Best Packaging:
Peña-S/T CD & DVD of Traditional Afro-Peru

Best Artwork:
DJ Lengua -Cruzando

Best World Music Release That NPR Likes:
Afrocubism-S/T

Best World Fusion Album:
Saravah Soul-Cultura Impura

Best Retro World Release LP:
Anibal Velasquez -Mambo Loco

Best 2010 World Release On LP:
Mexican Institute of Sound-Suave Patria

Best World Music Box Set:
V/A-Congotronics Box Set

Best World Music Compilation Of 2010:
Pomegranates – Persian Pop, Funk, Folk, and Psych Of The 60s & 70s

Best Of The Many African Funk Compilations We Saw In 2010:
Afro Beat Airways – West African Shock Waves Ghana & Togo 1972 to 1979

Best African Compilation That Wasn’t From Nigeria:
Angola Soundtrack – The Unique Sound Of Luanda 1965 to 1976

Best Usage Of World Music Without Being A World Music Album:
Cut Chemist – Sound Of The Police – A Live One Turntable Mix of African & South American Inspired Music

Best World Music Release That I Raved About Last Year That Got Popular This Year:
Chico Mann-Analog Drift

Anibal Velaquez-Mambo Loco

Probably my most abused LP that I bought this year. I can’t tell how many times I’ve played Mambo Loco at shows or just sitting at home. Velaquez is a master of the accordion and very influential in bringing Colombian Cumbia to the rest of the world. I found that his outside influences, mostly from Cuban music, made his sound easier for people to digest. In my DJ sets, Mambo Loco served as a gateway into Salsa or Merengue or out of that into Cumbia. I’m telling you, this one is straight heat! If you still aren’t a fan of Cumbia after this album, you are probably dead.



Charanjit Singh — Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat
Does House Music have its roots with Charanjit Singh and his box of archaic early 80’s electronic equipment? That is debatable, but what isn’t is that Singh’s electronic Indian Ragas contained some of the freshest sounds to hit my ear in a while. "Raga Bairagi," my favorite track, is a cluster of different Indian influences with Singh’s ear for soundtrack music. It's as if he imagined Moroder working with Herbie Hancock to create the soundtrack to the Indian version of The Warriors.

I can't help but imagine how much fun we would be having now if the Western world had embraced Charanjit Singh in the eighties like they did Ravi Shankar in the sixties.

I have been blessed to know Jose “Crunchy” Espinoza for about fifteen years. He is one of Los Angeles' finest musicians in a town of many great talents. You probably don’t know him by name but you have heard his work through the music of Ozomatli (he was one of the co-founders of the group) and The Salvador Santana Band. He has also done plenty of session work with the likes of The Black Eyed Peas, Blackalicous and Money Mark, just to name a few. Crunchy, a multi-instrumentalist who plays sax, flute and percussion, has been leading various Jazz groups in recent years. One of the groups is the monstrous, Cuban Funk inspired Ubalaye, which has the sickest collection of L.A. based musicians in one band. He took some time off from touring to finish his masters degree in Afro-Latin Music at Cal State L.A. Since then, besides recording and gigging, he has been teaching music for grade school students as well as raising his own kids.

This year has been tough one for Jose. He has been fighting cancer most of the year and has gone through stretches where the doctors have advised him not to play. Still, Crunchy continues to write music and you can hear some of his pieces on Sunday, December 5th at a show entitled “Crunchyfest” at the California Institute Of The Arts (CalArts). On The bill will be The Cal Arts Salsa Band, Cava, Salvador Santana, Sono-Lux and Crunchy-led Umbalaye. The event is free but donations will be accepted to help Crunchy with his medical expenses. The show is from 12 pm to 6pm. For more info please click here.

I can’t say that I’m the greatest digger. You won’t hear of me flying to Colombia or Angola to dig through long lost piles of LPs and seven inches that are piled from floor to ceiling in a mold-infested basement. However, at home or when I travel, chances are that I will find where the records are and spend some hours searching through bins trying to find gold in piles of crappy records. Then again, what I consider garbage is what others might consider gold. We all have different taste and that's what keeps record collectors constantly digging.

Not much bothers me when it comes to collecting. All the new people buying vinyl because it’s the cool thing to do now don’t bother me. Chances are, if they are only doing it to be cool, soon the trend will pass and they will stop. The next time they have to move or need money, those records will be sold or donated and they will end up back in the hands of people who really want them. Digital downloading and MP3 have been great for collectors -- so many great collections by name DJ’s have ended up back in the stores! Buying online doesn’t bother me. If you are willing to pay a hundred dollars for a rare LP on EBay, then more power to you. The person who sold it to you had more patience, found it in a thrift store and bought it for a buck. For their effort, they made ninety-nine bucks off of you.

If you find me on the floor at Amoeba, I have no problem with customers who ask the question, “What’s good in the vinyl section?” Sure, it's a vague question and you'll have to be prepared to be asked a barrage of questions by me such as, “Well, what do you like?” and, “What styles do you like?” and on and on until we can find you vinyl bliss. However, I do have a problem with the diggers that want me to hand them records. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose and joy of digging? I’ll lead the horse to water but I’m not going to pour water in its mouth. I’ll show you where the Cumbia records are; the rest is up to you. Keep digging and make magic happen.

1. Shakira-Sale El Sol
2. V/A-The Roots of Chicha 2
3. Yann Tierson-Dust Lane
4. V/A-The Lost Cuban Trios of Casa Marina
5. V/A-Fania Essential Recordings
6. Jane Birkin-Di Do Dah
7. Natacha Atlas-Moungaliba
8. Seu Jorge-Seu Jorge & Almaz
9. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg-S/T
10. Spanish Harlem Orquestra-Viva La Tradicion

Without any surprise, Shakira’s Sale El Sol took the top spot on October’s chart. Likewise, I expected The Roots of Chicha 2 & Yann Tiersen’s Dust Lane to chart in the top five. The big surprise was The Lost Cuban Trios of Casa Marina at number four, which could have done better had the store not run out of stock so quickly. Fueled by a powerful PRI The World piece, this collection of unreleased music by forgotten Cuban boleros struck a chord with the NPR crowd and everyone seemed to be asking for it. We have been dealing directly with Ahi-Nama, the indie label who released The Lost Cuban Trios, for years. They mostly release modern Cuban music such as Timba, Cuban Reggaeton & Salsa, so it was a surprise to me that they released some vintage Cuban music. A nice surprise for us and I’m sure for Ahi-Nama as well.

At number six and nine are two Jane Birkin reissues by Light In The Attic Records, who are doing a fine job with reissues, including one of my favorite non-World Music releases, El Gusano’s Fantasia Del Barrio (review coming soon). Live shows in L.A. helped out Natasha Atlas (#7) and The Spanish Harlem Orquestra (#10). At number five is probably the best Fania Records compilation ever released for a DJ; Fania Essential Recordings, released by Strut Records is all bangers, no filler in the bunch! On both CD & vinyl, there is no reason to sleep on this one, unless you have all those collectible tracks already.