Los Granadians Del Espacio Exterior-Donde Ningun Hombre Ha Llegado Jamas

Reggae is huge in all Spanish-speaking countries. Almost every genre within modern Latin music has some nod to Reggae, whether it be the Ska-Core groups, Reggaeton, Digital Cumbia, Hip-Hop and even some of the lightweight Spanish pop. Not too many groups venture into Traditional Ska and Rocksteady though. There are some that I’ve heard, such as some of the excellent bands out of Mexico like Jamaica 69 (Matehuala) Los 4 Vientos (San Luis Potosi) and The Riddim Cats (Monterey), who skip the punk/ska fusion and go for the sound made famous by labels like Studio One and Trojan Records.

Los Granadians Del Espacio Exterior from Spain replicates that 60’s Jamaican sound perfectly. On their latest release, Donde Ningun Hombre Ha Llegado Jamas (Where No Man Has Gone Before) Los Granadians blend their vintage Rocksteady rhythms with playful Spanish lyrics and a hint of good ol’fashion Mersey-style rock. This is what I think a 60’s Spanish Rock band like Los Yorks would have sounded like if they went to Jamaica and hung out at the many Studio One recording sessions. Outside of the language you could swear this band came from the 60’s Jamaica.

The thing I like about this band is that they can sing as well as swing. Most of the retro Ska and Reggae groups play well but falter on the vocals, forgetting what crooners people like Derrick Williams and Desmond Dekker were. I think that’s why I really like these guys. There’s your Hepcat and Los Granadians and then there is everyone else. Period.

It’s been disheartening to see the lack of coverage the floods in Pakistan have been getting in L.A. The relief efforts have been slow, and contributions to relief organizations have been much less than one would expect for a disaster of that magnitude. Surely the media's bias against Muslim countries doesn’t help. Add a depressed economy and other variables and most relief groups will tell you that funds are not rolling in to help the millions affected by the floods.

But how about the people that seem to champion every worldly cause? You, know, the ones that seem to Tweet or send Facebook links about global warming or “Haiti: One Year Later?" When local deejay Kutmah was deported, people came from all over the city to donate and help out, especially those not privy to immigrant rights issues. He is only one person and look at the effort that went to help him! It's amazing what people can do when focused. In Pakistan, there are 20 million people affected by the flooding. You would think there would be an uproar about the lack of aid and humanity.

How bout those artists that seem to write a song about any social issue in the media? There are no “We Are The World” style songs for Pakistan. I guess if the media isn’t covering Pakistan, then there will be no coverage for a song about Pakistan. Like the expression goes, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" So why bother writing that song, right?

Top 10 World Music Sales for the week of July 20th-26th

1. V/A – Analog Africa No. 5: Legends Of Benin
2. Mahssa - Vol.1-Oyun Havasi
3. V/A - Sound Of Wonder!
4. V/A - Panama 2!
5. Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali
6. V/A - Rudo Y Cursi Soundtrack
7. Goran Bregovic - Welcome To Bregovic
8. Joyce - Visions of Dawn
9. Selda - S/T
10. 11 albums tied at 10



Top 10 World Music Sales for July (so far)

1. Mahssa - Vol.1-Oyun Havasi
2. V/A – Analog Africa No. 5: Legends Of Benin
3. V/A - Panama! 2
4. Bebe -Y.
5. Chico Sonido - S/T
6. V/A - Black Rio 2 : Original Samba Soul 1971-1980
7. Eydie Gorme - Cantan En Español
8. V/A - Sound Of Wonder
9. Goran Bregovic - Welcome To Bregovic
10. 4 albums tied at 10

Do to an unforeseen glitch in the Amoeba Hollywood database, the mix CD by Amoeba Hollywood’s very own Mahssa was accidentally omitted from all the World Music charts up til now. A thousand apologies go out Mahssa and all those who have been deprived of her Middle Eastern Psychedelic mix CD, Oyun Havasi Vol.1. Released by B-Music in May, this tasty treat of Turkish, Persian and Arabic Psyche rockers could serve as a guide to explore the many gems hidden in Amoeba Hollywood’s Middle Eastern section. Only drawback to the mix CD is there is no track list. So if you love the sound of Turkish Rock and Iranian Psychedelic Folk, one has to dig, just like Mahssa has. No cheating allowed!

Speaking of B-Music, the latest installment in their Finders Keepers series is Sound Of Wonder!, focusing on Pakistan's little known-to-westerners “Lollywood” sound. What is Lollywood, you say? Lollywood was a tongue in cheek term made up in the late 80’s by Glamour Magazine gossip columnist Saleem Nasir because the Pakistani films that rivaled the Bollywood films were all filmed in the city of Lahore…get it? The Pakistani film industry thrived, much like India’s film industry, but had little success outside of Pakistan’s borders. The music on this compilation sounds like a low-fi, spaced out version of Bollywood music with more edge and Urdu lyrics. Most of the tracks on this compilation are done by composer M. Ashraf and singer Nahid Akhtar, with one track containing the legendary Noor Jehan, the legendary Pakistani singer who recorded over 10,000 songs in her lifetime and was the first female Pakistani film director. Of all the Finder Keepers releases, I feel this one is their strongest to date. Also available on LP.

I tend to go on and on about Mas Exitos and Chico Sonido, so I won't bore you too much. Chico Sonido has turned into one of my favorite deejays. I've been to clubs where he is spinning with deejays with big names and he is blowing them out of the water. His vinyl collection runs deep.

What makes Chico Sonido unique is his mixture of obscure covers en español with the funkier side of Spanish language pop music from the 60-80's. Top that off with some Cumbia and Spanish Dancehall and damn, you got a party! So now you can take that party to your home, car or gym. Better yet, take it to your tiá's house and have her take you through memory lane! "cuando estaba joven..."

Chico Sonido will have his debut album out very soon. I'm sure it will be a funky Mexican freak-out for sure. Meanwhile, you can get his mix CD, Paisadelic, by clicking here.

In anticipation of Chico Sonido’s DJ set for Worldwide Underground. I wanted to post up some of my favorite videos. What does this have to do with Chico Sonido? Well…he, along with his crew of DJ’s Ganas, Enorbito, Hoseh & Lengua, have a night called Mas Exitos. They describe Mas Exitos as “a bi-weekly event that traces the connections between the music made on both continents of the Americas. Think of it as a National Geographic documentary on sound that will take you from the Andes of Peru to the East Side of LA. From fuzzy cumbias, to funky jazz oddities, to psych freak-outs and janky beats...”

I call it the best DJ night currently in L.A. The next Mas Exitos happens 8/12
@
The Verdugo Bar
3408 Verdugo Rd.
Glassell Park 90065
Free


Anieto Molina "La Cumbia Sapuesana"



El General "Muevelo"