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.

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.

With the reissue of Chico Mann’s Analog Drift album on Wax Poetics Records comes another chance for you to experience the brilliance of Marcos Garcia. Analog Drift was one of my favorite releases of last year, a limited self-release by Marcos (aka Chico Mann) that was only on sale at his shows and a few stores, like Amoeba Hollywood. Chico Mann’s blend of Afro Beat and 80’s Freestyle over Cuban & Puerto Rican influences is still one of the freshest sounds around. The energy that Chico Mann’s three-piece group puts out live is so contagious; you’ll find yourself on the dance floor busting a move to their Afro Cha-Cha rhythms.

Sunday, October 24th finds Chico Mann performing live at Sonido, located at the Little Temple. I have been blessed to also be on the bill with the gregarious DJ Sloe Poke and Mando Fever. King Steady Beat, a long time Los Angeles Ska and Reggae aficionado that also kills it with the Cumbias will be playing too. All in all, it should be a great night.

1. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg- Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg (CD/LP)
2. Seu Jorge-Seu Jorge & Almaz (CD/LP)
3. Luis Miguel-S/T
4. V/A- The Afrosound of Colombia (CD/LP)
5. V/A-Afro-Beat Airways
6. Eydie Gorme Y Los Panchos-Cantan En Español
7. V/A-Pomegranates (CD/LP)
8. V/A-Let’s A Go-Go!
9. Enrique Iglesias-Euphoria
10. Jacky Chalard-Je Suis Vivant Mais J'ai Peur De Gilbert Deflez  (CD/LP)

There wasn’t much movement from last month’s top ten to this month. The only newbies were the funky prog-rock of Jacky Chalard’s Je Sus Vivant, Mais J'ai Peur De Gilbert Deflez (B-Music/Finders Keepers) and, on the other end of the spectrum, the latest by romantic Latin Pop singer Luis Miguel, which landed him in the third spot. Also, compilations such as The Afrosound of Colombia, Pomegranates and Afro-Beat Airways benefited thanks in part to Amoeba’s latest edition of the Music We Like book, with heavy praise given to each release by the staff from all three Amoeba stores. Get your copy of Music We Like at any Amoeba store or you can view it online.

A few September releases  worthy of mentioning that didn’t make the top ten are the latest from The Nortec Collective, Bulevar 2000, Natasha Atlas’ Moungaliba and Issac Delgado tribute to Nat King Cole, entitled L-O-V-E. On the vinyl front, we had the reissue of Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges' classic Clube Da Esquina. Original copies of the LP go for collector's prices. For fans of Peruvian Chicha, we have the limited edition LP of Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical, Ranil's Jungle Party.

 Speaking of Chicha, The long awaited Roots Of Chicha Vol. 2 comes out on October 12th and it's just as good as the first. The best way to describe Peruvian Chicha is as a mix of Cumbia rhythms and Andean melodies with surf and psychedelic rock guitar. It was performed by many popular Peruvian party bands played during the 60’s and 70’s. Some of those groups still exist today, playing updated versions of their hits. Outside of Peru, many bands are picking up the style and doing their own version of it, such as Chicha Libre (New York/France), Los Chinches (England) and La Chamba (Los Angeles), just to name a few.

I saw Joan Soriano a few years ago on the Bachata Roja tour. A bit younger than the older men he was touring with, he pretty much stole the show. His latest album, El Duque De La Bachata, is out and also comes with an hour-long documentary on Joan’s life and music. The sublime romantic songs on Soriano’s album are the perfect cure for all Pop Bachata currently being written for tweeners and housewives.

Rita Indiana Y Los Misterios-El Juidero
Out October 12th

Rita Indiana is probably the most interesting artist I have heard in a while. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, she was not known for her music at first. Instead, she was known for her literary skills, as the author of two books, Papi (2005) and La Estrategia de Chochueca (2003), that are now are part of the curriculum in some Latin American universities. Thanks to some dedicated blog sites around the world, she started to become somewhat of an internet sensation, offering her music for free downloads. I started to play some of her music in my deejay set throughout last year and this year, especially the beautiful “Jardinera,” which I usually opened my sets with when I could.

Rita Indiana Y Los Misterios-"Jardinera"



Visually, she is striking; her tallish, androgynous look reminds me of Annie Lennox with some Grace Jones mixed in. Musically, she blends her Caribbean influences (Merengue, Afro-Cuban, Reggae & Bachata) and mixes it her Anglophile influences. It’s the synths and scratchy guitars that remind me of what a Caribbean-crazed England was creating in the eighties. Everyone -- The Clash, The Specials, Bow Wow Wow and even Bananarama -- had some Caribbean influence in their hit songs. What makes this album interesting is that Rita’s take is the reversal of the Anglos. She is a resident to Caribbean music and not a visitor, yet she gets the arty side of what the English were trying to do. Whether it’s the Merengue-Techno fusion of “Como Un Landron En La Noche” and “La Hora De Volve” or the Dub meets Bachata of “Paseme A Buca,” it’s the fusion of thoughts and cultures that continues to keep music interesting around the world.