Vampi Soul Spain レコード& 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: 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: Sangre Joven was originally a side project that was set up to release covers of international disco and funk hits for Discos MAG. The collective was started in Peru in 1974 by sax player Nilo Espinosa who also assembled the Nil's Jazz Ensemble after spending years playing in a jazz quintet in Berlin. 'Zamba Zamba' is a tsingle from 1974 that is a true-to-the-original cover of 'Samba Samba' by Colombian brothers Elkin & Nelson. It brings plenty of exotic sounds with uptempo Latin vibes, elements of descarga and boogaloo and more all served up with a funky rock twist.

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.