vampisoul

This sampler compiles 14 killer tropical tracks for the dance floor, all taken from the vaults of Peru’s MAG records, including cumbias to descargas, boogaloo to salsa. Classic songs such as ‘Arroz Con Coco’ or ‘Aprieta (Oye Como Va),’ and also obscure recordings like the stunning ‘Ritmo Veregua’ by Tito Chicoma or the totally under-the-radar —recorded in Lima— ‘Mi Son Combinado’ by Cuba’s legendary Orquesta Revé. MAG will turn 70 in 2023 and is a pivotal label in Peruvian music, mainly focused on tropical rhythms although its extensive catalogue also includes rock, pop and jazz recordings. This compilation celebrates the recent addition of Discos MAG to the Vampisoul family, where the best and most elusive titles from the MAG archive will become available again.

‘América Invertida’ is a fascinating survey of Uruguay’s lesser-covered ‘80s endeavours in new wave pop, jazz-fusion, ambient folk and electronics, compiled by Spanish DJ and collector Javi Bayo

So, hands up who knows about music from South America’s 2nd smallest nation? Aye, just like us, Uruguay’s music scene is a bit of mystery to all but an ardent set of diggers who’ve been mining its fine seams of cult records, often produced by the same handful of artists out of the capital city, Montevideo, and pressed in tiny runs at the time. For anyone interested, ‘América Invertida’ rectifies the issue with 11 charmingly sweet examples that patently echo the styles of Uruguay’s bigger neighbours, Brazil and Argentina, but with their own sense of breezy flair that’s neatly distilled in this compilation.

To play favourites, we’re instantly struck by the shimmering FM synth blush and suave bossa-fusion shuffle of ‘Y El Tiempo Pasa’ and ‘Kabumba’ by Hugo Jasa, while the likes of Contraviento and Travesia supply seductive bits of bucolic, pastoral psych folk and we can almost primacy you won’t be shifting the ohrwurms of Eduardo Mateo’s burbling Candombe rhythms in ‘El Chi-Li-Ban-Dan’ any time soon once bitten.

Tercer volumen de nuestra serie de sonidos afrolatinos de la época dorada del sello seminal Discos Fuentes en Colombia. Una excelente selección de 26 cortes difíciles de encontrar, muchos reeditados por primera vez, cubriendo una amplia gama de géneros de raíz afro, con un mayor enfoque en los orígenes folclóricos de la música que en volúmenes previos, incluyendo grabaciones de artistas como Michi Sarmiento, Wganda Kenya, The Latin Brothers, Los Corraleros De Majagual, Peregoyo… Incluye un extenso libreto con notas a cargo del compilador del proyecto, Pablo Yglesias aka DJ Bongohead.

Let yourself go with the overwhelming musical output of Argentina’s very own Melopea Discos, in a selection of songs that explore fusion with an air of mystery and a side of exquisite sensitivity across 11 carefully curated leftfield synth pop, experimental folk and ambient tracks. “Viento Sur” has been compiled by Argentine DJs and collectors Bárbara Salazar and Alejandro Cohen (dublab) based in Buenos Aires and Los Angeles respectively. Most of the songs are reissued here for the first time and many of them were previously unavailable on vinyl. Includes a 4-page insert with liner notes and photos. Remastered sound.

Wganda Kenya was a group formed by Discos Fuentes under the idea of developing an African and Caribbean sound in order to appeal to the Costeño Colombian market and also inject a little international exoticism into the label. This 1976 album has become a collector’s favorite waiting to be reissued, and it’s not hard to understand why since it’s full of so many Afro-Funk, Congolese rumba and Caribbean-flavored dance floor burners. Special edition reissue containing two non-album bonus tracks from the same period that appeared on 45s and various artist compilations, as well as an insert with liner notes. Pressed on 180g vinyl. First time reissue.