailor-made for DJs who like doubling up breaks. Over on the fiip you'll find something even heavier: Grupo Amigos' celebratory, organ-heavy funk-rock take on Trio Ternura's "La Gir Del Diablo", a song that was later famously turned into an international hit by Astrud Gilberto as "Black Magic (A Gira)".
Review: Discodelic has established itself well with its first ten releases and now the 11th keeps up the momentum with a pair of funky psychedelic jams. First up is the Wilson Boys with their 'Funky Bocas' which pairs busy Afro rhythms with tight interwoven guitar lines and their impassioned vocal cries. It's a full flavour jam with oodles of charm and then on the flip is something just as solid. Alma Fuerte's 'Baila Muchacha' is a brilliantly loose jumble of raw rock guitars, shuffling samba rhythms, flame vocals and synth magic that will electrify the 'floor.
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