This batch of new music will not only take you around the globe; but in places, back in time as well. Oh, and it will make you dance. Don't forget to put in your requests for any and all of these great recordings new to our circulating collections. Just click on the CD title to be taken to the catalog link. Don't forget to check out the PREVIEW links as well. Now sit back and enjoy the flight!

Fumaça Preta (self-titled) (2014)

Think if Fela Kuti was joined by the guitarist of the Stooges, sang in Portuguese, and played for the Cajuns and Creoles in some backwoods juke joint in the swamps of Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. It sounds like it's 1975, and someone says to the others, "let's get REAL gone for a change." Then this album happens. PREVIEW

 

 

 

 

Ibibio Sound Machine (self-titled) (2014)

With undeniable influences from various forms of Afrobeat, this album/project mixes in just the right amount of electronic production to not only produce fantastic grooves; but also to produce a sound, I must say, not quite like anything I've ever heard before! The result is a recording that is enjoyable, highly danceable, and just interesting  to listen to on that creative, never-been-done-quite-like-this-before level.  PREVIEW

 

 

 

Aqui Los Bravos! by Michi Sarmiento y su Combo Bravo (1967-77)

This recording is a ticket to an outdoor dance party on the coast of Colombia, circa 1968 or so. Salsa came to be in New York due in no small part to the mixing of various, yet-related musical traditions from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, etc, etc, etc. But New York was not the only place with musicians picking and choosing and recombining influences from various traditions into something new, yet with real and genuine ties to the traditions it was built out of. Michi Sarmiento and his band were doing the same thing in the late '60s in and around the coastal province of Cartagena, Colombia. This outfit was first and foremost a live dance band, who would work up a variety of different rhythms into a sonic party so energetic and infectious nobody would be left sitting down!   PREVIEW

 

Colombia! The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes by various artists (1960-1976)

Disco Fuentes was and is THE most important label to operate in and out of Colombia. It brought various regions into contact with each other, introducing its various parts to the traditions of other parts, and in so doing not only documented a culture, but somehow forged it into a more cohesive whole. One might even say, the label introduced Colombia to itself. OK, of course it knew itself, but it demonstrated just how complex and rich it was region to region; THIS is what it helped demonstrate. Much like the Michi Sarimiento collection above, this collection is an invitation to the dance parties of Colombia in the late '60s and early '70s, but this collection is even more varied in its offerings of the sounds and traditions of the country's various regions. PREVIEW

 

Sound of Siam by various artists (1964-75)

Yet another journey back in time, across the Pacific and into the Thailand of the '60s. In part through sound recording, the 20th century saw the process of cultural exchange accelerated to a degree the world had never known, and Thailand was no exception. This compilation includes music of Luk Thung, which was a mid-century genre of Thai country music that grew out of earlier forms. Also included are some Molam tracks, which is a genre from Thailand's Isan region. This region borders Laos and shares much culture with its neighbor. Molam music is a good example of this, a music that is shared between Laos and the Isan region of Thailand. But the genres included only hint at the diversity to be found on this comp. Each and every track has its very own, completely distinct sound. As many country folks began moving to the cities in the late '60s, they brought their music with them, and some discovered new, sometimes electric, western instruments in the process. Some of these tracks show signs of outside influences, some sound more traditional, but the variety can't be topped. An amazing offering of a specific time and place. PREVIEW

 

Magical Thinking by Chico Mann (2013)

A modern, Latin-flavored electronic album that's equal parts chillout and boogie-down dance. A handful of lovely guest vocalists keeps it varied, but track-to-track this one is surprisingly consistent. Punchy! Ah, well I guess I have to pick just one track off this near-flawless platter now to preview. Well, fine, start with this one: PREVIEW

 

 

 

Meçhul by Erkin Koray (1970-77)

Next stop, Turkey, mid-'70s. Yet another rich example of cultures influencing each other by way of recorded sound is what is known is Anatolian Rock. The United States was certainly not the only country to experience a "British Invasion" of music in the 1960s, Turkey did too. And they took all that rock and roll energy, combined it with traditional Turkish music and instruments, and came up with their own unique version of rock. Erkin Koray was part of this scene, and he would often go further into psychedelic rock than some of his contemporaries (the title of this release, Meçhul, is Turkish for 'unknown'). The result is utterly unique! PREVIEW

 

Saigon Rock & Soul by various artists (1968-1974)

Oftentimes, hardship, be it extreme poverty or the daily destruction of war, produces such beautiful music; because when a people are surrounded by tragedy, that is when music is needed most. And really, it reminds us of the power of music; that it is a gift we give to ourselves, because it helps. It gives beauty to life. To think this country's most devastating war was going on during the exact same time this collection of Vietnamese music is drawn from reinforces this idea. But it only gives some interesting. albeit tragic, context to yet another fantastic region-specific combination of local traditions and western rock. The guitar work on this is quite amazing; the fuzz, well, they ain't joking around. These tracks have all the proto-punk energy of anything on the famous Nuggets compilation of American garage rock bands. Another winner! PREVIEW