V/A-Waking Up Scheherazade Vol 2

This is the second volume of rare garage and psyche rock from the Middle East. 14 tracks from garage bands from Iran, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria and Sudan. So what is the difference between Middle Eastern groups playing garage and psyche vs. the western groups who did the same thing? Think of all the western groups who tried to mimic sounds of the Middle East in their music... Now take the musicians trained in classic Middle Eastern music and listen to them play rock. The Psyche movement owes plenty to the music of South Asia and the Middle East, that’s for sure. This is a vinyl only release. The first volume sold out quickly so you may not want to sleep on this.

Solla Solla – Maestro Ilaiyaraaja & The Electronic Pop Sound Of Kollywood 1977 to 1983 – Vol 1 & 2

Kollywood, you say? Everyone knows Bollywood and there have been a few Lollywood compilations in recent years. Kollywood is film music based in the Chennai Kodambakkam area, where films are made in the Tamil language, thus the K for Kollywood. The two separate LP releases feature the work of composer Ilaiyaraaja. Like many film composers in India & Pakistan, Ilaiyaraaja was as prolific with his music as the Indian film industry was with making films. Over the span of 1977-1983, the years that the two volumes focus on, Ilaiyaraaja recorded hundreds of scores. The music on these two LPS contains some heavy funk, dirty guitar and electronic exploration, all with Ilaiyaraaja's South Indian flavor. This is a must for any Indian Music soundtrack junkie.

Grupo Oz-S/T

This is not the most Latin or World music-sounding release; perhaps if the band were not from Mexico you would find this in the soul section. Grupo Oz was a super group of Mexican studio musicians put together by the label Discos Raff, who also released such Mexican rock bands as Three Souls In My Mind, La Cosa Nostra and El Ritual. All vocals were done in English to try to break into the U.S. market. When crossover success did not happen, the group disbanded. Their one and only album was heavy on the funk, and comparisons have been made to Funkadelic and to many of the great Chicano Funk bands of the same era. Because the original version of this album has become quite the collector’s item, Grupo Oz LPS have been heavily bootlegged over the years. Secret Stash's legit LP version comes with a download card with bonus tracks, including a version of Malo’s classic "Suavecito."

Lucho Bermúdez y Su Orquesta – 3 x 7”vinyl & MP3 Download card
Colombia 45 – 3 x 7”vinyl & MP3 Download Card

Two triple 7” vinyl sets from Soundways Records. The first is dedicated to Lucho Bermúdez, whose big band Cumbia is always a hit on the dance floor. Colombia 45 features a variety of Colombian artists, including the gaita of Banda 20 De Julio de Repelón and the legendary big band Cumbia of Pedro Laza y Sus Pelayeros. Both 7” sets come with a download card and are limited to 1000. A must for all the Cumbia heads out there!