Browse by Label: VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)

Artist:	VA
Title:	Back To Peru
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 001CD

2002 release. A collection of truly rare grooves from Peru. We have come up with the rarest of rare and the strangest of strange. You'll find crazy garage stompers (Los Saicos, Los Shain's, Pina & Sus Estrellas), space-drugged-rock (Pax, El Opio, Holy's), Latin-funk (Black Sugar, Zulu, EL Polen), groovin'& soul movin? hits (Golden Stars, Mutables, Los 007) and even Chicha-sound (from Los Mirlos) -- the new "old" sound everybody's gonna be dancing to all over the world. Includes detailed notes, biography details and pictures of most of the bands. Loco!

Artist:	VA
Title:	Back to Peru: The Most Complete Compilation of Peruvian Underground '64-74
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 001LP

2013 repress, originally released in 2002. A collection of truly rare grooves from Peru. Vampisoul has come up with the rarest of rare and the strangest of strange. You'll find crazy garage stompers (Los Saicos, Los Shain's, Pina & Sus Estrellas), space-drugged-rock (Pax, El Opio, Holy's), Latin-funk (Black Sugar, Zulu, EL Polen), groovin'& soul movin' hits (Golden Stars, Mutables, Los 007) and even Chicha-sound (from Los Mirlos) -- the new "old" sound everybody's gonna be dancing to all over the world. Housed in a gatefold sleeve.

Artist:	LONGET, CLAUDINE
Title:	Cuddle Up With Claudine Longet
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 002CD

2003 release. Never mind how many ethereal, bewitchingly songs Claudine Longet recorded, this marvelous French singer has always been remembered for the tabloid-fit events surrounding her personal life. In 1976 she was convicted of "criminally negligent homicide" in the shooting which killed her boyfriend, skiing star Spider Sabitch. Some people remember her marriage to crooner Andy Williams, and most remember her career as an actress -- consisting of a TV series and a co-starring role in a Peter Sellers' movie The Party. But her musical career has remained unfairly obscured through the years, except for connoisseurs of smooth and sophisticated sixties pop. And here's this superb collection to change this! The CD includes all the tracks from her We've Only Just Begun album (except one), all the tracks but three from Let's Spend the Night Together, and six tracks from the Sugar Me rarities album. The 2LP set adds seven tracks not found on the CD. This means that this reissue contains the "richest" moments of her career: covering Neil Young, The Stones, The Beatles, Beach Boys, etc. and her own songs in her own exquisite manner.

Artist:	BATAAN, JOE
Title:	Mr. New York Is Back!
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	DVD
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 005DVD

This unique candid documentary has Mr. Joe Bataan himself telling all first hand on his life and musical story. It is the first time he's done this and it feels like an honor. You listen to his golden voice while he shows you his city, and describes his life: From the early '50s as a teenage rumbler all the way through his acclaimed twenty-first-century comback. In between: Latino soul brother numbero uno of the '60s, boogaloo madness, the Fania years. Also includes 40 minutes from the SOB show, "Rap-O-Clap-O" and some other surprises. Total running time: 174 minutes. Format: DVD 9 multiregion.

Artist:	PRESTON, BILLY
Title:	Soul Derby
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 006CD

Subtitled: Complete Vee-Jay Recordings 1964/1965. Beatles 5th member early works! Although probably best known through this fact, a smashing number like "Billy's Bag" is a chance to showcase Billy Preston as a talented man in his own right. In the early '60s Preston had already made a name for himself as a very fine piano and Hammond organ player of soul/jazz/R&Bb, recording for such artistes as Sam Cooke or Little Richard. Preston's VeeJay solo recordings (all of them available here) made it to the Go-Go Clubs and Mod Joints all over the world as absolute "Winners" such as "The Birds & The Bees," "Shotgun" "The Octopus" and the self written "monster" "Billy's Bag." Contains both (Exciting Organ and Hits of 1965) albums and an extra track.

Artist:	RICHARDS YAZZ BAND, EMIL
Title:	Yazz Per Favore
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 008CD

2002 release. Renowned percussionist Emil Richards (who has worked with George Shearing, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Riddle, and Judy Garland -- to name but a few) creates a beautiful Latin-charged, Afro-Cuban sound with other notable musicians. Musicians include Al Mckibbon on bass, who also played and recorded with Thelonious Monks, Charlie Parker and Cal Tjader to name a few; Paul Moer on piano, responsible for his moody keys on his Stan Getz recordings; Francisco Aquabella on conga, who knows the deep African feel through his collaborations with Tito Puente, Perez Prado and Rene Bloch. A truly unique, wonderful album that is a classic from the original exotica era.

Artist:	OPA
Title:	Back Home: Lost 1975 Sessions
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 009CD

2003 release. The never released album by the Fatorusso Brothers -- Ruben Rada (Totem) and Airto Moreira (Tropicalia maestro) -- was conceived as a demo for Milestone (Fantasy). Sadly, it has never been released until now. A musical Frankenstein, this album is composed of bits and pieces of bossa nova, free jazz, candombe, NYC funk and the Beatles' White Album. Eight originals (most of them primal versions of the tracks included in their following Milestone/Fantasy albums) and a sensational cover of Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte." Include full details about the band, its story and the recording sessions.

Artist:	RAY ORCHESTRA, RICHARDO
Title:	Let's Get Down To The Real Nitty Gritty
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 017CD

2002 release. A very wild album from Ricardo "Ritchie" Ray, sort of a mix of Latin soul styles in the mode of work by Mongo Santamaria. Featuring a number of '60s soul covers done in a Latin mode, touched with a bit of garage soul vocals and upbeat and playful throughout. The original "Soul Mexico" features a storming chanting verse that then unwinds into a catchy chorus with overlapping melodic lines. The whole album's great.

Artist:	PERAZA, ARMANDO
Title:	Wild Thing
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 027CD

2003 release. World famous Cuban percussionist Armando Peraza -- a natural talent, polished and powered by friends such as Mongo Santamaria and Patato -- began his American career in 1940s San Francisco when he joined Slim Gallard's band. He later joined Dave Brubeck, and finally Cal Tjader called him for his band. Since then, he has performed on more than 100 albums and is the songwriter of more than 40 songs. Some of these works include collaborations with Mongo Santamaria and Carlos Santana. It was Tjader, fully aware of Peraza's enormous talent, who in June 1968 got him into a studio to record this work, his only album as a solo artist (with friends such as Tjader and Chick Corea helping the main man). Wild Thing follows the best Latin tradition but with percussion that creates a new musical expression: "Cubop." Combining Jazz and Afro-Cuban idioms, Armando's talent lies in the complexity and originality of the rhythms he developed. On this album he was free to explore and build as he saw fit.

Artist:	FRANKLIN, ERMA
Title:	Super Soul Sister
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 029CD

2003 release. To some, Erma Franklin (1939-2002) is simply known as Aretha Franklin's older sister or as the woman who originally sang "Piece Of My Heart." But those in the know realize her brief recording career highlights some of the most impressive soul performances ever to be pressed on hot wax! Super Soul Sister contains Soul Sister, the last album Erma recorded from Brunswick, which had many of the successful singles she had recorded the previous years, plus 3 bonus tracks. This set had never been available before on CD -- and it was about time. Here you'll find an amazing collection of soul classics, such as her first Brunswick single "Gotta Find Me A Lover," her equally popular cover of the Jackie Wilson hit, "I Get The Sweetest Feeling," and Erma's amazing renditions of classics such as "Son Of A Preacher Man." Simply, some of the best soul performances ever. A real must.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Pachuco Soul
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 034CD

2004 release. A collection of vintage east-LA grooves from the vaults of Rampart Records. For the East Side kids, Eddie Davis was The Man. Eddie founded what would become the Motown for the California Chicanos, Rampart Records. From the beginning of his career as a record producer in 1958 into the early nineties, the groups gave rise to a unique genre eventually dubbed "The West Coast Eastside Sound" or "Pachuko Soul," applied specifically to the music coming out of East L.A. in the early 60s from bands formed by Mexican American musicians. Eddie "was trying to do with Chicanos what Motown was doing with Blacks." Davis' "family of musicians" was an outlet of expression for the young Chicano scene, and helped give legitimacy to the culture of lowrider cars, "cholos and cholas": Mexican American kids had found their own scene and dances. Davis was in the right place at the right time, and his dedication to the music helped a scene of young L.A. musicians establish a new sound, completely new to the industry, that would expand and in turn nurture future generations of artists to come. The Eastside Sound has survived generations of music scenes. From 1965 Rampart's biggest selling record ever, Cannibal And The Headhunters' unedited version of "Land of 1000 Dances," to The Romancers -- the group that set the mold to the East Sound -- to the Salas Brothers, from the popular Beatles-lovers The Pageants to the ultra-rare and very special Las Dilly Sisters, The Mixtures, The Atlantics (who counted an 18-year old Barry White in their line-up), the ever-popular "You're So Right For Me" cut by The Eastside Connection and the fabulous Village Callers. This CD is the best way to celebrate and discover the heat of the Pachuco Soul.

Artist:	TOTEM
Title:	Totem
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 035CD

2004 release. Totem was one of the most important mass phenomena in Uruguay's musical history. Formed in 1970 by the most internationally recognized Uruguayan musician in the latest 30 years, Rub�n Rada, Totem meant the beginning and rise of Candombe-beat and one of the most solid pilars of rock in the Rio de La Plata. Candombe is an Afro-Uruguayan ryhtm style, existing only in Uruguay and based in the sound of three types of drums: "chico," "repique" and "piano." The combination of the rhythmic patterns played in each drum creates a polyrythm texture never-heard-of before in the world. The fate of Candombe is tightly fixed to the survival of the black community in Uruguay, and of their culture. In countries like Argentina, both black people and candombe have dissapeared. Rada has been a great preserver of black culture in Uruguay and has managed to integrate the values of that community into the cultural identity of Uruguay, through his music and lyrics. And here, we present you the essential first album that Totem released, with an extra song, "Mi Pueblo."

Artist:	HENDERSON, WILLIE
Title:	Funky Chicken
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 037CD

2003 release. Vampisoul presents, for the first time on cd, the reissue of the impossible-to-find album by Willie Henderson, Funky Chicken (originally released on Brunswick, 1969), with 5 bonus tracks. It comprises the entire and very sought after Funky Chicken LP, plus three songs from non-LP Henderson singes, and two previously unreleased tracks that you can find on our release ONLY and for the first time. Producer/arranger Willie Henderson's versatile talents can be heard throughout the Brunswick Records catalog as well as a myriad of sides recorded during the '60s-'70s heydays of Chicago soul. Born August 9, 1941, in Pensacola, FL, Henderson's family moved to Chicago when he was a child. Taking up the baritone sax, he began backing Otis Rush and others while in his twenties. He also studied with another arranging legend, James Mack. After graduating from College, Henderson began playing around Chicago, backing Syl Johnson, Alvin Cash, and Harold Burrage. He joined the Chicago division of N.Y.-based Brunswick Records in 1968. Working with producer Carl Davis, Henderson arranged, produced, and played on records by the Chi-Lites, Jackie Wilson, Tyrone Davis, Barbara Acklin, and other Brunswick acts. There he would record, one year later, this Funky Chicken, credited to Willie Henderson and the Soul Explosions.

Artist:	TJADER, CAL
Title:	Solar Heat + Sounds Out Bacharach
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 038CD

This is a live performance of Cal Tjader. He's lived with "live" audiences since his early days as a drummer with Dave Brubeck, and since then he stepped out as a leader for many years after that, he has been followed by crowds and creative players who have helped build for Tjader's group its great reputation as in-person performers. This time it's the Lighthouse Club at Hermosa Beach (CA) February 20 1969. And the star players are Armando Peraza (congas), Joe Kloess (electric piano), Paul Wraburton (bass) and Mike Buono on drums, with Cal on vibes. They are plugged in to the life and times and demands of an audience in love with their playing. Cal radiates miraculous warmth, pressing nerves, underscoring the primitive potential of the moment. In addition to the original release, an additional 7 songs from a show in Aspen, Colorado a year before that are included. A truly sparkling recording, explosive and perfect.

Artist:	CACHAO Y SU RITMO CALIENTE
Title:	Descargas
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 041CD

2012 repress, originally released in 2004. Landmark recordings from the Cuban scene of the late '50s --free-jamming Descarga sessions led by bassist Israel Lopez. The tunes on the set forever helped define the sound of Latin music --breaking down the more restrictive styles of earlier years and giving the players free reign to jam and improvise over tightly crafted rhythmic patterns. Apart from Cachao's great work on bass, the set also features tenor by Emilio Penalver, trumpet by Armando Armenteros, and trumpet by Alejandro Vivar.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Sensacional Soul
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 043CD

2006 release. 37 groovy Spanish soul & funk stompers from 1966-1976. Fuel for igniting dance floors and parties: that's what Spanish soul was during the second half of the sixties. It was an eruption that filled the locals of major cities and touristy spots with sweat, dance, diversion and recognition. Soul didn't explode in Spain until after 1965 (the first hit was The Four Tops', "Reach Out I'll Be There"). Soul was approachable and had playful-vindicating references (messages in favor of civil rights didn't fall on deaf ears in a country subjected to the Francoist Dictatorship) which made it an ideal style for all young audiences. But once they were adopted by soul, other problems arose. The brass section is one example: it wasn't easy finding musicians who knew how to play the trumpet, saxophone or the trombone. Despite this fact, the tourist phenomenon contributed to a great number of foreign musicians establishing themselves in Spain, enriching the sound of many groups dedicated to black music. With all these ingredients soul in Spain was possible -- and with good groups too. Hundreds of bands from all over the country added to the new music paradigm and many managed to record. Some became success stories of Spanish pop, others were known in smaller realms and disappeared into obscurity. For that reason Vampisoul is pleased to offer a selection of the best of Spanish soul and funk from the '60s and early '70s: music to dance to, from Benidorm to Tokyo... and back. Artists: Los Buenos, Shelly Y La Nueva Generacion, Martes 13, Tony Ronald, Los Impala, Top Show, Henri Vidal Y Su Grupo Pop, Conjunto Don Pelegrin, El Fin, Conjunto Nueva Onda, Presidents, Els 5 Xics, Los Gritos, Los Huracanes, Los Dixies, Los Grimm, Z-66, Los Pekeniques, Manual Gas, Circulos, Finder's, Henry & The Seven, Salvajes, Eurogrup, Jesse & James, Grupo Anonimo, T.R. Selection, Cuatro Monedas, Las Y Gregory, Augusto Alguero, Conexion, Koldo, Frank Miller & Hispania Soul, Calibre 38, Duo Inter, Los Zinkos and Jimmy Stone. Deluxe digipack with a massive 40-page booklet of extensive notes and photos.

Artist:	VAUGHN, BEN
Title:	Designs In Music
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 044CD

2006 release. What do That '70s Show, Third Rock From The Sun, Alex Chilton, Ween, the Swingers soundtrack and the first album recorded entirely in a car have in common? One man. Ben Vaughn. Composer, producer, recording artist. A man Village Voice describes as having a "sound so pure and spontaneous it sounds instantly classic." Be it sitcoms, TV commercials, film soundtracks or radio plays, somewhere in the world right now, Vaughn's music is being heard. Since 1986, he has been winning fans with his unique take on pop culture. Eight albums and a ten year career in Hollywood have allowed Ben's music to travel to the far reaches of the earth. Designs In Music encapsulates this journey. Inspired by late-night drives to his weekend getaway in the Mojave Desert where the only station he could pick was an easy-listening station, Ben felt ready to combine everything he had learned through the years into one recording: The magic of those late-night broadcasts as well as his years spent as a composer, producer and recording artist are represented equally in this project. But with a vitality that is in the moment, the now. Ideas that explode in a pallet of many colors, of saxophones and trumpets, clarinets and trombones, of boss organ, bongos, wordless falsetto vocalizing, and Ben Vaughn's own guitar work.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Explosivos: Deep-Soul From The Latin Heart
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 045CD

This CD brilliantly outlines what happened when the restless youth of Spanish Harlem collided with the 1960s, and created controversial sparks. Indeed, to this new breed of Hispanic Harlemites, the mambos and cha-chas of their parents' generation were a drag. Instead, they tuned to psychedelic fashions, wild parties, hip culture and the R&B of their time. The result was intoxicating. For a brief period, from 1966 to 1969, a multitude of Latin soul/boogaloo bands soaked raw Hispanic rhythms neck-deep in African-American rhythm & blues. It was a glorious moment that sadly stopped as soon as the '60s slid into the '70s. This CD illustrates some of the Latin soul era's finest moments. Culled from the Fania family of labels -- Fania / Tico / Cotique / Alegre -- it evokes a time when everyone in New York City was doing the boogaloo. Last copies.

Artist:	BROWN, RUTH
Title:	Black Is Brown And Brown Is Beautiful
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 047CD

2012 repress, originally released in 2005. Ruth "Miss Rhythm" Brown was the hit-making queen from 1949 to the end of the '50s; so much so that Atlantic Records was once called "the house that Ruth built." Despite the fact that she was one of the main artists who established the New York label's predominance in the R&B field, she was later forgotten by Atlantic. However, she came back stronger than ever, emerging with a worldwide reputation as R&B pioneer and advocate for the rights of her peers. Inspired by jazz legends Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington, Brown's seductive vocal delivery delighted millions on legendary chart-toppers such as "Teardrops in My Eyes", "So Long," "Mambo Baby" and many others. Later, her sharp sense of humor lead her to a TV sitcom, a role in John Waters' movie Hairspray and a Tony Award for her starring role in Black and Blue at Broadway. On the aptly titled Black is Brown and Brown is Beautiful, originally released in 1969, she puts her strong voice to soulful covers of "Yesterday," "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (Mayfield) and her own songs such as "Miss Brown's Blues." This material is closer to soul than jazz, and full of joy and rhythm. Discover a truly glorious singer and R&B legend.

Artist:	CANNIBAL & THE HEADHUNTERS
Title:	Land Of 1000 Dances
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 048CD

2005 release. Cannibal & The Headhunters were born as a 4-piece vocal band in East L.A. and became immortal with their "Land Of 1000 Dances" -- and that glorious "na-nananana" part. The song climbed to every U.S. chart and soon -- when Richard "Scar" Lopez, Bobby "Rabbit" Jaramillo, Joe Jaramillo and Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia (whose nickname was born when he bit another kid during a fight) were 15, 16, 17 and 18 years old- the band was requested to tour with the Motown Revue, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Righteous Brothers and many other bands all across the U.S. They also appeared on a number of television shows such as American Bandstand, Shebang, Hollywood A Go Go, Hullabaloo and Where The Action Is. In this anthology you'll find not only the radio-edited version of that hit single, but also a long-lost unedited version (the one they originally cut) and a live version crediting all their might. Cannibal and the Headhunters' style was molded on the soulful sounds of '60s Motown vocal groups, and their approach was absorbed by many Mexican American groups in East Los Angeles at the time, which shaped this community's own music scene, creating a style of its own known as the East Side Sound. In despite of the fabulous success of "Land of 1000 Dances" Cannibal & The Headhunters were much more than a one-hit-wonder case. These kids hit hard and they recorded their good share of amazing classics. And here is the proof: a complete compilation showing all their might and talents, mixing rock, doo-wop, soul -- all in that East L.A. Chicano style.

Artist:	MURRAY, MICKEY
Title:	Shout Bamalama
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 053CD

2004 release. Mickey Murray was a powerful performer who was signed to Sun Records' SSI International in the late '60s. Written by Otis Redding, "Shout Bamalama" rose up the R&B charts, just missing the Top 10 in 1967. But follow-ups like his self-penned Lonely Room and the hard funk of Hit Record failed to generate any chart action, leaving Redding's song as the biggest career hit for the Southern singer. This collection brings together the best of Murray's SSI tracks and demonstrates his fine skills as a singer. A surprisingly hard to find album of groovy soul cuts. Here are loads of great cuts, like "Hit Record," "How many Breaks Can One Heart Take," "Got You On My Mind," and the eerie "Lonely Room." In "Shout Bamalama" he imitates Redding, and he sings in a lower, less hectic voice on the other songs -- except for "Flat Foot Sam" and "Sticky Sue," which are as boisterous and backwoods as "Shout Bamalama." The ballads -- "Lonely Room," "Pledging My Love" (a sweet remake of Johnny Ace's classic), and "Am I That Easy to Forget" (slow Southern blues) -- are well-done and memorable. On "Hit Record" and "Mama Got the Wagon" you'll swear you're listening to James Brown, whereas tracks like "After What I've Been Used To" and "The Pig and the Pussy Cat" harken back to memories of Stax Records and their patented horns. The sound is a mix of Sound Stage Seven southern soul with funkier production -- and Mickey's voice is nice and raw, and works great with the material.

Artist:	ADAMS, JOHNNY
Title:	Heart & Soul
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 054CD

2004 release. A former member of several gospel groups, Johnny Adams' first recordings appeared in 1959 on Ric Records. Three years later he secured a minor R&B success with "A Losing Battle," a slow ballad co-written by New Orleans legend Dr. John. In 1968 he joined Shelby Singleton's SSS International outlet and scored a hit the following year with "Reconsider Me," an inspired piece of country-soul. This compilation, Heart & Soul, includes the best from his Nashville period (late '60s early '70s) --undoubtedly his most compelling work.

Artist:	MARANATA
Title:	Maranata
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 056CD

2005 release. Beware... this album is a true revelation! The only album recorded by this Uruguayan band, they were formed by Roberto Giordano, bass player of Totem , with the intention of making some extra money by playing contemporary hits or classics at weddings, private parties and TV shows. The record was recorded specifically to be sold at those events. Musically, there are echoes of Cal Tjader, Deodato, Henri Mancini, Billy Cobham... but with a Candombe Beat: utterly rhythmic and contagious! This is one of the most fabulous and rarest "rare grooves" ever released. The original copy of this album does not even appear on any website and we fear that, were a well preserved copy to surface, its price in euros could have 3 zeroes on it.

Artist:	ALEGRE ALL-STARS, THE
Title:	Best Of (Nos Vamos Pa' La Luna)
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 057CD

2005 release. The first Alegre All Stars was recorded in 1961, and it became an inmediate favorite of Latin-oriented musicians and the so-called "super-hip." The public did not take to it so rapidly, and it became a "sleeper." In retrospect we must remember it was released at the time when the Latin record business was geared mostly for the "le lo lai" market (a typical Puerto Rico festival). Guitar music of trios and quartets were the thing then. The Latin dance music of New York was limited to the connoisseur (i.e., DJs, musicologists, merchant marines and the Palladium crowd). Eventually it had its impact: it was loose, relaxed and it ventilated many brain cells. It blended Latin and jazz, improvised yet melodically interesting because the soloists were not guessing, they were confident, they knew their horns, skins and tonsils and were playing and singing for themselves at a party. Not a recording session, a real party. Without charts, less restrictions and less organized, it was therefore free to swing and be creative. Over the years the Alegre All Star albums have become classics, and this album is a compilation of their best.

Artist:	VA
Title:	A Golpes
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 060CD

2007 release. Original soundtrack of Juan Vicente C�rdoba's film, written by Guateque All Stars , a project of the Spanish hip hop DJ/producer, Zeta. This soundtrack stands out for its great variety of styles, although perhaps hip hop is the best represented genre, featuring contributions from artists such as Ikah or R de Rumba with Mala Rodr�guez. Other artists include: Hombre Kanino, La Costa Brava, Joe Bataan, Manuel de Angustias, Eddy McLean, Vacazul, Nayim Alal, Black Sugar, Kingcho Nest y Su Banda and Dr. Distorsion.

Artist:	BATAAN, JOE
Title:	Call My Name
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 065CD

2005 release. It's a great day at El Barrio: Joe Bataan is back. The sun is melting the sidewalks, the fire hydrants are color fountains, surrounding where the kids dance and enjoy themselves. It's a holiday because East Harlem's best known 'afrofilipino' is back. The local radio DJs are playing Joe Cuba, Johnny Colon, Cheo Feliciano, Hector Lavoe... Rhumba fills the streets, playing with the airwaves. 110th street is a celebration. The creator of Latin soul has not only lost nothing of his essence, but he has multiplied his energy to show who was the first one to join the Latin essence with the black feeling. Recovering the mestizo feeling, electric and proud. As the saying goes, whoever hits first hits twice, and there's no rival for Bataan. Repeat his name, loud and clear. Because the songs of Call My Name are the echo of the neighborhood, songs that could both have been recorded 30 years ago as much as they could be the introduction for the next name from Spanish Harlem worthy of attention. Timeless, classic and as genuine as the names who figure in the album. The saviours of rythm are in the city and an infectious concoction fills the streets. The funk pulsation with the soul feeling, no compromises, right into the guts. The songs written by Daniel Coll�s are stones proudly and firmly thrown into the mind. Each and every song in this album is a ray of light that melts the cold asphalt and shakes the knees of the inhabitants walking above it.

Artist:	VA
Title:	I Gotta New Dance
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 067CD

2005 release. Vampiaddicts, your share of fresh blood is coming to you! Stuff stored in the groove catacombs and delivered to you so you can sink your teeth into it and enjoy a taste of these goods full of funk, soul, progressive rhythms and Latin sounds. Taking off with one of the El Barrio partisans, from Spanish Harlem, the genuine, undisputable King of Latin Soul, Mr. Joe Bataan is back with the title track from his first new album in 20 years, Call My Name. The Diplomats of Solid Sound deliver a good dose of Hammond power. Mary Jane Hopper and The Vibrettes are Eddie Bo prot�g�es from the '60s, bringing you authentic New Orleans funk. Ruth Brown is a distinguished survivor from the late '50s who has undergone highs and lows, major companies, tragic personal moments, and a comeback in the late '80s. In the "occult Vampi treasures" section we find lost gems now recovered and worthy of attention, such as La Sangre Caliente or Augustine Ramirez. Exploring the Latino territories, we find one of the first Mexican bands to achieve success in the mid '70s, The Headhunters (not to be confused with the American jazz-funk band), a band founded by Frankie Garc�a, a.k.a. "Cannibal," whose "Land Of 1000 Dances" would be more successful in Mexico than the original version by Wilson Pickett. The most meaty soul and R&B are represented with contributions from Johnny Adams and Mickey Murray. This sampler also rescues forgotten names with little success in their time who are praised now by DJs, collectors and good music lovers alike. Such is the case with the likes of Sexteto Electr�nico Moderno, Boris Gardiner, Maranata or Roland Mesquita. From the Latino side we also find the Peruvian band Traffic Sound, who published four albums and called it quits in 1972. We also have the unclassifiable Totem from Uruguay; and the Lat-Teens, who in 1968 made one of the first pothead hymns in music history, the successful hit "Mary Wanna" --enjoy it with a nice joint close to your lips. To finish with this showcase of sounds, we get into the boogaloo and Latin Soul territories, with big names from which rare, hard-to-find songs have been recovered: Jimmy Sabater, Cal Tjader, Coco Lagos or Johnny Colon.

Artist:	CELOFUNK
Title:	Celofunk
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 068CD

2005 release. Funk on your face! These funk preachers are ready to shut the mouth of those who say funk groove sounds of today can't match those of the glorious past. Celofunk formed in 2002 in Madrid, but members had already had their five minutes of fame on various bands such as Super Skunk, Santa Fe, or Disky Wick. Their first intention was to re-create the sound of the big funk bands of the '70s, so they started doing covers and relentlessly playing live in sweaty clubs and discos. Here they are with their first record. Funk from C to K. Loud and proud. Celofunk have a diversity of influences such as The Meters, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Betty Davis, Lyn Collins and Bill Withers, but still have a very personal approach to the sounds of the legends, with a contemporary sound and feel. With a tight and solid line-up of eight members, Celofunk combine the soul intensity and emotion with the raw energy of funk.

Artist:	ECA Y FAMILIA SAGRADA, LUIZ
Title:	La Nueva Onda Del Brasil
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 069LP

LP version. 2006 release. La Nueva Onda del Brasil (or The New Wave of Brasil) is a fantastic album of Brazilian groove brought to you by the genius of Luiz E�a, the pianist of the historic Tamba Trio/Tamba 4 (a fundamental piece in Brazilian MBP) and a very important figure of the birth and development of bossanova. On this very rare record Luiz Eca is surrounded by many outstanding musicians: Nana Vasconcelos, Claudio Roditi, Nelson Angelo, Mauricio Maestro and Wilson Simonal. The album was recorded in 1970, but then remained unreleased until 1978, when it came out only on the Mexican label RVV. Includes both standards and originals, all performed in a very free style, a sort of very late and evolved bossa mixed with jazz and a little bit of soul. A window in to the Brazilian musical melting pot from the end of the '60s, it could be described as the White Album that Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 never recorded. This reissue has been mastered from first hand tapes and the sound quality is top notch.

Artist:	BANDA UNIAO BLACK
Title:	Banda Uni�o Black
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 070CD

2006 release. After 25 years, Banda Uni�o Black re-launches their career with a full album of songs on Vampisoul Records. This album was recorded in Brazil and features a style that remains close to their original heavy funk sound with a strong tropical flavour. The album has been produced by Daniel Collas, whose last project was the acclaimed Call My Name LP from Joe Bataan, and Sean Marquand, one half of the long running DJ team Brazilian Beat Brooklyn. Uni�o Black was one of the principle bands of the Black Rio Movement in Brazil in the 1970s. Truly a supergroup, they stormed stages and even stadiums in the late '70s. They were 13 members strong with a style that evoked James Brown, Ohio Players and Mandrill, but with lyrics in Portuguese and a sound that was unmistakably Brazilian. They have also been featured on Strut Records' Black Rio compilation, and their original 1977 Polydor album is a highly sought-after (and expensive) collector's item.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Action Speaks Louder Than Words
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 071CD

Super Size Soul? Sho' Sounds Sweet? Southern Soul Shake? Regrettably, the SSS in SSS International denotes something a little less sexy -- Shelby S. Singleton. As the proprietor of this and number of other labels in the late '60's and early '70's, Shelby is more frequently acknowledged as the man who astutely bought the Sun Records catalogue from Sam Phillips in 1969, a year after conceiving SSS International. But despite his less than thrilling name, Shelby S. Singleton is actually something of a music biz enigma and a Southern record man who's unquestionably nurtured both black & white artists for a significant part of his life. Born in 1931 in Texas, he established himself as product manager, then producer, for Mercury Records in the early 1960s. Here, Shelby worked with both country and soul musicians, from Jerry Lee Lewis and Charlie Rich to Clyde McPhatter to Brook Benton. From it's birth in 1968 until the early '70s, SSS International pumped out up to 200 singles. This compilation is a snapshot of the catalogue, mixing the labels more popular acts like Jo Jo Benson, Sam Dees and Johnny Adams with more obscure artists like Clarence Murray and Mr Jamo. There's not a ballad in sight. It's just uptempo dancers and funky soul stompers that reverberate with the spirit of Otis Redding and his gospel rooted R&B. With SSS International, Shelby S. Singleton certainly didn't start a label to match Atlantic or Stax. And it never achieved its alleged "international" status. But as this compilation illustrates, Shelby cut some fine soul sides that still pulse with the love and life of the funky South.

Artist:	MAYER, NATHANIEL
Title:	(I Want) Love and Affection (Not The House of Correction)
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 072CD

2007 release. The first, only, complete and definitive anthology of Nathaniel Mayer's music, with the full story on Michael Hurtt's massive liner notes. On this CD you can find all the singles Nathaniel released in the 1960s, plus a rare single from 1980. It's all here: from the thumping primitivism of John Lee Hooker's trance-inducing guitar to Iggy and the Stooges' desperate wail from the gutter, Detroit, Michigan has always been a city of musical extremes. Dead center between "Boogie Chillun" and "TV Eye" lies the musical netherworld of Fortune Records, the city's only label with any staying power prior to Motown. Fortune was an extreme among extremes, as was its most successful artist, Nathaniel "Nay Dog" Mayer. Crazy, funny, irreverent and stunningly talented, Mayer scored the label its biggest hit with his 1962 blockbuster "Village Of Love." His six years with the label, beginning with 1961's impassioned "My Last Dance With You" and ending with 1966's proto-funk "(I Want) Love And Affection (Not The House of Correction)," resulted in twenty-one slices of musical brilliance that were unique even in the fertile musical breeding ground from whence they came. Here were records that demanded immediate involvement and total immersion; music so frenetic that it was impossible to take sitting down. A Mayer disc was an instant party. The fact that he recorded for Fortune --an iconic independent label petrified to license their records for wider distribution-- certainly kept him from becoming a household name. Then again, Mayer's over-the-top approach might have been lost on another imprint. Like Andre Williams before him, in Fortune Mayer found a place where he could wreak his sonic havoc, unrestrained. Nay Dog's hard-edged, straightforward music has influenced many of today's up-and-coming garage, punk and soul acts. "Village Of Love" was covered by The Detroit Cobras, "Leave Me Alone" was remade by The Hard Feelings, while Holly Golightly, Eve Monsees and the Exiles and the Gibson Brothers have all recorded "I Had A Dream." Fans and collectors still seek out Mayer's original Fortune-label 45s. He's claimed his legacy in the scope of Detroit's rich musical history. Includes a 24-page booklet with extensive notes and rare photos.

Artist:	WILLIAMS, ANDRE
Title:	Movin' On With Andre Williams
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 073CD

2006 release. Vampisoul is proud to release a CD by the genius from Detroit, Andre Williams. Compiling some of his more funky soul tracks from the '60s, originally released by Fortune, Avin, Sport, Wingate, Ric-Tic, Checker and Chess, and featuring previously unreleased songs. Andre recorded over 50 songs for Fortune including: "Bacon Fat," "JailBait," "Pass The Biscuits" and "The Greasy Chicken." Andre began recording under various pseudonyms such as The Five Dollars and The Don Juans. He became known as a record producer and songwriter, composing such tunes as: "Shake A Tailfeather," "Cadillac Jack," "Funky Judge" and "Twine Time." He was hired and fired as staff producer and A&R man numerous times by Barry Gordy at Motown. Mr. Rhythm (as he was nick named by Redd Foxx) produced records for Mary Wells, Stevie Wonder, The Dramatics, The Chi-Lites, Ike & Tina Turner and even penned material for George Clinton's Funkadelic. Andre was always a wild man with the ladies and never said no to a party and by the 1980s Andre Williams found himself down and out -- living on the streets and at the end of a crack pipe. In 1996 Andre bounced back in a big way -- he cleaned up his act and began making music again. His comeback album, Greasy, was recorded for the St. George and Norton labels which put him back on the live performing circuit and back in the conscious of the music buying public. In 1998 Andre released his sleaze-rock masterpiece, Silky, on In The Red Records, which proved to be a commercial and critical smash for Andre. Since the release of Silky, Andre has toured the US and Europe numerous times and his following has grown larger and larger. He toured a number of times with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, who wound up recording with Andre as well as crediting him as executive producer on their Acme album. This record is going to be as good as it gets and so is Andre Williams. Lord have mercy!

Artist:	DOGLIOTTI, MIKE
Title:	Candombe For Export/Candombe Liso
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 074CD

2006 release. The complete outstanding recordings of Uruguayan organ player Mike Dogliotti for the Sondor label from between 1970 and 1972. This release includes his two full lengths (Candombe For Export and Candombe Liso), plus a few tracks from 7" singles. Mike Dogliotti managed to create a commercial version of the Afro-Urugayan rhythms know as "candombe music," using the very simple but effective formula of combining percussion with Farfisa organ. Alberto "Mike" Dogliotti made a whole generation of young South Americans dance and remains in the category of musicians truly waiting to be discovered. After touring as a jazz musician throughout South America in the '60s, he returned to his home country in 1970 where the Uruguayan music scene was embracing the candombe beat. Dogliotti felt comfortable within this sonic universe, embracing this booming trend with electronic keyboard experiments and honing his impeccable skills as a classical musician with his knack for improvisation inherited from his experience with jazz. Thanks to his virtuosity, Dogliotti took the candombe beat to new boundaries, delivering music with a personal stamp where the irresistible sound of his organ shared prominence with the traditional cuerda de tambores (group of drummers playing drums) from the Uruguayan candombe. In 1970 the legendary Sondor label signed him to record Candombe For Export, his debut featuring a comprehensive repertoire of classic tracks from Uruguayan popular music. The excellent reception garnered by this release encouraged him to record compulsively and just two years later Candombe Liso was released at De la Planta records. It was the same formula, although more refined, and Candombe Liso went on to be Dogliotti's best-selling records. Once again, compositions by Rub�n Rada, Manolo Guardia and the Fattoruso brothers pass through his sound "processor," and he even attempts compositions by Pedro Ferreira, one of the most outstanding candombe songwriters.

Artist:	BENITEZ AND NEBULA
Title:	Night Life/Essence Of Life
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 075CD

2006 release. Eddie Benitez's story is full of contrasts: a classical trained child prodigy turned Latin rock superstar while hanging out in his teen years with the likes of Charlie Palmieri, Louie Ramirez, Tito Puente and pretty much all the crew from the Fania All-Stars... and making a name for himself while at it. His debut album on Fania, Night Life, brought him to the spotlight in 1976, earning his band Nebula rave reviews and the props of many of his peers, including names like George Benson, Al DiMeola and Carlos Santana. He also has the distinction of being the first Latino act ever to be featured at the mythical CBGB's. Between Night Life and Nebula's second release, Essence of Life, lays a three-year hiatus, yet the band never stopped touring and playing the rock circuits. . Produced by late studio wizard Louie Ramirez, one of Latin music's most creative and complete gentlemen, Night Life left an impressive mark, featuring the then up-and-coming Ruben Blades on background vocals and the virtuoso team of Nicky Marrero (a key member of the Fania All-Stars and one of the most influential percussionists of all time) and the late Frankie Malabe (a revered conga stylist and innovator as well as a stalwart of the essential Alegre All-Stars in the '60s and early '70s). By the time "Essence of Life" was recorded, Nebula had already undergone a critical lineup change. Because of disciplinary problems, the original band was dismissed, with only Greg Hernandez and Nancy O'Neill remaining from the original band. The remaining members consisted of keyboard/trombone player Johnny Caro, Nancy's brother Dino Cedeno on vocals, drummer Joe DiCarlo, Tommy Hebb on bass, Jose Morales on timbales and additional keyboard player Larry Dvoskin. Former band member Jimmy Cruz doubles on background vocals for the album as well.

Artist:	BENITEZ AND NEBULA
Title:	Night Life/Essence Of Life
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 075LP

LP version. 2006 release. Eddie Benitez's story is full of contrasts: a classical trained child prodigy turned Latin rock superstar while hanging out in his teen years with the likes of Charlie Palmieri, Louie Ramirez, Tito Puente and pretty much all the crew from the Fania All-Stars... and making a name for himself while at it. His debut album on Fania, Night Life, brought him to the spotlight in 1976, earning his band Nebula rave reviews and the props of many of his peers, including names like George Benson, Al DiMeola and Carlos Santana. He also has the distinction of being the first Latino act ever to be featured at the mythical CBGB's. Between Night Life and Nebula's second release, Essence of Life, lays a three-year hiatus, yet the band never stopped touring and playing the rock circuits. . Produced by late studio wizard Louie Ramirez, one of Latin music's most creative and complete gentlemen, Night Life left an impressive mark, featuring the then up-and-coming Ruben Blades on background vocals and the virtuoso team of Nicky Marrero (a key member of the Fania All-Stars and one of the most influential percussionists of all time) and the late Frankie Malabe (a revered conga stylist and innovator as well as a stalwart of the essential Alegre All-Stars in the '60s and early '70s). By the time "Essence of Life" was recorded, Nebula had already undergone a critical lineup change. Because of disciplinary problems, the original band was dismissed, with only Greg Hernandez and Nancy O'Neill remaining from the original band. The remaining members consisted of keyboard/trombone player Johnny Caro, Nancy's brother Dino Cedeno on vocals, drummer Joe DiCarlo, Tommy Hebb on bass, Jose Morales on timbales and additional keyboard player Larry Dvoskin. Former band member Jimmy Cruz doubles on background vocals for the album as well. These are the last copies of this now deleted LP.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Groovadelia: 21st Century Spanish Groove Vol. 1
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 076CD

2006 release. Now is the time and this is the place. The infectious influence of black groove and rhythms has, after many years, finally come to fruition in Spain. This is an extensive sampler that serves as a window into a scene booming with energy and ideas, a scene that isn't limited to bands and musicians, but also extends to clubs and written publications that have been germinated by the groove seed. Spain's Enlace Funk magazine has been in the business of spreading these sounds since it started back in 1996. Reports and interviews with the biggest names in the history of black music, from Isaac Hayes to George Clinton, from Tower of Power to Earth Wind and Fire to name but a few, have been written in its pages. Inside the Spanish club scene, focusing on the spread of black rhythms sounded totally ludicrous until the idea was nurtured by Granada's Afrodisia club, which became a pivotal point of the black music circuit. The soundtrack for its Granada nights is made of funk, jazz, soul, acid jazz, rare grooves, Afrobeat, reggae, hip hop or nu-jazz, and the most prestigious DJs in the world, such as mundo Gerald Jazzman (Jazzman Records), Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz Records), Florian Keller (Compost Records), Henry Storch (Unique Records), Snowboy, or Frank Popp -- among many others -- have all sat behind its turntables. On this compilation Enlace Funk magazine, Afrodisia Club, and Vampisoul presents this pioneer project with the intention of becoming an introduction to the scene of bands lured in by the rhythms of the black nation. As one of the founding fathers would put it: One Nation Under A Groove! Artists: Guateque All Stars, Speak Low, Phat Fred, Funxplosion, Ortophonk, Pybus Groove Quartet, The Sweet Vandals, Mojo Project, Funkdacion, Donatore Di Groove, Clan Club, Cinnamon Gum, Celofunk, Asstrio, The Funk On Me, Los Fulanos, The Cherry Boppers, Watch Out and Koniec.

Artist:	COFFEY, DENNIS
Title:	Big City Funk: Original Old School Breaks
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 078CD

...& Heavy Guitar Soul. 2011 repress, originally released in 2006. Dennis Coffey (born in Detroit, Michigan) is an American guitarist, notable as a prominent studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings. Coffey learned to play guitar when he was 13 in Ontonagon County in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At 15, he played on his first recording session backing Vic Gallon on "I'm Gone" on the Gondola label. In the early 1960s he joined The Royaltones who had hits with "Poor Boy" in 1958 and "Flamingo Express" in 1961. The Royaltones played sessions with other artists including Del Shannon. As a member of The Funk Brothers studio band, Coffey played on dozens of recordings for Motown Records, and introduced the wah-wah guitar sound to Motown producer Norman Whitfield's recordings. He also played on Edwin Starr's "S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight)," The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing," and Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold." In addition, Coffey scored the blaxploitation film Black Belt Jones. In 1971, Coffey recorded Scorpio which was a million-selling single and in 1972 Taurus, both with The Detroit Guitar Band. Since then, he has recorded several solo albums, most of them for the Sussex and Westbound labels. In the early '70s, Dennis Coffey, Motown "Funk Brother" and super-session guitar man, seemed determined to write soundtracks -- even if he wasn't commissioned by a Hollywood studio. Indeed, the four studio albums he cut for the Sussex label between 1971 and 1974, from which this compilation is culled, are like a big personal advertisement for potential film score work. Coffey's raw, compressed guitar style -- his big city breakbeat funk -- certainly evokes a tough, urban landscape inhabited by tough, urban gangsters.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gozalo! - Bugal� Tropical Vol. 1
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 080CD

2007 release. After a very long time researching the archives of the most important record labels of Peru, we present volume one of Gozalo! ("enjoy it!") a collection of this country�s best artists during the '60s and '70s. Peru, surely not a heavyweight champion of well-known music, at least in Europe or North America, was the home to so many exciting bands and artists. Names like Charlie Palomares, Mario Allison, Lucho Macedo, Al Valdez, �ico Estrada, Los Hiton's and many more, who were experimenting with "foreign" sounds and rhythms such as jazz, pop, boogaloo and soul, and giving them their very own unique Peruvian flavor. Complete with very detailed and explanatory liner notes and cover art by Pablo Iglesias (from the mandatory Latin-art book Cocinando!).

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gozalo! - Bugal� Tropical Vol. 1
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 080LP

2013 repress, originally released in 2007. After a very long time researching the archives of the most important record labels of Peru, we present volume one of Gozalo! ("enjoy it!") a collection of this country's best artists during the '60s and '70s. Peru, surely not a heavyweight champion of well-known music, at least in Europe or North America, was the home to so many exciting bands and artists. Names like Charlie Palomares, Mario Allison, Lucho Macedo, Al Valdez, �ico Estrada, Los Hiton's and many more, who were experimenting with "foreign" sounds and rhythms such as jazz, pop, boogaloo and soul, and giving them their very own unique Peruvian flavor. Complete with very detailed and explanatory liner notes and cover art by Pablo Iglesias (from the mandatory Latin art book Cocinando!).

Artist:	BOBO & THE BO GENTS, WILLIE
Title:	Do What You Want To Do
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$9.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 082LP

The most sought-after album from Spanish Harlem's Willie Bobo, one of the great Latin percussionists of his time. A slamming record of hard funky instrumentals, one that sounds different than any of his other albums. The record's a killer all the way through, a mixture of Latin and deep '70s funk, one of the few perfect fusions of the styles, held up beautifully all the way through the set. Great all the way through, and includes the break cuts "Do What You Want to Do," "Broasted or Fried," and "Soul Foo Yong," plus a version of "Dindi", which, for some reason, Willie seemed to record every chance he got. Here, available on CD for the very first time. After working with Cal Tjader, Herbie Mann and Santamaria -- with whom he recorded the classic Latin "Afro-Blue" -- Bobo stepped forward in 1963 with his first recording as a leader, with Clark Ferry and Joe Farell as sidemen. Recording for Verve in the mid '60s, Bobo achieved his highest solo visibility with albums which enlivened pop hits of the day with Latin rhythms.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Crash Of Thunder (King Funk)
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 083CD

Vampisoul's third "all-KILLER-not-a-single-filler" set, compiled by NYC's DJ Mr. Fine Wine, featuring his personal favorites from the King Records catalogue. This is raw soul and crude funk, including ultra-rare tracks by Wayne Cochran, Lord Thunder, Jeb Stuart, Robert Moore, Frank Howard & the Continentals, Leon Austin, Eddie Kirk, Charles Spurling, James Duncan, and many more. This is an odd King compilation: in fact, it's kind of all over the place. The Swinging Seven, a mysterious Kentucky outfit whose lone King single, the stuff of myth, is featured here. Also Mickey Murray's up-tempo funky Federal track; you danced to that one somewhere once. One you don't know by his brother Clarence Murray -- surely not a cover of The Moonglows? Well, you'll find out soon enough. Robert Moore's two sides must predate his famous funk outing on Saadia. Finally, you can practice those mash-ups that have until now been purely theoretical. Also: Queenie Lyons, with the best "Fever" this side of Bobby Bland's; Charles Spurling, Cincinnati tough guy, rumored to have punched out Mr. James Brown himself (and paid for it); Frank Howard, sampled by the Beastie Boys and Wayne Cochran.

Artist:	WILLIAMS, ANDRE
Title:	Aphrodisiac
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 084CD

2007 release. With a mind-boggling 50-year career in the music business, 70-year old Andre Williams is showing no signs of slowing down. The original rapper and R&B performer returns to his soulful roots on Aphrodisiac, enlisting The Diplomats Of Solid Sound as his backing band on this diverse and adventurous offering. Hints of blues, rock, R&B, rap and soul fill the grooves of this release that flows seamlessly from start to finish. Andre's voice never sounded better as he tackles topics ranging from alcoholism ("I'm Not Worthy"), Hurricane Katrina ("Thee Sisters"), rejection ("I Can See"), and love ("Do You Remember"). But it's also a fun, masterfully produced album that will transfix both past Andre fans and new listeners. Recorded in Iowa City, this is the real Andre... the real deal... from the "Black Godfather."

Artist:	ESPINOSA, NILO
Title:	Shaken, Not Stirred
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 085CD

2007 release. Vampisoul presents a comprehensive anthology of all the different music projects of outstanding Peruvian flute and saxophone player Nilo Espinosa. On this compilation you can find most of his best and grooviest tracks from the '60s and '70s; his playing with the Nil's Jazz Ensemble, Bossa 70, Los Hilton's, Nilo Espinosa & Los 007, or Nilo Espinosa y Su Orquesta. A total feast of tropical music, bossanova, boogaloo, Latin soul, jazz funk, rumba, lounge, and even disco! The work of this exquisite and utterly contemporary flautist and saxophonist perseveres for three reasons: attitude, quality and freshness. If, for him, the sixties were learning years, the seventies allowed him to develop his talent and consolidate his preference for upward moving rhythms with a lot of groove. With his work, tropical, bossa nova, boogaloo, Latin soul, jazz funk, rock, rumba and disco all fit in equally. It's a danceable music: hybrid and instantaneous. Includes a extensive liner notes about this great artist.

Artist:	APARICIO, JAIME DELGADO
Title:	El Embajador y Yo
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 086CD

2007 release. Vampisoul presents the complete 1966 soundtrack to El Embajador y Yo, what many consider Peruvian jazz heavyweight Jaime Delgado Aparicio's masterpiece. The music in this rare action-comedy film combines, in an extraordinaire way, jazz with different styles that were hip in the mid '60s in a very groovy way. A genius score, with very creative arrangements and brilliant playing by an orchestra of sometimes over fifty musicians. From the beginning, you hear the creativity of composition and the brilliance of its execution by a fifty plus piece orchestra performing the movie's theme song. Two surf tunes appear on this album: "Sexy Surf" and "El Surf Del Embajador." Additionally this release includes five recordings by the Jaime Aparicio Jazz Trio (with double bassist Juan Anges Russo and drummer Kalle Englund) made in Lima, Peru, around 1964. It's not often that an individual leaves a permanent mark in the musical history of a country. In Peru, in the '60s and '70s, Jaime Delgado Aparicio, a pianist and composer, promoted and exposed all different styles of jazz to all social levels, helping many young students and professional musicians to understand this musical language. The CD includes extensive liner notes and a reproduction of the movie poster.

Artist:	ROMERO & MONNA BELL, ALDEMARO
Title:	La Onda Nueva en Mexico
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 087CD

2007 release. Originally released in 1970, La Onda Nueva en Mexico has remained a cult object among those searching for "rare grooves" for its completely unique concept of combining traditional Mexican music arranged by Venezuelan Aldemaro Romero, sung by a Chilean pop singer Monna Bell and orchestrated by Mexican jazz musicians. A complete artistic achievement recovered by VampiSoul 37 years later. Few people have managed to combine aspects of classical, popular and experimental music from the second half of the 20th century in a brilliant and original way. In 1970, Bell asked Romero to record an album together in his "Onda Nueve" (New Wave) style: a mixture of modern jazz orchestrations, the hypnotism of the bossa nova guitar, Venezuelan folklore melodies and extremely original and complex vocal structures set to the fast-paced 3/4 rhythm typical of the Venezuelan joropo. Victor Ruiz played bass; Alvaro L�pez, Salvador and F�lix Ag�eros (of Rabbits and Carrots) were on drums and percussion; Julio Vera was on congas, and vocals were performed by Los 4 Soles y Gaspar�n. Enrique Sida and Jaime "la vaca" Shag�n were on the trombones, Tom�s "la negra" Rodr�guez, Armando "el Kennedy" Noriega and Rodolfo "Popo" S�nchez were on the saxophones; Ram�n Flores and the legendary Chilo Mor�n were on the trumpets, and Pablo Jaimes, Jorge Ortega, Enrique Neri and Aldemaro himself were on electric and acoustic pianos, among other well known musicians. Gualberto Castro, a talented singer and arranger from the group los Hermanos Castro, also sang on "El Balaj�," exchanging verses with Monna. All of the musicians felt free to bring in any ideas and to improvise during the 20 days of recording. The result was an explosion of tonalities that, in spite of being essentially popular traditions, revealed something exceedingly unique and modern.

Artist:	RABBITS & CARROTS
Title:	Soul Latino
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 088CD

2007 release. An anthology of Mexico's #1 instrumental combo, Rabbits & Carrots. Some consider them the Mexican Meters in some way, and their repertoire selection denotes class and good taste (Family Stone, Rufus Thomas, James Brown, Kool & the Gang, War...). It�s not so strange why copies of these fine album and 45s have been played constantly by the likes of Keb Darge, Mr Fine Wine and other DJs. What's presented here is the reissue of this only album (first time ever since its original 1969 release), plus the four songs of their only 7" from 1971.

Artist:	FREE POP ELECTRONIC CONCEPT, THE
Title:	A New Exciting Experience
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 089CD

2007 release. First-time ever legit reissue of this lost gem from the late '60s Euro psychedelic underground. Belgium-based Portuguese soul brothers Tony & Waldo Lam (better known as Jess & James) join forces with American jazzman Scott Bradford and Belgian mad scientist & electronics grand daddy Arsene Souffriau for a crazy trip into groovy free-rock and soul and electronics. This stands among the best, in the tradition of Pierre Henry's Jerks Electroniques Pour La Messe Du Temps Present, Cecil Leuter's Pop Electronique or JP Massiera's Maledictus Sound. For some it may even be close to the craziness of Jimmy Haskell's Count Down or The Love Machine's Electronic Music To Blow Your Mind. Heavy riffing, screaming fuzz, mind-frying chirping electronics, tribal drumming mayhem, crazy studio effects, groovy go-go keyboard action, stomping beats all over. Insane stuff far ahead of its time. A must-have for psych fiends, Krautrock aficionados, beat diggers, library lunatics and all-around acid heads. A legendary record which is still riding high in many want lists. Grab it now or cry for ages.

Artist:	ALLEN, TONY
Title:	Afro Disco Beat
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 090CD

2007 release. Vampisoul presents a complete '70s anthology of the drummer and music director of African superstar Fela Kuti's band Africa 70, from 1968 until 1979, the creators of Afrobeat. This monster pack includes Tony's first four solo albums: Jealousy (1975), Progress (1976), No Accomodation for Lagos (1978), and No Discrimination (1979). The first three produced by Fela Kuti himself and with Africa 70; the last one with Tony�s band The Afro Messengers. Complete extensive liner notes inside. Mild-mannered, but iron-willed, Tony Allen is the co-creator of Afrobeat, and one of the most distinctive and in-demand drummers on the planet. No one swings like this Nigerian rhythm man -- with that amazing, loose-limbed, poly-rhythmic technique that has powered some of the funkiest and most challenging dance music ever created. Best known for his involvement with the late, great Fela Kuti, Tony Allen is very much more than Fela's -- or anyone else's -- drummer. Bandleader, composer and husky rapping vocalist, Tony Allen has recorded a string of groundbreaking solo albums since parting company with Fela in 1978 -- sides that draw together African rhythm, funk, jazz, soul and hip hop. His inimitably propulsive skinwork has enhanced the work of an amazing range of artists, from Afro-giants Manu Dibango, Ray Lema and Sunny Ade to British-Indian songstress Susheela Raman and Californian rock-rappers Spearhead. Complete extensive liner notes included.

Artist:	JULIUS, ORLANDO
Title:	Super Afro Soul
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 091CD

2007 release. One of the most innovative and pioneering musicians of his time, Orlando Julius had an amazing impact on the Nigerian music scene in the sixties and seventies. This double CD package includes Super Afro Soul with Orlando Julius & His Modern Aces, and Orlando's Afro Ideas 1969-72 by Orlando Julius & His Afro Sounders. A mind-blowing mix of Nigerian highlife-style jazz, soul and funk. Orlando's first album, Super Afro Soul, originally released in 1966, is a head on collision between highlife -- the soundtrack of Independence first in Ghana and then in neighboring Nigeria -- and '60s soul from the USA, the soundtrack of African America's struggle for civil rights and equality . Orlando's Afro Ideas 1969-72 is a compilation of tracks from three albums Orlando recorded for PolyGram in Lagos. Orlando formed a much larger band, the Afro Sounders in the late '60s. They began to explore an altogether deeper, funkier highlife fusion, responding to rock and psychedelia, the deeper funk grooves that were coming from the USA and also to Fela Kuti's Afrobeat sound. The tracks are longer, the sound mellower, the rootsier grooves profoundly hip shaking.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gozalo! - Bugal� Tropical Vol. 2
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 092CD

2007 release. This is the second volume in Vampisoul's series of tropical Peruvian music of the '60s. The casual music enthusiast might not think that Peru was a hotbed of tropical music in the 1960s and '70s, but with an indigenous tradition of Afro-Latin percussion on the coast, and an obsession with mambo in the '50s, Peru was actually the perfect place for the Cuban and Nuyorican sounds of son, boogaloo, and guaracha to take root. The proximity of Colombia and Venezuela made sure that cumbia was popular as well. The MAG label from producer Manuel A. Guerrero Silvestre captured this emerging pan-Latino sound in Lima, with the help of a few visiting Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and South Americans. While artists like Mario Allison, Alfredo Linares, Nilo Espinosa, Silvestre Montes, Tito Chicoma, Charlie Palomares, �ico Estrada, and Willie Marambio may not be household names, the tasty tunes they cut over 30 years ago are a rare treat for the Latin music enthusiast, and will finally come into the spotlight thanks to this compilation. This second sampler gives you another sabroso taste of a very special period in Peru's musical and social history.

Artist:	FURST, RUBEN LOPEZ
Title:	Jazz Argentino en la Universidad
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 093CD

2007 release. Ruben "Baby" Lopez Furst is one of the most important pianists in the history of Argentinean Jazz. The two albums released here (Jazz en la Universidad, from 1966, and Jazz Argentino, from 1967) demonstrate the exquisite combination of swing and moods � la Bill Evans that characterized the Argentinean pianist. Jazz en la Universidad is a live recording of a performance offered at the Auditorium of the Universidad Nacional de Litoral in the city of Santa Fe in 1966. Jazz Argentino is, in reality, the first volume of a projected and interrupted series that was to be released by CBS. Both records, presented here together, and for the first time on CD, are two of his more noteworthy recordings. As with good wine, this music has improved with time and is worthy of leisurely enjoyment.

Artist:	QUINTEPLUS
Title:	Quinteplus
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 094CD

2007 release. Founded after the "New Jazz Collective" movement in Argentina in the late '60s, Quinteplus was a space for reflection and rehearsal to determine the paths that jazz should take. An experiment with folk genres in a jazz key, and the exploration of African rhythms, as a bridge between both musical worlds. This set contains the only studio album they ever released (in 1972) and a great bonus: a complete live recording of a gig from the same year, unreleased until now. The record is a sophisticated exhibition of the musical cocktail that characterized the band -- tunes composed by its members, fluent jazz language, experimentation with folk rhythms, funky touches by the amplified upright bass and electric piano, compact sound and great solos by the group's brass players. The music sounds fresh, attractive, unprejudiced and dexterously played. A work ahead of their time. Includes a complete band bio and liner notes.

Artist:	QUINTEPLUS
Title:	Quinteplus
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 094LP

2LP version. 2007 release. Founded after the "New Jazz Collective" movement in Argentina in the late '60s, Quinteplus was a space for reflection and rehearsal to determine the paths that jazz should take. An experiment with folk genres in a jazz key, and the exploration of African rhythms, as a bridge between both musical worlds. This set contains the only studio album they ever released (in 1972) and a great bonus: a complete live recording of a gig from the same year, unreleased until now. The record is a sophisticated exhibition of the musical cocktail that characterized the band -- tunes composed by its members, fluent jazz language, experimentation with folk rhythms, funky touches by the amplified upright bass and electric piano, compact sound and great solos by the group's brass players. The music sounds fresh, attractive, unprejudiced and dexterously played. A work ahead of their time.

Artist:	BO, EDDIE
Title:	In The Pocket With
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 095CD

Eddie Bo is one of the most important and least known of the great funksters of the '60s and '70s. Vampisoul proudly presents a complete vision this New Orleans genius as performer, composer and producer. His importance to the New Orleans scene cannot be overestimated. Where James Brown is the Charlie Parker of funk, Eddie Bo is the music's Thelonious Monk, working with a strange, sometimes unfamiliar palette of sounds and rhythms, which reveal their beauty and complexity a little more with every listen. Much of this palette is common to New Orleans funk and soul: the drums of the Wild Indian tribes and the "second line," the soulful piano of players like Professor Longhair, James Booker, Huey Piano Smith, Fats Domino and Bo himself, and the spice of the wild and unique mix of cultures that has been in New Orleans for hundreds of years. From his early and formative years to the present days, and including both his own recordings and his productions for other artists, this is the only compilation with the complete picture. The music comes together with a massive essay, biography, and liner notes penned by journalist/specialist Bryce White.

Artist:	LYONS, MARIE QUEENIE
Title:	Soul Fever
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 096CD

2008 release. More than three decades after its original release, and for the very first time on CD, Marie Queenie Lyons 'cult classic Soul Fever. Marie Queenie Lyons is a mystery girl, a Southern enigma. Like a kind of black Bobbie Gentry, after just this one album Queenie vanished. Following its 1970 release, she disappeared off the soul map forever, like a Roman candle floating off into the warm Southern night. Because of the prodigious wealth of talent in black America at the time, great albums with miniscule marketing budgets were often overlooked. Soul Fever was just a drop in an ocean of fabulous, funky R&B recordings released that year. But over the decades, it's become a cult classic and established as one of the rarest and most prized Southern soul albums from that prolific era. Queenie certainly had the qualifications (in both sass and vocals) to be hired by James Brown as one of his "funky divas." But quite what happened to Queenie after the album's release has been lost in the mists of time. Soul Fever languished in obscurity for a couple of decades. But slowly, through the years, it's ascended to cult classic status. Now, after over three decades from its original release, it's finally been reissued.

Artist:	AXELROD, DAVID
Title:	Live At The Royal Festival Hall
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD/DVD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 098CD

2008 release. Vampisoul offers you David Axelrod's very first UK orchestral performance, live at the Royal Festival Hall in London in . A Grammy award-winning producer for Capitol Records who helmed dozens of great jazz, funk and soul records during the 1960s and '70s (David, McCallum, Lou Rawls, Stan Kenton, The Electric Prunes, Cannonball Adderley...), David Axelrod also forged a distinctive musical style while recording several of the most eccentric albums of the '70s. His music was rediscovered in the '90s, and has been sampled by key hip-hop artists such as Dr.Dre, DJ Shadow, or Lauryn Hill. On this performance, from Dean Rudland's liner notes: "The show opens with what sounds like an Axelrod classic, but is in fact, a re-composition specifically written for the show, the Rolling Stones' 'Paint it Black.' 'How could I come to England and not pay tribute to the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?' explained David. And sure enough, the show's closing moment is dedicated to Lennon and McCartney's 'Norwegian Wood,' sealing the overall unique experience of Axe's evening. In between, for the best part of an hour and a half, we were treated to an incredible selection of David Axelrod's music, mainly taken from his work on the William Blake inspired albums Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience." DVD is NTSC, all region format.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Sensacional Soul Vol. 2
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 099CD

2009 release. 32 groovy Spanish soul & funk stompers from 1965-1972! Vampisoul is pleased to invite you to the second bone-breaking session with the most danceable sounds "made in Spain" from the 1960s and early '70s. Welcome again to the Sensacional Soul party! Soul turned Spanish pop into the fuel that ignited the dance floors and parties of Spain in the second half of the '60s. For most bands, the soul explosion meant facing the "renovate or die" dilemma. After years of trying to emulate The Shadows and later The Beatles, the groups had two alternatives: joining the psychedelic movement or adapting the soul genre to the Spanish taste. Those who wanted to follow the rock path had to bear in mind the advances in the recording techniques that led to Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, something that was virtually impossible for most Spanish bands. Besides, the record companies, radio stations and especially the public were not ready to "open their minds" to the psychedelic revolution. Soul, however, did enjoy a bigger success thanks to the hits by the Tamla Motown and Atlantic artists, and thus many guitar groups decided to incorporate a horn section. Spanish soul became hugely popular, and during the second half of the '60s was the dominant music genre in a country still under Franco's dictatorship. Apart from artists that imitated the purest sounds from the US, others took risks and tried subgenres such as progressive R&B, freakbeat soul, sunshine soul or psych-pop with soul-ish influences. This new volume offers a fantastic selection of all of them, including tracks by hit acts such as Los Bravos, Los Pekenikes, Manolo y Ram�n (aka D�o Din�mico) and obscure bands such as Jae's Soul and Conjunto Brillant's. CD digipack includes a massive 48-page booklet with notes and photos.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Highlife Time
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 101CD

2008 release. Nigerian & Ghanaian Sound From The 60s And Early 70s. Highlife, dance music played mostly in Ghana and Nigeria, represents one of the century's first fusions of African roots and western music, and before 1970 it ruled dancefloors across much of West Africa. The story of West African big-band highlife is the story of West African independence itself. From its early roots in church music, old African song forms, sea shanties and military brass bands to the orchestra podiums of the slickest nightclubs and concert halls of Lagos and Accra, highlife has charted the growing confidence of a proud and gifted people casting off the shackles of empire: a people ready to live the High Life. Accra's E.T. Mensah was the pioneer, but Lagos was not far behind, with superstars such as Roy Chicago, Rex Lawson and Dr. Victor Olaiya performing to packed dancefloors where, unusually for West Africa, ethnicity didn't matter -- Igbo people danced with Hausas, and Efik guys with Yoruba women. West Africa was prosperous, there was work for all -- and for several glorious years, highlife was the soundtrack for the good times. In 1967 the tragic Biafran War wrought three years of misery in eastern Nigeria, but soon after highlife came to the rescue, the '70s music of legends such as Stephen Osita Osadebe helping to heal the scars as only music can. In this collection you'll find all of these highlife stars and more, from the most celebrated to the obscure one-hit wonders. Not content with just churning out material available from European and American catalogs, Vampisoul journeyed to Lagos, scoured the record crates, dusted off the forgotten mastertapes and started afresh. As the radio DJs used to say back then: "People, highlife is king! Long live highlife!" Includes an informative essay by African music authority John Armstrong.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Afrobeat Nirvana
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 102CD

2008 release. In this specially priced collection you will find a wide variety of exciting African sounds created in Nigeria from the late 1950s up to the late 1980s. All the songs are taken from releases on Vampisoul's massive West Africa reissue project. On Afrobeat Nirvana music speaks for itself in its conflation of African tradition, jazz, highlife, psych, funk, soul, R&B and -- of course -- Afrobeat. Some of the names here are familiar to our occidental ears, such as the great Tony Allen, Orlando Julius, and of course Fela Kuti (here in his early years). But there are plenty of others, more obscure and mindblowing, such as Godwin Omobuwa, Dr.Victor Olaiya, Bola Johnson, Fred Fisher and Opotopo.

Artist:	MOHAWKS, THE
Title:	The Champ
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 103CD

The Mohawks were a band fronted by arranger, Hammond grinder and king of British Library music composers, Alan Hawkshaw. All top session musicians, The Mohawks released their astonishing 1968 LP The Champ, chockfull of incredibly groovy and funky tracks. Vampisoul presents this club/groove masterpiece with no less than six bonus tracks not included on the original album. This is a high-octane release with soul/jazz organ fueling hits, one after another. The songs herein contain arguably the best and grooviest Hammond heard east of the Atlantic, the heaviest bass ever played in London, tight-or-die drum work and a full set of explosive horns. An endless string of killer dancefloor fillers, from 1 to 12 (not to mention our bonus tracks, taken from 7" singles!). You'll sure recognize the title track (or at least its organ intro). A cult classic for more over 30 years, sampled by dozens of hip hop artists such as Erik B. & Rakim, De La Soul, DJ Shadow, etc. Since the early '60s, Alan Hawkshaw played his custom-built Hammond organ in thousands of studio sessions for a myriad of artists: Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Georgie Fame, David Bowie, Cliff Richard, Donovan, The Tremeloes, Dusty Springfield, Los Bravos, Barbra Streisand and Olivia Newton-John.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Groovadelia 2
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 104CD

2008 release. The follow up to the successful Groovadelia compilation. A fresh crop of Spanish bands and artists devoted to groove-full sounds. There are twenty four new groups on volume 2; not one artist appearing on the previous volume is repeated. In addition, more unreleased material has been included than before. Groovadelia 2 proves that the black scene in Spain is in excellent shape. The groups appearing on the previous volume continue to thrive, and currently, there are new labels, new groups and renewed ideas. Right now, the funk-soul scene is likely the most vibrant scene in Spain as demonstrated by the release of this second volume. Once again Vampisoul, Enlace Funk Magazine and Club Afrodisia come together to present a showcase of current Spanish bands with funk, soul and jazz influences.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Ib�rico Jazz
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 105CD

2009 release. Vampisoul proudly presents the musical legacy of one of the great jazz personalities in Spain: Don Antoliano Toldos. A pioneer in independent jazz in Spain, he produced a handful of fantastic singles between 1967 and 1972 for his Calandria label. These are genuinely high quality dance jazz produced in the late '60s and early '70s, maybe the best kept secret of groovy jazz in Spain! These songs, some almost four decades old, still sound fresh and modern. Brought to you by Vampisoul, hand in hand with se�or Antoliano Toldos himself. Aritsts: Quinteto Montelirio, Conjunto Estif, Toldos y su Grupo, Conjunto Segali, Quinteto Diamont and A.B.V..

Artist:	LA NUEVA BANDA DE SANTISTEBAN
Title:	Sabor a Fresa
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 106CD

2009 reissue of this 1971 classic from Alfonso Santisteban's La Nueva Banda De Santisteban. An exotic cocktail of jazz, Brazilian music, flamenco influences and spaghetti-western soundtracks. Right from the start, the title theme represents the Santisteban canon: female "da-ba-das," his jazz devotion and the fixation with Brazil. "Brincadeira"" directly takes us to the beaches of Ipanema with the unmistakable cadence of bossa nova. "Nuestro ayer" and its guitar � la "Concierto de Aranjuez" marries, almost in an obscene manner, Santisteban's obsession and his reality: Copacabana and the river Manzanares, caipirinha and the San Francisco cocktail. "Lim�n y sal" and "Zorongo," both released on 45, are two bombs that have nothing to envy any of the holy grails of Euro groove that mill around the web. The former is woven by an infectious electric guitar swung by a soulish vibe, the latter by a beat that still sounds new and surprising today. Both are embellished by Tr�o La La La's trademark female choruses, led by Merche Valima�a. These tracks were official hymns of the Costa Fleming sound, epicenter of the club culture and ultimate place for encounters -- social or of any other type -- of early '70s Madrid.

Artist:	OLAIYA, VICTOR
Title:	All Stars Soul International
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 107CD

2009 release. Victor Olaiya is certainly one of the legendary foundation stones of modern Nigerian music, yet he has never received much acknowledgement or really had his albums released or promoted in any quantity outside of Nigeria. So this Vampisoul release is a step in the right direction. Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya, the evil genius of highlife, is still sockin' it to them after 60 years on stage. If you're lucky you can catch him blowing that trumpet and singing his heart out at his own celebrated "Stadium Hotel" in Lagos, Nigeria. This album from 1970 is from Olaiya's highlife/funk phase, and it's worth taking a trawl through his back pages to see how he became the Evil Genius, before you roll back the rug and get down with the highlife-funk. Our carefully produced reissue comes with extensive liner notes by specialist Max Reindhart.

Artist:	VA
Title:	The Afrosound Of Colombia Vol. 1
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 108CD

Over 2 � hours of funky, hot Afro-influenced tracks from the '60s and '70s golden-period of the seminal Discos Fuentes label in Colombia. Forty-three dancefloor hits provide an irresistible mix of genres: salsa, cumbia, boogaloo, tropical funk, and chicha. The story of the Afrosound is a tale of transformation. It tells of the enslaved African peoples who were taken to Colombia, who mixed with Europeans and indigenous inhabitants (by force or choice), and were eventually set free, as well as the escaped cimarrones (maroons) that lived in palenques (fortified settlements) and continued their own traditions. The Afrosound sings of a double diaspora, first the trek in chains during the infamous Middle Passage from the Motherland of Africa to the so-called New World, then much later, the migration from the plantations to the cities. This release deals with the unique sounds produced as a result of the inventive mixing of pop and roots that took place in the urban confines of the Discos Fuentes studios, far from Colombia's coastal regions. The invented term "Afrosound" serves as the title of a thrilling and sometimes odd soundtrack that chronicles the diffusion and evolution of the musical culture from those coastal regions as it was brought inland, where it was translated, simplified, mass marketed, manufactured, modernized, "whitened," globalized, recycled, and then sent back to the world at large, disseminated from the cities of Medell�n and Bogot�, where the major bulk of the music production industry resided in the '50s through to the '70s. To tell the story of Afrosound, you not only have to know about the influence of Afro-Antillean music and indigenous Colombian tropical coastal genres, you also have to know something about the history of Discos Fuentes and musician/producer Julio Ernesto "Fruko" Estrada. Suffice it to say that the coastal area of Colombia shares in common with other areas in the Caribbean Antilles a certain tropical mix of sensuality and syncopation that somehow manages to combine joy and pain in a transporting wave of rhythm and melody that is food for the soul. The tracks on this compilation were chosen from the vast archives of Discos Fuentes because they are fun, funky, and unexpected. The title of this compilation comes from one of the Fuentes bands, Afrosound, but here it's taken more as a general term to denote the funkier side of the label's prolific output in the '60s and '70s. The unifying factor for the collection is that the tracks all have something to do with African roots or influences in one way or another, and they mark a period of sonic experimentation, self expression, upheaval, rebellion and rebirth in the industry, nurtured by Discos Fuentes and its stable of musicians, producers, and engineers. Deluxe tri-fold packaging includes a 38-page booklet of rare photos and extensive notes.

Artist:	ATALOBHOR AND HIS OGIZA DANCE BAND, FRED FISHER
Title:	African Carnival
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 109CD

2009 release. The seventies was a vibrant musical period universally and the scene in Nigeria was no exception. Bands sprang up all over the country, free to fuse their traditional music with genres such as soul, funk and pop. In the midst of this creative turmoil, an effervescent style innovator called Fred Fisher -- famed trombonist, vocalist, composer, songwriter -- hit the world with his talent. Fred is known for high energy dance grooves and catchy melodies. This fabulous compilation, African Carnival, takes the best songs from Fred Fisher's albums: Say The Truth (1979), No Way (1981), Wahala Dey For Town (1988) and Ogiza (1990), and comes with liner notes by Nigerian specialist Samuel Kayode. Since 1972 Fisher has recorded albums for EMI and Afrosia, creating and defining his so called "Asolo Rock" -- a blend of Afro-funk-rock with soulful melodies. Fred also performed live all over the country with his own band. They opened for Fela Kuti, who noticed the talent of Bob Ohiri, who later joined Fela's band as well as King Sunny Ade. This collection finally gives Fisher the recognition he deserves.

Artist:	BLACK MERDA
Title:	Force Of Nature
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 110CD

2009 release. Black Merda (pronounced "Black Murder"), the first all black rock band to write and play their own music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, are considered to be black rock pioneers as well as the originators of their own style of black psychedelic rock. They released two albums in the 1970s, Black Merda and Long Burn The Fire, which weren't properly promoted when first released, but are now seen as black rock classics by a growing number of international music fans. Now they're back, funkier and musically diverse as ever, with a new batch of songs, to take you on a magical musical trip, that'll have your heads and minds bouncing and tripping in some new directions and happy positions. So sit back, and relax, and enjoy the funk-rock majesty of Black Merda's A Force Of Nature. CD digipack with extensive liner notes by rock critic Michael Hurtt. (Mojo).

Artist:	BLACK MERDA
Title:	Force Of Nature
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 110LP

LP version. 2009 release. Black Merda (pronounced "Black Murder"), the first all black rock band to write and play their own music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, are considered to be black rock pioneers as well as the originators of their own style of black psychedelic rock. They released two albums in the 1970s, Black Merda and Long Burn The Fire, which weren't properly promoted when first released, but are now seen as black rock classics by a growing number of international music fans. Now they're back, funkier and musically diverse as ever, with a new batch of songs, to take you on a magical musical trip, that'll have your heads and minds bouncing and tripping in some new directions and happy positions. So sit back, and relax, and enjoy the funk-rock majesty of Black Merda's A Force Of Nature.

Artist:	BATAAN WITH LOS FULANOS, JOE
Title:	King Of Latin Soul
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 111CD

2009 release. They say a cat has nine lives, and Joe Bataan has lived a multitude of them in his long illustrious career. Though out of the scene for many years, Joe is back in great form now with this excellent hard-core Latin soul release from Vampisoul. Joining Joe for this special project is the Barcelona-based Latin funk group Los Fulanos. With this album, Mr. New York revisits and revamps some of his most beloved anthems as well as some more obscure numbers. And with avid fans all over the world, this "Ordinary Guy" is poised to bring his extraordinary message of "Peace, Friendship, Solidarity" to a new generation for the first time, as well as once again to the old folks who never forgot him in the first place. Salsoul indeed!

Artist:	ALCHOURRON, RODOLFO
Title:	Sanata y Clarificaci�n Vol. I & II
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 112CD

2009 release. Vampisoul reissues two LPs from 1972 and 1974 from Argentine guitarist, composer and arranger Rodolfo Alchourr�n. The result is a jazz-tinted sound which incorporates elements of rock, soul, lounge, film soundtracks and even tango. Alchourr�n holds a special place in Argentine music, both for his intense production as well as for his ability to set up bridges between different musical genres. In the jazz scene he played with musicians as renowned as Leandro "Gato" Barbieri and Enrique "Mono" Villegas. In the tango arena, he collaborated with Eduardo Rovira, Astor Piazzolla and Rodolfo Mederos. In rock, he's well known for his orchestral arrangements for Almendra, Miguel Abuelo and Litto Nebia. Since the '60s, Alchourr�n founded and directed a great diversity of groups: from trios up to a big band of 16 players. It is in this context where we can frame his experiences with the Sanata y Clarificaci�n project, dating from the period between 1970 and 1974. The band, made up of top-level musicians, proposed a musical interchange between jazz and rock which was rather unusual in the framework of the music produced in Argentina at that time. The first volume of Sanata y Clarificaci�n, released in 1972 on the independent label Prom�sica, incorporates great space for instrumental improvisation while influenced by Italian soundtracks from that period. The second volume, released in 1974, continues the first volume's propulsive, intensifying arrangements, strong melodic lines and instrumental solos, touching upon not only to jazz and rock, but also waltz and tango. The instability of the local context and the difficulties to promote a project which lacked a commercial orientation provoked the break-up of the band that same year. The difficulties in promoting a project which lacked commercial potential resulted in the band's break-up that same year, making this CD a welcome reissue of truly inspired musical activity.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gozalo! - Bugal� Tropical Vol. 3
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 113CD

2009 release. Vampisoul presents the third volume in our series of tropical Peruvian music of the 1960s. It was labels like MAG, Iempsa, Dinsa and Sono Radio that captured this emerging sound. Like the previous two volumes, this album captures a little known but dynamic moment in Peru's musical development that allowed the consolidation of new trends oriented towards what would become known by the early 70s as salsa, as well as forging a vibrant scene that incorporated cumbia, Latin soul, rock, and jazz funk. Compiler Rafael Hurtado de Mendoza brings you a new volume of this exciting, spicy mix of tropical gems that fill in the missing link between the mambo era and the dawn of salsa in South America. Mario Allison, Alfredo Linares, Nilo Espinosa, Silvestre Montes, Tito Chicoma, Charlie Palomares, �ico Estrada and Willie Marambio may not be well known names in "el Norte" yet, but the tasty tunes they cut over 30 years ago are a rare treat for the Latin music enthusiast. Coco Lagos and Melcochita may be the only names that people will recognize, but Los Girasoles (with their guitar-heavy break-neck speed rock/cumbia) and Lucho Macedo (arguably the first Peruvian tropical superstar), will become household names before long.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gozalo! - Bugal� Tropical Vol. 3
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 113LP

2013 repress, originally released in 2009. Vampisoul presents the third volume in their series of tropical Peruvian music of the 1960s. It was labels like MAG, Iempsa, Dinsa and Sono Radio that captured this emerging sound. Like the previous two volumes, this album captures a little known but dynamic moment in Peru's musical development that allowed the consolidation of new trends oriented towards what would become known by the early '70s as salsa, as well as forging a vibrant scene that incorporated cumbia, Latin soul, rock, and jazz funk. Compiler Rafael Hurtado de Mendoza brings you a new volume of this exciting, spicy mix of tropical gems that fill in the missing link between the mambo era and the dawn of salsa in South America. Mario Allison, Alfredo Linares, Nilo Espinosa, Silvestre Montes, Tito Chicoma, Charlie Palomares, �ico Estrada and Willie Marambio may not be well known names in "el Norte" yet, but the tasty tunes they cut over 30 years ago are a rare treat for the Latin music enthusiast. Coco Lagos and Melcochita may be the only names that people will recognize, but Los Girasoles (with their guitar-heavy break-neck speed rock/cumbia) and Lucho Macedo (arguably the first Peruvian tropical superstar), will become household names before long.

Artist:	KUBISOVA, MARTA
Title:	NE! The Soul Of Marta Kubisov�
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 114CD

2009 release. Marta Kubisov� was the most popular Czechoslovakian female singer of the late 1960s, heading for an international career but banned by the communist regime until 1989. Compiled from the Supraphon archives, this 1966-1970 selection focuses on her roughest songs, with plenty of fuzz guitars and funky beats, punchy horns and razor-sharp organs underlying her deep and soulful voice. Marta's first professional recordings for Supraphon date back to 1963, when she was age 21. After spending three years singing jazzy tunes in provincial theatres, in late 1964 she followed her discoverer and mentor, the composer and future Supraphon producer Bohuslav Ondr�cek, to the renowned Rokoko theatre in Prague. There she performed with superstar Waldemar Matuska and with her later Golden Kids bandmates Helena Vondr�ckov� and V�clav Neck�r until 1968. They recruited a rhythm section of young beat musicians, giving the sound a progressive contemporary touch. The horn section, on the other hand, featured top players from various pop, jazz and even classical orchestras. This explosive blend of personalities was responsible for some of the funkiest grooves that emerged from the rather conservative Supraphon studios. In 1969 Marta Kubisov� and The Golden Kids recorded dozens of songs which were released on numerous seven-inch singles as well as on two albums: Micro-Magic-Circus and Golden Kids 1 (aka Music Box No. 1). The repertoire contained original compositions as well as cover versions of international pop, beat and soul hits with Czech lyrics. Within the group Marta was usually given the soulful or melancholic material, as it would suit her deep and dark timbre. Additionally, Supraphon finally released Marta's first solo LP, Songy A Balady, presenting a more personal selection of songs. Extensive notes covering Marta Kubisov�'s career by compiler Luk�s Machata.

Artist:	KUBISOVA, MARTA
Title:	NE! The Soul Of Marta Kubisov�
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 114LP

2LP version. 2009 release. Marta Kubisov� was the most popular Czechoslovakian female singer of the late 1960s, heading for an international career but banned by the communist regime until 1989. Compiled from the Supraphon archives, this 1966-1970 selection focuses on her roughest songs, with plenty of fuzz guitars and funky beats, punchy horns and razor-sharp organs underlying her deep and soulful voice. Marta's first professional recordings for Supraphon date back to 1963, when she was age 21. After spending three years singing jazzy tunes in provincial theatres, in late 1964 she followed her discoverer and mentor, the composer and future Supraphon producer Bohuslav Ondr�cek, to the renowned Rokoko theatre in Prague. There she performed with superstar Waldemar Matuska and with her later Golden Kids bandmates Helena Vondr�ckov� and V�clav Neck�r until 1968. They recruited a rhythm section of young beat musicians, giving the sound a progressive contemporary touch. The horn section, on the other hand, featured top players from various pop, jazz and even classical orchestras. This explosive blend of personalities was responsible for some of the funkiest grooves that emerged from the rather conservative Supraphon studios. In 1969 Marta Kubisov� and The Golden Kids recorded dozens of songs which were released on numerous seven-inch singles as well as on two albums: Micro-Magic-Circus and Golden Kids 1 (aka Music Box No. 1). The repertoire contained original compositions as well as cover versions of international pop, beat and soul hits with Czech lyrics. Within the group Marta was usually given the soulful or melancholic material, as it would suit her deep and dark timbre. Additionally, Supraphon finally released Marta's first solo LP, Songy A Balady, presenting a more personal selection of songs. Extensive notes covering Marta Kubisov�'s career by compiler Luk�s Machata.

Artist:	VIKLICKY, EMIL
Title:	The Funky Way Of Emil Viklick�
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 115CD

2009 release. Emil Viklick� is one of the most renowned Czech jazz musicians and composers. This focused-on-funk selection was recorded between 1975 and 1987 in Czechoslovak studios. Be it with the legendary SHQ or with Energit, accompanying Eva Svobodov�, conducting a tight studio big band or collaborating with fellow Berklee College students Frisell/Driscoll/Johnson, Emil knows how to funk up his keys all the way through. Viklick� began his career as a jazz musician upon moving to Prague in 1971. In 1974 he teamed up with blues rock guitarist Lubos Andrst, whose then hard rock group, Energit, had just been banned by the communist censors. Viklick� significantly helped Andrst to transform Energit into a top-class instrumental jazz-rock combo, and with the group's self-titled album he also finally made his belated vinyl debut in 1975 (compiled here with the track "R�no [Part 1, Kash Edit] [Morning]"). Another long-lasting collaboration was with the gifted jazz singer Eva Svobodov�. In the mid-1970s Viklick� provided her with a backing trio and also composed a lot of original material for her. The fruits of Viklick�'s broad activities was a one-year scholarship to study composition and arrangement at Boston's Berklee College of Music in 1977/78. In the US he was exposed to all flavors of contemporary jazz while jamming with numerous top musicians. Back home, some of his fellow students visited him in Prague in summer 1979: Bill Frisell, Kermit Driscoll and Vinnie Johnson. Also featured on this collection is his previously-unissued big band versions of some of his best jazz-funk tunes which he arranged and conducted. These were taped between 1979 and 1987 with members of various Czech jazz orchestras. A perfect introduction for Czech jazz with groove, with one of the masters: Emil Viklick�. Extensive notes by Luk�s Machata.

Artist:	VIKLICKY, EMIL
Title:	The Funky Way Of Emil Viklick�
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 115LP

2LP version. 2009 release. Emil Viklick� is one of the most renowned Czech jazz musicians and composers. This focused-on-funk selection was recorded between 1975 and 1987 in Czechoslovak studios. Be it with the legendary SHQ or with Energit, accompanying Eva Svobodov�, conducting a tight studio big band or collaborating with fellow Berklee College students Frisell/Driscoll/Johnson, Emil knows how to funk up his keys all the way through. Viklick� began his career as a jazz musician upon moving to Prague in 1971. In 1974 he teamed up with blues rock guitarist Lubos Andrst, whose then hard rock group, Energit, had just been banned by the communist censors. Viklick� significantly helped Andrst to transform Energit into a top-class instrumental jazz-rock combo, and with the group's self-titled album he also finally made his belated vinyl debut in 1975 (compiled here with the track "R�no [Part 1, Kash Edit] [Morning]"). Another long-lasting collaboration was with the gifted jazz singer Eva Svobodov�. In the mid-1970s Viklick� provided her with a backing trio and also composed a lot of original material for her. The fruits of Viklick�'s broad activities was a one-year scholarship to study composition and arrangement at Boston's Berklee College of Music in 1977/78. In the US he was exposed to all flavors of contemporary jazz while jamming with numerous top musicians. Back home, some of his fellow students visited him in Prague in summer 1979: Bill Frisell, Kermit Driscoll and Vinnie Johnson. Also featured on this collection is his previously-unissued big band versions of some of his best jazz-funk tunes which he arranged and conducted. These were taped between 1979 and 1987 with members of various Czech jazz orchestras. A perfect introduction for Czech jazz with groove, with one of the masters: Emil Viklick�. Extensive notes by Luk�s Machata.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Cumbia Beat Volume 1
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 116CD

Subtitled: Experimental Guitar-Driven Tropical Sounds from Peru 1966-1976. In 1960s Peru, a thrilling and unstoppable style of music was born: Peruvian cumbia, also known as "chicha." Tropical genres such as merengue, guaracha, rumba and cumbia mix with '60s beat and psychedelic rock, while electric guitars reinterpret folk melodies and traditions from the Andes and the Amazonian jungle, in a musical representation of the exodus from rural areas to Lima and other big cities. This is the first volume of a new series dedicated to documenting this most exciting and popular genre. In mid-'50s Peru, mambo was progressively replaced by preferences for other rhythms like merengue, guaguanc�, cha cha cha, joropo, guaracha, rumba and cumbia. In Lima, it's the golden age of great orchestras and music ensembles which are capable of playing swing and jazz, but especially the diverse tropical variants inundating the market. The most successful of all, La Sonora De Lucho Macedo, released an LP in 1965 consisting exclusively of cumbia. Around this time, the successful folklore group Los Pacharacos released the album Los �dolos Del Pueblo, which included a cumbia number in the middle of a potpourri of huaynos, waltzes and polkas. The marriage between folklore and cumbia had taken place. The groups preserved the fusion of foxtrot and mambo rhythms along with huayno and cumbia in the execution of their music. That feeling would be the basis for the success of such unorthodox and unclassifiable songs as "La Chichera" or "Petipan." The recording in 1965 of these two songs by Los Demonios Del Mantaro on a seminal 45 rpm with the Sono Radio label was the jumping-off point for the birth of cumbia andina, also called "chicha" precisely for this song, which is dedicated to a vendor of the well-known Incan liquor. The electric shock of rock guitars enters the world of cumbia in 1968. The cause of such copulation was Enrique Delgado Montes, regarded as the genre's godfather. He did it as part of his band Los Destellos, on a 45 ("El Avisp�n"/"La Malvada") and an eponymous LP. His songs constitute the most surprising musical fusions and amalgams of the time: whether they merge Cuban music and psychedelia, explore the sounds of Andean or Amazonian music, combine the digitalization of the Creole guitar with huayno melodies or abuse fuzz tones and distortion pedals with enormous strength. The metamorphosis of cumbia turns it into a genre that seems to voraciously cannibalize acoustic traditions and modern technologies. There wasn't an innovation that tropical guitarists didn't add to their sound: delay, fuzz tone, overdrive, wah-wah, reverb, modulating effects typical of rock bands were assimilated into a stunning sonic cocktail. In this context, cumbia reached the top of the charts in popularity. Cumbia replaced rock as the urban sound. The groups would slowly develop an ethnic sensibility inspired by native Shipibo motifs and an astonishing and bewitching sound that seemed to drink from all the mysteries, secrets and myths of the jungle. Includes a 36-page booklet in English and Spanish plus photos and memorabilia.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Back To Peru Vol. 2
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 117CD

2009 release. Volume two of this collection of the rarest grooves from Peru, including garage stompers, psych-pop, raunchy funk, Latin rock and anything in between. The shards of the tremendous musical explosion that took place in Peru between 1965 and 1975 are still scattered. Those who are lucky to find them remain hypnotized by their charm forever. During that magical decade Peruvian rock bands fed from all possible influences. The original surf, rock and beat sounds were joined by psychedelic experimentation and the cult of the acid. Some bands went even further and explored the field of music fusion as well as the most remote confines of their mind. And most of it is here! We welcome you, then, to a new overview of a scene whose diversity mirrors a society based on a powerful mix of races and cultures. One of the great sources of inspiration was the rock, psychedelic pop and soul music that came from the United States and England. The songs by artists like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Iron Butterfly, The Beatles or Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels had such a great impact that they ended up merging with traditional Tropical rhythms, giving birth to new and surprising music styles such as "psychedelic guajira." Some bands, like Los Holy's, Los Comandos, Los Jaguars or Los Siderals, chose to turn up the reverb on their amps and do without lyrics for their fantastic surf instrumentals, which sometimes incorporated arrangements in the style of Joe Meek. Other groups went for a rougher approach. Los Saicos, Los Shain's or Los Drag's represent the wildest type of teenage abandon with their beat rhythms and garage energy. Hallucinogenic plants and the consumption of other illegal substances brought about total experimentation to Peruvian music, both in terms of composition and arrangements. Songs such as the bluesy "Efectos" by Los Teddy's and "Cuarto Oscuro" by Los Zheros reflect this new psychedelic scene. After the lysergic effects came hard and acid rock, full of heavy riffs and plenty of fuzz and wah-wah pedals, surprisingly adopted and practiced by bands like Pax, Telegraph Ave and Traffic Sound. Traditional folklore also suffered the effects of the foreign rock invasion. Native styles such as cumbia incorporated elements from rock, which resulted in curious tracks such as "Onst� la yerbita" by Los Destellos, featured here.

Artist:	DAVIS, MELVIN
Title:	Detroit Soul Ambassador
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 118CD

Vampisoul presents the first-ever compilation of the complete early to mid-'60s recordings by Melvin Davis -- an essential figure in Detroit music history. One of the most talented, dynamic and prolific artists in the history of Motor City music, Melvin Davis isn't so much a musician as he is a musical force: songwriter, drummer, performer, producer, arranger, label owner, etc. His bands have included everyone from a pre-Temptations David Ruffin to a post-MC5 Wayne Kramer. His drumming helped define the Miracles' Motown smash "Tears Of A Clown," drove the Lyman Woodard Trio's double-sided funk masterpiece River Rouge/It's Your Thing and became the stuff of legend on Dennis Coffey's seminal LP Hair And Thangs. He's the evocative lead vocalist behind the 8th Day's million seller "You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk)" and the songwriter who penned JJ Barnes' desperate ode "Chains Of Love." The genre that has come to be called northern soul could hardly claim a more qualified ambassador, for Davis penned many of its most crucial cornerstones: Johnnie Mae Matthews' "Lonely You'll Be," Darrell Banks' "I'm The One Who Loves You," Lonette McKee's "Stop! Don't Worry About It," Edward Hamilton's "I'm Gonna Love You," Ann Perry's "That's The Way He Is," Steve Mancha's "I Won't Love You And Leave You." While Davis' very presence helped to define a myriad of local labels whose output was every bit as essential to the soul of Detroit's golden era as was Motown's, his profile as an artist has often been boiled down to the northern soul floor-fillers "Find A Quiet Place (And Be Lonely)" and "I Must Love You." As brilliant as they are, it should come as no surprise that there is another side to Davis' early Detroit discography, one that is the very essence of the city's rockin' soul aesthetic. A true portrait of Melvin Davis would be incomplete without the superb sides he cut for tiny labels such as Jack Pot and KE KE, fiercely independent imprints like Fortune and Wheel City, and slightly larger concerns such as Groovesville. For the first time ever, every one of them is here, along with several unreleased cuts from the Groovesville vaults. Detroit soul is represented in all its stylistic nuances: the garage R&B of "I Don't Want You," the proto-northern sound of "I Won't Be Your Fool," the bohemian jazz inflections of "It's No News," the frantic rock'n'roll of "Playboy" and "This Ain't The Way," the persistent, minor-keyed mood of "Wedding Bells" and the majesty of "Find A Quiet Place" and "I Must Love You." Comprehensive liner notes by writer, historian and musician Michael Hurtt.

Artist:	EL GRAN FELLOVE
Title:	Mango Mangue
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 119CD

2010 release. Vampisoul presents a compilation of the late '50s and early '60s recordings by this unique singer and showman from Cuba, a contemporary of P�rez Prado, Cachao and Mongo Santamar�a. Includes his famous ska/mambo crossover hit "El Jamaiquino." Francisco Fellove Vald�s composed "Mango Mang��" when he was 16, in Ni�o Rivera's house. The first musician to record the song was the singer Miguelito Vald�s. Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, the flautist Johnny Pacheco and Aldemaro Romero also recorded it. In 1955, Fellove travelled to Mexico City where he made his debut at Roberto Morales's Bar Latino with Jos� Antonio M�ndez before going to the El Burro club with the Orquesta Am�rica. He recorded a few 45s and six LPs for RCA Victor. The artistic director of RCA was the pianist and songwriter Mario Ruiz Armengol, who did a few arrangements for Fellove and lent him his orchestra for the recording sessions. So, beginning with his Havana scat, in which he expressed Cuba's musical soul, the chua-chua was born in Mexico City. Along with Hector Batamba he organized a sextet with Lalo Montaner on the flute, Ra�l Cerda on the piano, Hector Leal on the g�iro, "El Lobo" on the drums and "El Rat�n" on bass. After recording for RCA Victor (from September 1956 to September 1957) the group broke up when Batamba went to Europe. Fellove formed a new band: "I had invented the chua-chua, a kind of scat. In my group, Lobo and Mel�n did the choruses." In this compilation we discover Fellove's guarachera facet along with the best examples of his career in chuachua, but also some very original versions of the classics of Mexican music ("Te Quiero Coraz�n," "Baile El Minuet") and of Puerto Rican music ("Cortaron a Elena"). Even more surprising is his interpretation of a R�o de la Plata classic, "Los ejes de mi carreta."

Artist:	SPITERI
Title:	Spiteri
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 121CD

2010 release. Reissue of this magical album that merges rock, soul and psychedelia with Venezuelan rhythms. Recorded in London in 1973, Spiteri gained the support of artists such as Noel Redding, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood and many others. This is the only legacy from the most important Latin rock group from Venezuela. In love with the British band Traffic and full of Latin American feeling, brothers Charles and Jorge Spiteri decided to move from Caracas to London at the start of the '70s and try their luck as musicians. Jorge had started out in bands such as Los Nasty Pillows, Fantastic Guasacaca, Los Juniors and Los Memphis. In London he met up with his brother Charlie (ex-Los Memphis) and had the chance to know two of the great artists of the "British Invasion": Georgie Fame and Alan Price, keyboard player in The Animals. One thing led to another and Jorge also met Mervin "Muff" Winwood, brother of British super star Stevie Winwood, who fully introduced Jorge to London's music scene. It was during those years when the idea for a band mixing the Latin sound with rock was born. The rhythm section was completed by Bernardo Hall (ex- Los Impala) on drums, while Jose�to Romero (ex-member of Tsee Mud and Bacro) was the lead guitarist. A fundamental piece in this line-up was Jos� Manuel "Chema" Arria (ex-Los Claners and Sangre), the bass player, as he had a long professional experience. The last one to join them was Rub�n "Micho" Correa (ex-Los Kings and Grupo Pan), who took on flute and vocals. It was in fact a Venezuelan super group established in London, so it wasn't long before London's music industry saw in Spiteri a British alternative to the popular "Santana sound." In 1973, the band was signed by record company GM. The record was released in Venezuela at the end of 1973. They were Venezuelans recording in Europe and making fusion rock that hadn't been heard before; it was Venezuelan music but in a completely contemporary format. Mixing English and Spanish, Jorge Spiteri's compositions and arrangements opened a new horizon, where Venezuelan folklore, Afro-Caribbean elements, hard rock and bolero-charged ballads converged. CD version includes 7 bonus tracks.

Artist:	VA
Title:	R&B Hipshakers Vol. 1: Teach Me To Monkey
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	10x7" BOX
Price:	$61.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 122-7

7" box set version, containing ten singles with replica King/Federal bags and labels. Limited edition of 1,000 copies. The first volume in a new Vampisoul series -- an uptempo and danceable collection of '60s R&B and early soul from the Federal and King vaults, compiled by renowned DJ Mr. Fine Wine ("Downtown Soulville," WFMU). Most tracks have never been reissued. "When compiling Vampisoul's dip into King Records' deep, deep rhythm-and blues vaults, I realized that I'm a sucker for the sounds of '61. And, well, '62 too. Not that other years slightly earlier and later aren't represented as well, but, fully a quarter of the tracks herein are from 1961. What happened then? President Kennedy happened then, for one thing, inaugurated on January 20th. Also: chimps and their perhaps marginally more civilized human cousins in space; Roger Maris eclipsing the Babe, albeit with a conceptual asterisk; Jets vs. Sharks on the West Side; the Cold War in full swing; a hot war in Vietnam just starting to smolder, though few Americans had even heard of the place yet. And brilliant black musicians making timeless records for a Cincinnati, Ohio family of labels -- gibbling and gobbling down Broadway, implanting indelible, stinging guitar lines in the public consciousness, and making folks do the ginger snap like there was no tomorrow, which I'm sure there didn't always seem to be. This collection of genuine King and Federal R&B sides encompasses crazy dances, intense guitar instrumentals, inspired forays into mind-altering whimsy, timeless odes to male horniness, and hook-filled, honest-to-goodness love songs. For a raucous and potentially life-changing R&B dance party in a box, though, you'll find Teach Me To Monkey to be just the thing." --Mr. Fine Wine; WFMU's "Downtown Soulville," New York City, 2010; Artists include: Willie Wright, Hank Ballard, Lulu Reed, Little Willie John, Lloyd Nolan, The "5" Royales, Little Mummy, The Valentines, Eugene Church, Charles Brown, El Pauling, Roy Milton & His Orchestra, Freddy King, The Drivers, Carol Ford, Little Bobby Moore, Little Emmett Sutton, Sonny Thompson, Johnny Watson, and Eddie Kirk.

Artist:	VA
Title:	R&B Hipshakers Vol. 1: Teach Me To Monkey
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 122CD

The first volume in a new Vampisoul series -- an uptempo and danceable collection of '60s R&B and early soul from the Federal and King vaults, compiled by renowned DJ Mr. Fine Wine ("Downtown Soulville," WFMU). Most tracks have never been reissued. "When compiling Vampisoul's dip into King Records' deep, deep rhythm-and blues vaults, I realized that I'm a sucker for the sounds of '61. And, well, '62 too. Not that other years slightly earlier and later aren't represented as well, but, fully a quarter of the tracks herein are from 1961. What happened then? President Kennedy happened then, for one thing, inaugurated on January 20th. Also: chimps and their perhaps marginally more civilized human cousins in space; Roger Maris eclipsing the Babe, albeit with a conceptual asterisk; Jets vs. Sharks on the West Side; the Cold War in full swing; a hot war in Vietnam just starting to smolder, though few Americans had even heard of the place yet. And brilliant black musicians making timeless records for a Cincinnati, Ohio family of labels -- gibbling and gobbling down Broadway, implanting indelible, stinging guitar lines in the public consciousness, and making folks do the ginger snap like there was no tomorrow, which I'm sure there didn't always seem to be. This collection of genuine King and Federal R&B sides encompasses crazy dances, intense guitar instrumentals, inspired forays into mind-altering whimsy, timeless odes to male horniness, and hook-filled, honest-to-goodness love songs. For a raucous and potentially life-changing R&B dance party in a box, though, you'll find Teach Me To Monkey to be just the thing." --Mr. Fine Wine; WFMU's "Downtown Soulville," New York City, 2010; Artists include: Willie Wright, Hank Ballard, Lulu Reed, Little Willie John, Lloyd Nolan, The "5" Royales, Little Mummy, The Valentines, Eugene Church, Charles Brown, El Pauling, Roy Milton & His Orchestra, Freddy King, The Drivers, Carol Ford, Little Bobby Moore, Little Emmett Sutton, Sonny Thompson, Johnny Watson, and Eddie Kirk.

Artist:	BUCKNOR, SEGUN
Title:	Who Say I Tire
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 123CD

There's no doubt that the brightest star which burned in the Nigerian firmament in the early '70s was Fela Anikupalo Kuti. But for a while Segun Bucknor's Revolution, with its politics, African roots consciousness, dancers and African funk fusion, gave even Fela something to think about. To date, this is the largest compilation of his music from the early '70s to have been released. Segun was born in 1946 into a well-regarded Lagos musical family who were church singers and organists. He started to play box guitar and the piano at nine years old. Two years later, he got to lead his first band, The Hot Spots, and then in 1961, he got the chance to play and record with highlife bandleader Roy Chicago's Rhythm Dandies dance band. But by 1964, highlife was becoming old hat for post-independence Nigerian youth. With three school friends, Segun formed The Hot Four, who played mostly covers of popular pop and rock songs, but in 1965, he left for New York's Columbia University to study liberal arts and ethnomusicology. During his three years in the U.S., he was totally overpowered by a sonic blast that hadn't reached Nigeria when he left for the U.S.: sweet soul music. In 1968, he'd completed his studies and returned to Lagos on a mission to bring soul power to Nigeria. Trouble was, he soon found that young Lagos had already succumbed in his absence. The Civil War had sped up the demise of highlife as a popular force, causing a mass exodus of the Igbo highlife bandleaders to Biafra, and juju music had begun to come to prominence in their absence. But then the Sierra Leonean Geraldo Pino and his Heartbeats arrived to turn the Lagos scene on its head with his funky routines and their version of U.S. soul and funk. The Hot Four reformed as The Soul Assembly, recorded two singles, dressed up in sharp Western-style suits and even toured in Ghana, then the molten hot hub of happening African music. But much of the music The Soul Assembly and the other Lagos soul bands were playing were covers of U.S. hits, so when The Soul Assembly disintegrated in 1969, Segun began to develop another musical vision based around his own compositions. He formed Segun Bucknor & The Assembly and headed towards a more organically African expression of soul music. As that African essence evolved, the band became Segun Bucknor & The Revolution. Out went the suits, in came a resplendent vision of bare torsos, cowrie shells, shaved heads and the crowning glory of the non-stop undulations of the trio of dancers, The Sweet Things. Segun was writing and recording politically-aware songs filled with social comment like "Sorrow, Sorrow, Sorrow," "Poor Man No Get Brother," "Son Of January 15th," "Who Say I Tire" and "Adebo," featured on this compilation. Son Of January 15th, the 1970 (?) album from which most of these tracks have come, turned out to be Segun's finest hour. His subsequent tunes and lyrics lost their urgency and his popularity waned. By 1975, he had disbanded his Revolution to concentrate on journalism, though you may still be lucky enough to catch him performing, maybe in church or even in the right club in Lagos, where he still lives. Liner notes by African music expert Max Reinhardt (BBC Radio 3's "Late Junction").

Artist:	JOHNSON, BOLA
Title:	Man No Die
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 124CD

From the vaults of Philips in Nigeria comes this collection of music from mysterious trumpeter and bandleader, Bola Johnson. Unmissable '60s and early '70s recordings for all highlife and Afrobeat fans. A missing jewel from a golden age of Nigerian music. Up till now, Bola Johnson only seems to figure in the margins of the high octane Lagos music scene of the late '60s and early '70s. He may have never had the focus, the career longevity or the catalog of titans like Afrobeat's Fela Kuti, juju's King Sunny Ade or highlife's Victor Olaiya, but his music took its own magnificent route through the popular music of the time. His joyful treasure of a voice embellished every style in his repertoire, from the sweetly melodic heights of highlife and palm wine to the soulful skanking of Afro-blues/funk and Afrobeat; his red-hot trumpet scorches its way to your yearning soul; his tunes vibrate with infectious hooks and undulating rhythms; he seems equally at home composing across the stylistic range -- Funk? Calypso? Highlife? You name it. His early years were inflamed by his time playing with Nigerian trumpet-playing legend and highlife maestro Eddy Okonta, but he joined Eric Akeaze's highlife band as a singer and maracas player in that same year, then resident at the Easy Life Hotel, in Mokola, Ibadan, which was the hub of the music scene in Nigeria in the '60s. When Eric Akeaze and his band left the Easy Life Hotel, Bola was asked to stay and set up the Easy Life Top Beats. They also toured the northern part of Nigeria. When Bola returned south, this time to Lagos later in 1968, he and his musicians were ready to make their funkiest tracks. In 1964, while still only 17 years old, Bola had been signed to the Philips West African record label, and he recorded many of the rootsier tracks you will hear on this album as 7" singles. In 1968, in Lagos, he recorded the funkier material on his Papa Rebecca Special LP and later a rootsier album entitled Ashewo Ajegunle Yakare. Given how great he sounds, you've just got to ask exactly why more material wasn't recorded. According to Bola, the A&R people at Philips in those days allowed sentiment for the past to override their judgment in promoting new artists, because they had highlife giants on their label such as Osita Osadebe, Rex Lawson, Victor Olaiya and Bobby Benson, and so it was hard for younger artists to get their attention, backing and consequent exposure. Additionally, it was always difficult for him to own musical instruments, and bandleaders were the people who owned and supplied their musicians with musical hardware. Of course, you must factor in the civil war and the consequent decrease in popularity of highlife, then the rise of juju, Afrobeat and the briefly fashionable Afro-rock. Classic and unique as Bola's approach was, it didn't seem to light the same kind of fuse for young Lagos. As his musical opportunities began to wane, Bola went into broadcasting, firstly at Radio Nigeria Ibadan in 1970 and then he moved to the FRCN (Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria) in 1973. Sometimes he played at the Cool Cat in Ebute Metta, Lagos. These days, Bola lives in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos. He still writes music and looks forward to making new recordings.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Flipper Psychout: Original Italian Library Music
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 125CD

...From The Vaults Of Flipper. This is the first volume of Vampisoul's dig into the historical library music catalog of Italy's Flipper Music. A brilliant blend of cinematic sound landscapes, space-age bachelor pad music (Italian style) and atmospheric, fuzzy psych-grooves. Obscure early '70s tracks from cult labels such as Canopo, Deneb, Flirt and Octopus, most reissued here for the first time. "I came across the Flipper records in a Sunday flea market in Rome amongst the usual stacks of rubbish, but if you dig down deep into this pile, you can often find long forgotten treasures. This particular flea market is held every week and you can meet all kinds of collectors from antique dealers to the private collector in search of books, furniture, various types of objects, bric-a-brac and also vinyl records. As far as I'm concerned, the pure fact I came across the record series of Canopo, Deneb, Market, Octopus, all brands that belong to Flipper Music, gave me the chance of working in the world of the international music library. I am still working in the same job today but have now become the artistic advisor of Flipper Music, so I can certainly say I found more than just a little treasure in that little flea market. These library music catalogs were all brought out around about 1969/1970, and the music they contain tries to follow the trendiest fashions of those times, also in the records of pure atmosphere. The composers' creativity played the leading role in these catalogs. The composers only had simple means with which to produce their music, so they used their imagination. In order to create a record full of suspense they often used wah-wah guitar, or the fuzz distorter, or even an extremely distorted electric bass guitar that was very common in those days. Therefore, the various composers interpreted the entire rock/psychedelic panorama of the late '60s and early '70s in this library music style, from the dance piece to the thriller. In this compilation, you'll find examples of this way of producing music with tracks from 1969 to 1975. Flipper Psychout is only a small part of what is found inside the historical catalog of Flipper Music, which means it's only the first volume of the series. I wanted a darker, more aggressive sound in this volume with real sound effects to give you an idea of the eccentricity of composers such as Sandro Brugnolini, Amedeo Tommasi, Alessandro Alessandroni, and Roberto Conrado. The first two started off as modern jazz musicians recording for Italian RCA, whereas Alessandro Alessandroni is the famous whistler in Ennio Morricone's music composed for Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns. Roberto Conrado was the drummer in two Italian beat groups, The Go Karts and Gli Apostoli (The Apostles), but also the arranger for the famous Italian singer Renato Zero. At this point all you have to do is close your eyes and listen to this first volume, letting your mind float through this suggestive sound adventure full of psychedelic images. Have a good trip." --Alessandro Casella

Artist:	VA
Title:	R&B Hipshakers Vol. 2: Scratch That Itch
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 126CD

This is the second volume in Vampisoul's series featuring rockin' R&B and early soul from the King/Federal/DeLuxe catalog circa 1956-1967 -- 20 terrific dance cuts selected by genre expert DJ Mr. Fine Wine ("Downtown Soulville," WFMU). "We clawed our way into the King Records vaults again to come up with more virtuosic instrumentals ('Marsanova' rhymes with 'bossa nova,' more or less, if you pronounce organist supreme Hank Marr's surname with the right accent; Freddy King raises Mr. Marr two dance crazes on 'Bossa Nova Watusi Twist'); more classy love songs with a hook ('Burnt Toast And Black Coffee,' besides being the epitome of that particular sub-subgenre, is highly elusive and expensive on an original Federal 45 and much in-demand in the R&B dance parlors of Western Europe; kudos to the gong banger on the plaintive 'You Have My Blessings'); more unholy dances ('Monkey Tonight' is one of Eddie Kirk's more restrained performances, believe it or not; this compilation's title track describes a dance that, like so many of the worthwhile ones, might get you escorted from your high-school prom in handcuffs if you tried it); and more holy nonsense ('My Name Is Puddentane,' declares the prolific and wonderful Lula Reed, an earthily appropriate reply to Hank Ballard's to-the-point pick-up line 'What's Your Name'; if 'Whiz-A-Shoo-Pepi-Dada' meant anything, would it get your hips shaking quite so violently?). Then there's the record that's almost always in my DJ box, one of my favorite 45s ever -- so exciting when its drums and taunting female chorus kick in over a loud system in a sweaty club, only to be answered by Johnny Watson's blistering voice and guitar: 'I say, I love you.' The women singing 'Get them women off your mind' -- confusingly, I can't get them off my mind. And the capper? A strong contender for Greatest Song Ever, in its best incarnation: Otis Redding's 'Shout Bamalama.' The custodians of the King vaults couldn't come up with this recording for us; for some reason, they found only a tamer mix. I had to dub it off my well-worn 45 (speaking of scratches!)." --Mr. Fine Wine

Artist:	VA
Title:	Gozalo! - Bugal� Tropical Vol. 4
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 127CD

This is volume 4 of Vampisoul's successful series of tropical Peruvian music of the '60s: an exciting, spicy mix of musical gems that fill in the link between the mambo era and the dawn of salsa in South America. When drawing the musical map of Latin America, the mistake is often made to identify the zone of influence of Afro-Latin music only around the Caribbean. It's true that the great creators are Cuban and Puerto Rican, but when their music spread out across Latin America, similar scenes sprung up in other parts of the continent. It was during the '50s that the genre captivated Peru. Tropical orchestras appeared everywhere with a repertoire based on mambos, guarachas and, to a lesser extent, boleros and merengues. However, over the Afro-Cuban foundation they added diverse influences and reached a new sound, different from their inspiration. Within the core of the tropical music scene, the Sonora de Lucho Macedo was the first group of its kind in the middle of an environment exclusively populated by orchestras. Beyond his irrefutable professional merits, Macedo's essential contribution was to recruit musicians that later on would start the most important boogaloo groups. The first one to leave his band and go his own way was Joe Di Roma. Bongoist �iko Estrada left a little later to create his Sonora Antillana. From Macedo's band also came double bass player Jos� "Pepe" Hern�ndez, percussionists Mario Allison and Coco Lagos, trumpet player Tito Chicoma and singer Charlie Palomares -- almost all of the main artists of the golden age of boogaloo in the mid-'60s, each of them a director of their own band. 1962 saw the arrival of Nilo Espinosa, a saxophonist with a solid academic formation and a deep knowledge of jazz. The puzzle was completed with the self-taught pianist Otto de Rojas. They all knew each other from the hotels, parties and TV sets, but especially from the studio recording sessions. The height of the tropical orchestras coincided with boogaloo. At that point, the scenario had changed. The massive migration inland towards the capital brought along a radical change in popular music, giving birth to Peruvian cumbia, which also had a tropical foundation. The Afro-Cuban influence, without disappearing at all, left room for a Colombian influence. With the new decade, the market was taken over by cumbia and salsa. An era had reached its end. This collection features liner notes in Spanish and English by expert Carlos Torres Rotondo plus photos and original artwork reproductions.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Subway Salsa: The Montuno Records Story
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 128CD

Record Mart, an unassuming music store down in the sprawling complex of the Times Square subway station in Manhattan, should be considered one of Latin New York's most important historic musical landmarks. It its heyday, it was not only a place where occult knowledge and cultural legacies were exchanged and passed on from one person to another, but the shop also served as the home base for Montuno Records, a small but important independent label started by proprietor Jesse Moskowitz in the 1970s. The shop and label are inextricably intertwined and constitute a New York Latin institution of sorts. Thankfully, the two entities and its proprietor are alive and well today, keeping the spirit of Subway Salsa alive for old fans and future generations alike. This compilation is an homage, paying tribute to a label that stands out as a plucky cultural beacon from a time when Fania reigned supreme. In Jesse's cramped store one could soak up the sights of Latin album cover art, the tropical sounds blasting over the speakers, and eavesdrop on conversations among the diminutive shop's knowledgeable staff and customers. Just as the New York metropolitan transit system is a crossroads and a means of exchange and travel, so too is its sole surviving cultural tenant Record Mart, an underground urban grotto oasis that despite a period of closure and a dwindling market, seems to hold on as tenaciously as many veteran salsa musicians from the '70s still do to this day in the city. This collection samples the recordings from Montuno's catalog that exemplify danceable Afro-Antillean music, from Nuyorican salsa to Haitian compas, Latin jazz to traditional Cuban genres (including the all-percussion rumba, the flute and violin-flavored charanga, and guitar/trumpet-dominated son), as well as several interesting hybrids incorporating funk, doo-wop and Brazilian sounds. Includes comprehensive liner notes by Pablo Yglesias aka DJ Bongohead, including an in-depth interview with Jesse Moskowitz, plus original LP artwork and many unseen pictures.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Subway Salsa: The Montuno Records Story
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	3LP
Price:	$34.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 128LP

Triple LP version. Record Mart, an unassuming music store down in the sprawling complex of the Times Square subway station in Manhattan, should be considered one of Latin New York's most important historic musical landmarks. In its heyday, it was not only a place where occult knowledge and cultural legacies were exchanged and passed on from one person to another, but the shop also served as the home base for Montuno Records, a small but important independent label started by proprietor Jesse Moskowitz in the 1970s. The shop and label are inextricably intertwined and constitute a New York Latin institution of sorts. Thankfully, the two entities and its proprietor are alive and well today, keeping the spirit of Subway Salsa alive for old fans and future generations alike. This compilation is an homage, paying tribute to a label that stands out as a plucky cultural beacon from a time when Fania reigned supreme. In Jesse's cramped store one could soak up the sights of Latin album cover art, the tropical sounds blasting over the speakers, and eavesdrop on conversations among the diminutive shop's knowledgeable staff and customers. Just as the New York metropolitan transit system is a crossroads and a means of exchange and travel, so too is its sole surviving cultural tenant Record Mart, an underground urban grotto oasis that despite a period of closure and a dwindling market, seems to hold on as tenaciously as many veteran salsa musicians from the '70s still do to this day in the city. This collection samples the recordings from Montuno's catalog that exemplify danceable Afro-Antillean music, from Nuyorican salsa to Haitian compas, Latin jazz to traditional Cuban genres (including the all-percussion rumba, the flute and violin-flavored charanga, and guitar/trumpet-dominated son), as well as several interesting hybrids incorporating funk, doo-wop and Brazilian sounds. Includes comprehensive liner notes by Pablo Yglesias aka DJ Bongohead, including an in-depth interview with Jesse Moskowitz, plus original LP artwork and many unseen pictures.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Highlife Time 2: Nigerian & Ghanaian Classics
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 129CD

...From The Golden Years. This is the second volume in Vampisoul's Highlife Time series, chronicling Nigerian and Ghanaian highlife heroes both renowned and sorely under-represented. Professor John Collins (musician, composer, prolific writer about African music and eminent musicologist at the University of Ghana) has traced the roots of highlife music back to the 1880s on the Gold Coast, now known as Ghana. He sees it as a fusion of rhythms from the West African coast, from Europe, from the Caribbean and from African-Americans in both South and North America. During the Second World War, swing was introduced by British and American servicemen based in Ghana. As a result, the large dance orchestras gave way to the smaller highlife dance bands. The most famous was the groundbreaking Tempos band, led by trumpeter ET Mensah, which incorporated Afro-Cuban percussion, played by the band's finest drummer, the pioneering Kofi Ghanaba (aka Guy Warren of Ghana). It was their brilliant fusion style that made such an impact on Nigeria in the 1950s. Nigerian journalist Benson Idonije, however, is by no means alone in believing that while Mensah must be saluted for the cultural legacy he left behind, he was not responsible for introducing highlife to Nigeria: "Highlife has always been with us (Nigerians), at least since the guitar or mandolin banjo was introduced to our folk and indigenous music to bring about its very first contact with Western instrumentation and music. That type of music just did not attract the kind of mass appeal that Mensah's Tempos band generated." When Mensah's highlife first blew into Nigeria, Bobby Benson's Jam Session Band were playing mostly swing and ballroom tunes along with the other leading Nigerian dance bands. Bobby had the foresight to realize which way the musical wind was blowing and highlife then began to dominate his repertoire. Over time, his 11-piece band featured the future stars of Nigerian highlife: Sir Victor Uwaifo, Bayo Martins and trumpet players like Zeal Onyia, Roy Chicago, Chief Bill Friday and, of course, an ambitious young player called Victor Olaiya. By 1952, Olaiya had become the leader of Benson's second band, Alfa's Carnival Group, but then he felt his moment had arrived and he launched his own highlife band, the Cool Cats, at the West End Caf� in Lagos. The many influential Nigerian musicians his bands spawned and nurtured over the next two decades included Sir Victor Uwaifo, John Akintola (aka Roy Chicago), Peter King, Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, Eddie Okonta, Agun Norris (of Empire Orchestra), Celestine Ukwu (of Anambra), Bala Miller, AC Arinze, Osita Osadebe and, most famous of all, Sunny Ade, Tony Allen and Fela Kuti. Highlife became the fashionable soundtrack to independence in both countries (Ghana 1957, Nigeria 1960) and an essential foundation to the new musical styles that were to develop -- but as the '60s rolled on, the music evolved differently in each country, diverging as different forces came into play. However, in both countries economics meant that big highlife bands were difficult to maintain, and the ever-growing popularity of the electric guitar, aided and abetted by the sounds of the successive waves of the beat, blues and rock booms from the USA and the UK, meant that guitar highlife became a very cool direction to take. Rex Lawson and Sir Victor Uwaifo led the development of the guitar-oriented variant of highlife, but the terrible crisis of the 1967-1970 Nigerian (or Biafran) Civil War brought its own set of musical changes. In 1971, the Soul To Soul music festival was held in Accra. Several legendary American musicians played, including Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner and Carlos Santana, and in the subsequent Ghanaian roots revival new guitar bands and stars arose in Ghana. Includes artist photos and extensive liner notes by experts Rita May and Max Reinhardt.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Highlife Time 2: Nigerian & Ghanaian Classics
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	3LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 129LP

3LP version. ...From The Golden Years. This is the second volume in Vampisoul's Highlife Time series, chronicling Nigerian and Ghanaian highlife heroes both renowned and sorely under-represented. Professor John Collins (musician, composer, prolific writer about African music and eminent musicologist at the University of Ghana) has traced the roots of highlife music back to the 1880s on the Gold Coast, now known as Ghana. He sees it as a fusion of rhythms from the West African coast, from Europe, from the Caribbean and from African-Americans in both South and North America. During the Second World War, swing was introduced by British and American servicemen based in Ghana. As a result, the large dance orchestras gave way to the smaller highlife dance bands. The most famous was the groundbreaking Tempos band, led by trumpeter ET Mensah, which incorporated Afro-Cuban percussion, played by the band's finest drummer, the pioneering Kofi Ghanaba (aka Guy Warren of Ghana). It was their brilliant fusion style that made such an impact on Nigeria in the 1950s. Nigerian journalist Benson Idonije, however, is by no means alone in believing that while Mensah must be saluted for the cultural legacy he left behind, he was not responsible for introducing highlife to Nigeria: "Highlife has always been with us (Nigerians), at least since the guitar or mandolin banjo was introduced to our folk and indigenous music to bring about its very first contact with Western instrumentation and music. That type of music just did not attract the kind of mass appeal that Mensah's Tempos band generated." When Mensah's highlife first blew into Nigeria, Bobby Benson's Jam Session Band were playing mostly swing and ballroom tunes along with the other leading Nigerian dance bands. Bobby had the foresight to realize which way the musical wind was blowing and highlife then began to dominate his repertoire. Over time, his 11-piece band featured the future stars of Nigerian highlife: Sir Victor Uwaifo, Bayo Martins and trumpet players like Zeal Onyia, Roy Chicago, Chief Bill Friday and, of course, an ambitious young player called Victor Olaiya. By 1952, Olaiya had become the leader of Benson's second band, Alfa's Carnival Group, but then he felt his moment had arrived and he launched his own highlife band, the Cool Cats, at the West End Caf� in Lagos. The many influential Nigerian musicians his bands spawned and nurtured over the next two decades included Sir Victor Uwaifo, John Akintola (aka Roy Chicago), Peter King, Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, Eddie Okonta, Agun Norris (of Empire Orchestra), Celestine Ukwu (of Anambra), Bala Miller, AC Arinze, Osita Osadebe and, most famous of all, Sunny Ade, Tony Allen and Fela Kuti. Highlife became the fashionable soundtrack to independence in both countries (Ghana 1957, Nigeria 1960) and an essential foundation to the new musical styles that were to develop -- but as the '60s rolled on, the music evolved differently in each country, diverging as different forces came into play. However, in both countries economics meant that big highlife bands were difficult to maintain, and the ever-growing popularity of the electric guitar, aided and abetted by the sounds of the successive waves of the beat, blues and rock booms from the USA and the UK, meant that guitar highlife became a very cool direction to take. Rex Lawson and Sir Victor Uwaifo led the development of the guitar-oriented variant of highlife, but the terrible crisis of the 1967-1970 Nigerian (or Biafran) Civil War brought its own set of musical changes. In 1971, the Soul To Soul music festival was held in Accra. Several legendary American musicians played, including Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner and Carlos Santana, and in the subsequent Ghanaian roots revival new guitar bands and stars arose in Ghana. Includes an 8-page insert with artist photos and extensive liner notes by experts Rita May and Max Reinhardt.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Chicas: Spanish Female Singers 1962-1974
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 130CD

Vampisoul presents a compilation of Spanish girl groups circa 1962-1974. Spanish girl pop made itself present when it was necessary. Oblivious to the scarcity of exciting sounds that late-Francoist Spain offered them, the Spanish girls disregarded conventions and overcame all barriers and suspicions without letting the latest fashionable hairdo get ruined. In those doubtful years during which, apart from copla, any other music style was considered highly suspicious, the leading girls didn't hesitate and abandoned themselves to the whole musical range, both local and international, at their disposal. Despite the difficulties, and there were many, the incipient permeability of Spanish politics of the time played its part and, from 1963 onwards, female ye-y� became an absolute reality that shook the Spanish society of the period. A true salvation, a social panacea, that's what female ye-y� was in 1960s Spain, a small revolution of customs dressed in a mini-skirt and playing at 45 rpm. In the wake of its charm, modernity and intrinsically female character, everyone in Spain became ye-y� and the social landscape gained freedom following the trail left by the girls. Thanks to it, girls were subsequently able to take part in the beat, garage, soul, psychedelia and prog scenes as well. For a while now, various compilations have been released in Spain documenting styles, scenes and artists belonging to such happening decades (creatively speaking) as the '50s, '60s and '70s, and nevertheless, there hasn't been one featuring only female contributions to the cause. When compiling �Chicas!, all genres were considered: Latin, rock & roll, twist, ye-y�, beat, garage, rhythm & blues, soul, etc. Secondly, apart from celebrating all the shining artists featured here, there are also a great number of recordings released on the Catalan label, Belter. Discover once again for the first time the unbelievable legacy of the Belter factory as well as these revolutionary women. Includes sleeve notes by expert Vicente Fabuel as well as a fantastic selection of record sleeves and photographs.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Chicas: Spanish Female Singers 1962-1974
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 130LP

Gatefold 2LP version. Vampisoul presents a compilation of Spanish girl groups circa 1962-1974. Spanish girl pop made itself present when it was necessary. Oblivious to the scarcity of exciting sounds that late-Francoist Spain offered them, the Spanish girls disregarded conventions and overcame all barriers and suspicions without letting the latest fashionable hairdo get ruined. In those doubtful years during which, apart from copla, any other music style was considered highly suspicious, the leading girls didn't hesitate and abandoned themselves to the whole musical range, both local and international, at their disposal. Despite the difficulties, and there were many, the incipient permeability of Spanish politics of the time played its part and, from 1963 onwards, female ye-y� became an absolute reality that shook the Spanish society of the period. A true salvation, a social panacea, that's what female ye-y� was in 1960s Spain, a small revolution of customs dressed in a mini-skirt and playing at 45 rpm. In the wake of its charm, modernity and intrinsically female character, everyone in Spain became ye-y� and the social landscape gained freedom following the trail left by the girls. Thanks to it, girls were subsequently able to take part in the beat, garage, soul, psychedelia and prog scenes as well. For a while now, various compilations have been released in Spain documenting styles, scenes and artists belonging to such happening decades (creatively speaking) as the '50s, '60s and '70s, and nevertheless, there hasn't been one featuring only female contributions to the cause. When compiling �Chicas!, all genres were considered: Latin, rock & roll, twist, ye-y�, beat, garage, rhythm & blues, soul, etc. Secondly, apart from celebrating all the shining artists featured here, there are also a great number of recordings released on the Catalan label, Belter. Discover once again for the first time the unbelievable legacy of the Belter factory as well as these revolutionary women. Includes sleeve notes by expert Vicente Fabuel as well as a fantastic selection of record sleeves and photographs.

Artist:	GONZALEZ 'EL PESCAILLA', ANTONIO
Title:	Tiritando
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 131CD

Antonio Gonz�lez Batista was born in the Gra�ia neighborhood, Barcelona, in 1926 -- the son of a gypsy man who earned a living as a fisherman (hence the nickname "El Pesca�lla," "The Young Hake"). Antonio used to help him while he carried out his trade, and at nights he also used to accompany him when he sang and played guitar at El Tablao de la Pava. Antonio would show his talent very early on. He learned the rules of the game soon and word quickly got around in Barcelona. Well into the 1940s, he was already king of the flamenco rumba. His sense of rhythm possesses the perfect cadence, sparkling and free. It's a rhythm that sprouts from tradition and would improve with the Cuban influence: son, mambo, guaguanc�, chachach�, etc. His infinite skill at marking the cadence of the rhythmic beat became masterful. He seasoned his lyrical bitterness with succinct and measured strokes: some bongos here, rhythmic handclaps there, the precise guitar over there, some caj�n drums -- and the voice: naked. The tone is proud, distinguished, tormented, with subtle cracks and runaway crescendos. At the dawn of the 1950s, Lola Flores sees young Antonio in Madrid and she gets him to sign a contract. Lola's myth is already huge, a giant monster that devours everything it finds in its way: men, audiences, songs, herself. Antonio decides to be a supporting actor rather than the lead. He becomes a mere guitarist to the outside world, accompanying the legend, father of her children, a discreet but solid support, and he withdraws more into himself. Films, tours, TV programs -- his role is always secondary. Every now and then, there is a spark of genius: a song on one of her records, a minor role on the screen, two or three rumbas in the middle of a show, a single or EP ever more infrequently. He decides to spend the last 20 years of his life as a recluse. In a genre that is wrongly considered to be just about fun, a mere tributary to something of more substance, it's always been counterproductive to remain silent. Even more so when a loud voice has often been the natural way to be heard. Only a few - the great ones, as it happens - chose silence as the only worthy attitude. Antonio Gonz�lez Batista took that path all his life. Includes key titles of the genre such as "Sarandonga", "Que Me Coma El Tigre," "Sabor A M�" and "Extra�os En La Noche" ("Strangers In The Night"). Several tracks feature vocal duets with Lola Flores.

Artist:	GONZALEZ 'EL PESCAILLA', ANTONIO
Title:	Tiritando
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$19.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 131LP

LP version. Antonio Gonz�lez Batista was born in the Gra�ia neighborhood, Barcelona, in 1926 -- the son of a gypsy man who earned a living as a fisherman (hence the nickname "El Pesca�lla," "The Young Hake"). Antonio used to help him while he carried out his trade, and at nights he also used to accompany him when he sang and played guitar at El Tablao de la Pava. Antonio would show his talent very early on. He learned the rules of the game soon and word quickly got around in Barcelona. Well into the 1940s, he was already king of the flamenco rumba. His sense of rhythm possesses the perfect cadence, sparkling and free. It's a rhythm that sprouts from tradition and would improve with the Cuban influence: son, mambo, guaguanc�, chachach�, etc. His infinite skill at marking the cadence of the rhythmic beat became masterful. He seasoned his lyrical bitterness with succinct and measured strokes: some bongos here, rhythmic handclaps there, the precise guitar over there, some caj�n drums -- and the voice: naked. The tone is proud, distinguished, tormented, with subtle cracks and runaway crescendos. At the dawn of the 1950s, Lola Flores sees young Antonio in Madrid and she gets him to sign a contract. Lola's myth is already huge, a giant monster that devours everything it finds in its way: men, audiences, songs, herself. Antonio decides to be a supporting actor rather than the lead. He becomes a mere guitarist to the outside world, accompanying the legend, father of her children, a discreet but solid support, and he withdraws more into himself. Films, tours, TV programs -- his role is always secondary. Every now and then, there is a spark of genius: a song on one of her records, a minor role on the screen, two or three rumbas in the middle of a show, a single or EP ever more infrequently. He decides to spend the last 20 years of his life as a recluse. In a genre that is wrongly considered to be just about fun, a mere tributary to something of more substance, it's always been counterproductive to remain silent. Even more so when a loud voice has often been the natural way to be heard. Only a few - the great ones, as it happens - chose silence as the only worthy attitude. Antonio Gonz�lez Batista took that path all his life. Includes key titles of the genre such as "Sarandonga", "Que Me Coma El Tigre," "Sabor A M�" and "Extra�os En La Noche" ("Strangers In The Night"). Several tracks feature vocal duets with Lola Flores.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Sensacional Soul Vol. 3
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 133CD

This is the third volume in Vampisoul's Sensacional Soul series, featuring 28 Spanish soul tracks circa 1966-1976. With the exception of England, no European country proved more vulnerable to the soul-fever which, from the second half of the '60s, swept Spain from north to south. The passion for black music was so contagious, that nobody could resist it. It is certainly true that all of this was fostered by the extraordinary surge in tourism and the consequent boom of clubs in the large cities and, most especially, the Mediterranean coast. If the extraordinarily high demand for live music that these night clubs and discotheques demanded could not be met by local musicians, the solution was simply to turn to foreign groups or to urgently recycle illustrious veteran bands marginalized by the new musical currents. On average, this churned out rather amateurish results or watered-down soul, yet many of those acts applied such passion to their work that their scarce discographic legacy -- today more than ever -- sets dancefloors alight, elates many hearts and demands the application of a proper label of origin in its thirst for exportation. Perfect and surprising proof of this was that this country would be the only one in Europe whose leading groups of the genre (Canarios and Pop-Tops) reached number one on the sales lists with their own tunes. Southern soul and the Tamla sound were the most consulted sources for Spanish musicians, but this collection also exhibits fascinating experiences between psychedelic soul, instrumental music, Afro-rock or gospel soul, although there are others that go beyond, or better said, that stay closer to home; songs whose origin is impossible to place, songs filled with echoes, twists and gimmicks that are absolutely Hispanic. The popular impact of soul was so broad and reached so many different audiences, that the creativity of those musicians was diverse, pluralistic and uncontrollable; for some purists, blasphemy, without a doubt, but for the rest, absolutely free music. Most tracks reissued for the first time. Includes detailed notes by expert Vicente Fabuel plus picture sleeves of all the tracks, band photos and labels.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Sensacional Soul Vol. 3
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 133LP

Gatefold 2LP version. This is the third volume in Vampisoul's Sensacional Soul series, featuring 28 Spanish soul tracks circa 1966-1976. With the exception of England, no European country proved more vulnerable to the soul-fever which, from the second half of the '60s, swept Spain from north to south. The passion for black music was so contagious, that nobody could resist it. It is certainly true that all of this was fostered by the extraordinary surge in tourism and the consequent boom of clubs in the large cities and, most especially, the Mediterranean coast. If the extraordinarily high demand for live music that these night clubs and discotheques demanded could not be met by local musicians, the solution was simply to turn to foreign groups or to urgently recycle illustrious veteran bands marginalized by the new musical currents. On average, this churned out rather amateurish results or watered-down soul, yet many of those acts applied such passion to their work that their scarce discographic legacy -- today more than ever -- sets dancefloors alight, elates many hearts and demands the application of a proper label of origin in its thirst for exportation. Perfect and surprising proof of this was that this country would be the only one in Europe whose leading groups of the genre (Canarios and Pop-Tops) reached number one on the sales lists with their own tunes. Southern soul and the Tamla sound were the most consulted sources for Spanish musicians, but this collection also exhibits fascinating experiences between psychedelic soul, instrumental music, Afro-rock or gospel soul, although there are others that go beyond, or better said, that stay closer to home; songs whose origin is impossible to place, songs filled with echoes, twists and gimmicks that are absolutely Hispanic. The popular impact of soul was so broad and reached so many different audiences, that the creativity of those musicians was diverse, pluralistic and uncontrollable; for some purists, blasphemy, without a doubt, but for the rest, absolutely free music. Most tracks reissued for the first time. Includes detailed notes by expert Vicente Fabuel plus picture sleeves of all the tracks, band photos and labels.

Artist:	VA
Title:	La Habana Era Una Fiesta
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 134CD

Vampisoul presents a double CD of recordings from the '40s to the '60s by Cuban artists performing Spanish songs and by Spanish musicians that visited Cuba and were influenced by the island's music. When Havana was a party, many Spaniards joined the dance. In this process of transculturation, music and musicians played an essential part. Having arrived from Spain, artists of song and theater contributed to the diverse DNA of Cuban popular music. At the same time, other musicians brought in essential aspects of Afro-Cuban folklore to Spanish song. Music has always played an intrinsic role between Cuba and Spain: after the Spanish disaster of 1898, emigrants and soldiers, wine-producers and sailors arrived or stayed in Cuba, and with them their customs and habits. With the children of the metropolis, companies of popular singers, zarzuela groups, and costumbrista theater arrived. In addition, the music from Andalusia, traditional dancing, and genuine flamenco soon disembarked in the port of San Crist�bal de la Habana. On their way back, when they left Cuba, the ships with gold from America also carried new melodies and rhythmical cells, harmonic gyrations, and choreographed elements of Afro-American inspiration. On firm ground, the native Spanish colony in Cuba kept growing in numbers and importance. Half a century later, there were five million residents in Cuba. At the beginning of the '50s, one million of them resided in Havana. And there were 120,000 people who were associated with one of the many emigrant clubs founded in the city. It was there, in the halls of the societies of emigrants from Galicia, Asturias, Andalusia and the Canary Islands, where the music from both shores embraced. In d�cimas and folk songs, the poetic expression of Cubans and Spaniards took root on the singers' island. The landing of Spanish music in Cuba stood out in Havana with musical theater of which operas and zarzuelas were always played as if in the old country. The visits from Carmen Amaya, Conchita Piquer, Juanita Reina, and Imperio Argentina were lauded. From the mid-'30s until approximately 1960, leading Cuban radio stations such as CMQ and Radio Progreso hired the most famous Spanish artists (and also many hustlers who came to America looking for riches) to broadcast performances and variety shows with live music from Los Chavales de Espa�a, Los Bocheros or Los Churumbeles. The extensive reach of radio and cinema, together with the growing popularization of vinyl, enabled the quick commercial expansion of Cuban music with arrangements of danz�n orchestras, sextets of son cubano, and jazz bands, Cuban-style. From Rita Montaner and Bola De Nieve to Miguelito Vald�s, Antonio Mach�n, Julio Cuevas, Bebo Vald�s and Armando Or�fiche, Havana was now a party, half a century before the Buena Vista Social Club. The tracks by Spanish artists were recorded at radio stations in Havana and are released here for the first time.

Artist:	FRENTE CUMBIERO
Title:	Meets Mad Professor
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 136CD

Bogota, Colombia's Frente Cumbiero travel incessantly through the cumbia land. Exploring both the roots and the newer trends, they offer their own distinctive take on one of the most popular musical styles in Latin America: cumbia! Led by Mario Galeano, for years a prominent figure in Latin music as DJ, musicologist, record label owner and musician, the band also comprises Pedro Ojeda, Elbis �lvarez and Marco Fajardo. In 2009, they met legendary dub producer Mad Professor for a collaborative three-day recording session (as part of the British Council's Incubator project) in which Mad Professor's son, Joe Ariwa, and key participants of Bogota's music scene also took part. The goal was to achieve a musical encounter between cumbia and dub. The recordings took place at Javeriana University and out of those improvisational sessions came three collective compositions. Together with another four tracks by Frente Cumbiero, these seven recordings were then remixed by Mad Professor in his London studio, Ariwa. The result is this record, a fantastic addition to the thriving international cumbia movement.

Artist:	FRENTE CUMBIERO
Title:	Meets Mad Professor
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 136LP

2LP version. Bogota, Colombia's Frente Cumbiero travel incessantly through the cumbia land. Exploring both the roots and the newer trends, they offer their own distinctive take on one of the most popular musical styles in Latin America: cumbia! Led by Mario Galeano, for years a prominent figure in Latin music as DJ, musicologist, record label owner and musician, the band also comprises Pedro Ojeda, Elbis �lvarez and Marco Fajardo. In 2009, they met legendary dub producer Mad Professor for a collaborative three-day recording session (as part of the British Council's Incubator project) in which Mad Professor's son, Joe Ariwa, and key participants of Bogota's music scene also took part. The goal was to achieve a musical encounter between cumbia and dub. The recordings took place at Javeriana University and out of those improvisational sessions came three collective compositions. Together with another four tracks by Frente Cumbiero, these seven recordings were then remixed by Mad Professor in his London studio, Ariwa. The result is this record, a fantastic addition to the thriving international cumbia movement.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Rangarang: Pre-Revolutionary Iranian Pop
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 138CD

It may seem hard to believe now, with the Islamic Republic of Iran swathed in controversial breaches of human rights and nonsensical nuclear issues, but a little over 30 years ago it was all glitz and glamour, rock and roll. The shah of Iran promoted modernization to the detriment of Persian culture and most Iranians loathed the stoic king by the end of his reign. Centuries of monarchist rule gave way to a staunch Islamist regime during the populist Iranian Revolution of 1979. The new Iranian government sought to eradicate any remnants of the imperialist monarchy and "having fun" was banned entirely. Music's controversial status within Islam meant that the Persian pop industry was incongruous with Iran's new and heavy-handed rulers. All of Iran's record labels were forcibly shut down, the entire broadcasting industry was Islamicized, and a fearful population burned their records, buried their books and complied, at least on the surface, with the Islamic regime's new (and very boring) rules and regulations. Rangarang is a compilation of forgotten jewels from pre-revolutionary Iran. These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summonsed to the revolutionary court and forced to sign a declaration promising to abandon their careers and never perform again. By the time an exilic music industry had been established in Los Angeles, where many musicians settled after fleeing the chaotic disarray of post-revolutionary war-torn Iran, the beats and melodies of the monarchist era had given way to the synthesizers of the 1980s and Iranian pop music would never be the same again. The range of the tracks included on Rangarang is astonishing, from funky workouts and soulful pop to jazzy grooves and yearning ballads, all wonderfully and imaginatively produced and arranged, giving shape to truly popular music.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Rangarang: Pre-Revolutionary Iranian Pop
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	3LP
Price:	$34.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 138LP

3LP version. It may seem hard to believe now, with the Islamic Republic of Iran swathed in controversial breaches of human rights and nonsensical nuclear issues, but a little over 30 years ago it was all glitz and glamour, rock and roll. The shah of Iran promoted modernization to the detriment of Persian culture and most Iranians loathed the stoic king by the end of his reign. Centuries of monarchist rule gave way to a staunch Islamist regime during the populist Iranian Revolution of 1979. The new Iranian government sought to eradicate any remnants of the imperialist monarchy and "having fun" was banned entirely. Music's controversial status within Islam meant that the Persian pop industry was incongruous with Iran's new and heavy-handed rulers. All of Iran's record labels were forcibly shut down, the entire broadcasting industry was Islamicized, and a fearful population burned their records, buried their books and complied, at least on the surface, with the Islamic regime's new (and very boring) rules and regulations. Rangarang is a compilation of forgotten jewels from pre-revolutionary Iran. These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summoned to the revolutionary court and forced to sign a declaration promising to abandon their careers and never perform again. By the time an exilic music industry had been established in Los Angeles, where many musicians settled after fleeing the chaotic disarray of post-revolutionary war-torn Iran, the beats and melodies of the monarchist era had given way to the synthesizers of the 1980s and Iranian pop music would never be the same again. The range of the tracks included on Rangarang is astonishing, from funky workouts and soulful pop to jazzy grooves and yearning ballads, all wonderfully and imaginatively produced and arranged, giving shape to truly popular music.

Artist:	VA
Title:	La Onda Vampi
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$9.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 140CD

Starting in 2002, Vampisoul is now established as one of the hippest and most respected reissue labels on the planet. New Orleans funk, Detroit R&B, boogaloo, Cuban jam sessions, exotic soundtracks, West African highlife, Latin soul, trippy tropical sounds, Peruvian groovers, Argentinian jazz, Nigerian Afrobeat -- it's all in their deep and expanding catalog. Based in the frenetic, beating heart of Madrid, Vampisoul is ideally situated to access the wild and wonderful music of Latin America, Europe, West Africa and the USA. Since 2002, they have built up a wealth of contacts across these continents. Such invaluable relationships have allowed them to release rare vintage sounds from the '60s and '70s that have consistently hit the target with the music-loving public, and they are also increasingly releasing new material and working with artists such as Joe Bataan, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Garotas Suecas and Frente Cumbiero. La Onda Vampi is the latest in a series of popular Vampisoul samplers which includes previous titles In Search Of The Cool, Gettin' Soulful, Movers and I Gotta New Dance. The label keeps travelling to familiar and new international destinations and their usual richness of sounds is broadened here by Iranian grooves, '60s Czech mod R&B, flamenco rumba, psych library music from Italy, Colombian cumbia -- the present and recent past of the label is represented on this fantastic selection. Today, Vampisoul is a flourishing independent label with a catalog that reveals an ocean of amazing sounds. Includes an exclusive, previously-unreleased track by Brazil's Garotas Suecas.

Artist:	VA
Title:	La Onda Vampi
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 140LP

Limited double LP version. Starting in 2002, Vampisoul is now established as one of the hippest and most respected reissue labels on the planet. New Orleans funk, Detroit R&B, boogaloo, Cuban jam sessions, exotic soundtracks, West African highlife, Latin soul, trippy tropical sounds, Peruvian groovers, Argentinian jazz, Nigerian Afrobeat -- it's all in their deep and expanding catalog. Based in the frenetic, beating heart of Madrid, Vampisoul is ideally situated to access the wild and wonderful music of Latin America, Europe, West Africa and the USA. Since 2002, they have built up a wealth of contacts across these continents. Such invaluable relationships have allowed them to release rare vintage sounds from the '60s and '70s that have consistently hit the target with the music-loving public, and they are also increasingly releasing new material and working with artists such as Joe Bataan, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Garotas Suecas and Frente Cumbiero. La Onda Vampi is the latest in a series of popular Vampisoul samplers which includes previous titles In Search Of The Cool, Gettin' Soulful, Movers and I Gotta New Dance. The label keeps travelling to familiar and new international destinations and their usual richness of sounds is broadened here by Iranian grooves, '60s Czech mod R&B, flamenco rumba, psych library music from Italy, Colombian cumbia -- the present and recent past of the label is represented on this fantastic selection. Today, Vampisoul is a flourishing independent label with a catalog that reveals an ocean of amazing sounds. Includes an exclusive, previously-unreleased track by Brazil's Garotas Suecas.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Skanish Sound: Jamaican Influenced Music From Spain
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 142CD

...1964-1972. Trying to pinpoint the influence of Jamaican music on Spanish pop in the '60s and '70s, taking into account the sociopolitical situation in Spain, is like a script from Spanish director Luis Garc�a Berlanga. Despite Spanish public fervor for the suggestive, hot melodies coming from the Antilles, the Francoist censors tried to avoid any general lack of inhibition, minimizing the impact of the music's most enticing elements on Spanish soil. In the margins, apart from sterile regime-promoted national flamenco and sleep-inducing ballads, one could find few black elements in Spanish pop. At that time they were found in their Latin form: rumba and salsa and even sometimes something like Afrobeat. So it was necessarily the case that only the less suspicious artists had an opportunity to copy what they could get their hands on from that treasure island. The first vibrations that arrived to Spain from Jamaica, via England, came in the form of records. Given the difficulties, none of the artists collected here would have had access to the original recordings nor to Jamaican radio. Clearly then, their method of absorption and assimilation was that of musicians the world over: they heard it, they liked it, they copied it. And if any Spanish musician active in the 1960s claims to have set foot in Jamaica, it was all but impossible. At most, some Spanish pioneers were lucky enough to cross the Pond in the 1960s as cruise ship musicians. In any case, it's uncertain whether any of the players on this compilation came into contact with Jamaica by natural route. Equally uncertain is the occurrence of concerts by Jamaican artists in 1960s Spain. Therefore, what we have here is a captivating collection of tracks (mainly covers but also a few originals) which mix the enthusiasm and fascination of musicians who were captivated by the sounds coming from Jamaica. At times, the results they achieved fit within the expected sounds of the genre, but sometimes their efforts produced a mixture, whether intentionally or due to better intentions than skill, which gave Jamaican music a uniquely Spanish character. Most tracks reissued for the first time. Includes informative liner notes by compiler Txarly Brown along with record sleeves and artist photos.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Skanish Sound: Jamaican Influenced Music From Spain
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$19.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 142LP

...1964-1972. Trying to pinpoint the influence of Jamaican music on Spanish pop in the '60s and '70s, taking into account the sociopolitical situation in Spain, is like a script from Spanish director Luis Garc�a Berlanga. Despite Spanish public fervor for the suggestive, hot melodies coming from the Antilles, the Francoist censors tried to avoid any general lack of inhibition, minimizing the impact of the music's most enticing elements on Spanish soil. In the margins, apart from sterile regime-promoted national flamenco and sleep-inducing ballads, one could find few black elements in Spanish pop. At that time they were found in their Latin form: rumba and salsa and even sometimes something like Afrobeat. So it was necessarily the case that only the less suspicious artists had an opportunity to copy what they could get their hands on from that treasure island. The first vibrations that arrived to Spain from Jamaica, via England, came in the form of records. Given the difficulties, none of the artists collected here would have had access to the original recordings nor to Jamaican radio. Clearly then, their method of absorption and assimilation was that of musicians the world over: they heard it, they liked it, they copied it. And if any Spanish musician active in the 1960s claims to have set foot in Jamaica, it was all but impossible. At most, some Spanish pioneers were lucky enough to cross the Pond in the 1960s as cruise ship musicians. In any case, it's uncertain whether any of the players on this compilation came into contact with Jamaica by natural route. Equally uncertain is the occurrence of concerts by Jamaican artists in 1960s Spain. Therefore, what we have here is a captivating collection of tracks (mainly covers but also a few originals) which mix the enthusiasm and fascination of musicians who were captivated by the sounds coming from Jamaica. At times, the results they achieved fit within the expected sounds of the genre, but sometimes their efforts produced a mixture, whether intentionally or due to better intentions than skill, which gave Jamaican music a uniquely Spanish character. Most tracks reissued for the first time. Includes 4-page insert of informative liner notes by compiler Txarly Brown along with record sleeves and artist photos.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Cumbia Beat Volume 2: Tropical Sounds from Peru 1966-1983
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 143CD

The "resurrection" of Peruvian tropical music, of psychedelic cumbia or, as others like to call it, "chicha," is perhaps one of the most surprising musical phenomena in recent years. The number of reissues, new releases and bands that have begun to play chichi or covers of tropical Peruvian classics in Argentina, England, Russia and the United States has multiplied. This cocktail of electric guitars, Caribbean percussion, Andean pentatonics and psychedelic soloing, synths, Moogs, g�iros, wah-wahs, timbales and fuzztones was simply too striking to go unnoticed. Elements of rock, folklore, m�sica criolla, Andean music, Amazonian music, Colombian cumbia, salsa and even psychedelia intermingle in this "cannibal" genre capable of devouring and assimilating every possible influence. Both Enrique Delgado and Manzanita, the two great founding guitarists of the genre, made music that absorbed all possible manner of styles. Vampisoul features not only tunes from Delgado with his group Los Destellos and from Manzanita, but also from their side projects: Delgado's Los Casme�os and Manzanita's El Monje Loco. Los Girasoles, Los Yungas, Los Beta 5 and Los Ecos continued those sonic explorations. In the case of Los Girasoles, their great singer "El Ch�vere" F�lix Mart�nez shows his tropical skills on "La Bocina." Although this compilation consists mostly of instrumentals, a classic of Peruvian tropical music, "Colegiala" by Los Ilusionistas, is included with vocals from Carlos Ram�rez "Centeno." Los Beta 5 would never turn to the sung format. Their instrumentals represent the best of the first era of Peruvian tropical music: playful, bouncy guitars, simple but charming riffs, tropicalizations of ballads and certain rock classics. Another group that has in their origins instrumental beat spirit and sound are Los Ecos. The sparkling-clean guitar sound of their leader Beto Cuestas always shines in songs filled with a delicate pop sensibility and melodies that oscillate between melancholy and danceable experimentation. Los Yungas had recorded songs in which m�sica criolla and huayno are "cumbianized," but the more significant point of departure happened when Los Demonios del Mantaro released a historic single with "La Chichera" on one side and a tune called "Peti Pan" on the other. Its composer, Carlos Baquerizo, decided to make music not with a great orchestra but with a small band consisting of a snare drum, a g�iro, a sax, a clarinet and a harmonica. Baquerizo was also the first to introduce an electric guitar in Peruvian cumbia in Los 5 Palomillas, a side project of Los Demonios. The influence of the "provincial sound" would be felt by many other guitarists, such as Tito de la Cruz, from Los Titanes; Aniceto Salazar; Pancho Acosta, from Compay Quinto; and Lener Mu�oz, from Grupo Celeste. One of the most original and surprising guitar sounds in Peruvian tropical music would be that of Maximiliano Ch�vez from Los Orientales de Paramonga, who created a very peculiar style of tropical music with deep basses, galloping percussion and wah-wah guitar. But if there was a place with the biggest party and explosion of sounds, it was the Peruvian Amazon, where large cities and small towns were infected by the tropical virus. From that wide spectrum are two of the most influential groups. Los Mirlos, with their guitars and hypnotic grooves, achieved the most popular and transnational of the Amazonian sounds. The other Amazonian miracle was Juaneco y su Combo, led by Juan Wong. Their music, full of references to Amazonian mythology and to ayahuasca (a psychoactive drink), featured the guitar of No� Fach�n. Their sound emerges like a message from another world, where the party is still going on and the pavement hasn't covered the rainforest. Includes a 24-page booklet of liner notes and historic photos.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Cumbia Beat Volume 2: Tropical Sounds from Peru 1966-1983
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 143LP

Double LP version. The "resurrection" of Peruvian tropical music, of psychedelic cumbia or, as others like to call it, "chicha," is perhaps one of the most surprising musical phenomena in recent years. The number of reissues, new releases and bands that have begun to play chichi or covers of tropical Peruvian classics in Argentina, England, Russia and the United States has multiplied. This cocktail of electric guitars, Caribbean percussion, Andean pentatonics and psychedelic soloing, synths, Moogs, g�iros, wah-wahs, timbales and fuzztones was simply too striking to go unnoticed. Elements of rock, folklore, m�sica criolla, Andean music, Amazonian music, Colombian cumbia, salsa and even psychedelia intermingle in this "cannibal" genre capable of devouring and assimilating every possible influence. Both Enrique Delgado and Manzanita, the two great founding guitarists of the genre, made music that absorbed all possible manner of styles. Vampisoul features not only tunes from Delgado with his group Los Destellos and from Manzanita, but also from their side projects: Delgado's Los Casme�os and Manzanita's El Monje Loco. Los Girasoles, Los Yungas, Los Beta 5 and Los Ecos continued those sonic explorations. In the case of Los Girasoles, their great singer "El Ch�vere" F�lix Mart�nez shows his tropical skills on "La Bocina." Although this compilation consists mostly of instrumentals, a classic of Peruvian tropical music, "Colegiala" by Los Ilusionistas, is included with vocals from Carlos Ram�rez "Centeno." Los Beta 5 would never turn to the sung format. Their instrumentals represent the best of the first era of Peruvian tropical music: playful, bouncy guitars, simple but charming riffs, tropicalizations of ballads and certain rock classics. Another group that has in their origins instrumental beat spirit and sound are Los Ecos. The sparkling-clean guitar sound of their leader Beto Cuestas always shines in songs filled with a delicate pop sensibility and melodies that oscillate between melancholy and danceable experimentation. Los Yungas had recorded songs in which m�sica criolla and huayno are "cumbianized," but the more significant point of departure happened when Los Demonios del Mantaro released a historic single with "La Chichera" on one side and a tune called "Peti Pan" on the other. Its composer, Carlos Baquerizo, decided to make music not with a great orchestra but with a small band consisting of a snare drum, a g�iro, a sax, a clarinet and a harmonica. Baquerizo was also the first to introduce an electric guitar in Peruvian cumbia in Los 5 Palomillas, a side project of Los Demonios. The influence of the "provincial sound" would be felt by many other guitarists, such as Tito de la Cruz, from Los Titanes; Aniceto Salazar; Pancho Acosta, from Compay Quinto; and Lener Mu�oz, from Grupo Celeste. One of the most original and surprising guitar sounds in Peruvian tropical music would be that of Maximiliano Ch�vez from Los Orientales de Paramonga, who created a very peculiar style of tropical music with deep basses, galloping percussion and wah-wah guitar. But if there was a place with the biggest party and explosion of sounds, it was the Peruvian Amazon, where large cities and small towns were infected by the tropical virus. From that wide spectrum are two of the most influential groups. Los Mirlos, with their guitars and hypnotic grooves, achieved the most popular and transnational of the Amazonian sounds. The other Amazonian miracle was Juaneco y su Combo, led by Juan Wong. Their music, full of references to Amazonian mythology and to ayahuasca (a psychoactive drink), featured the guitar of No� Fach�n. Their sound emerges like a message from another world, where the party is still going on and the pavement hasn't covered the rainforest.

Artist:	VA
Title:	R&B Hipshakers Vol. 3: Just a Little Bit of the Jumpin' Bean
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 144CD

This is the third volume in Vampisoul's R&B Hipshakers series, featuring rockin' R&B and early soul from the King/Federal/DeLuxe catalog. "Here are 20 under-exposed R&B songs that, assembled into a package, entice you to have a party. Here is what Vampisoul dug: Drummer Cozy Cole's cymbals on 'Cozy's Mambo.' The same track would come out again three years later on King's Bethlehem subsidiary as 'Cozy and Bossa' to capitalize on the burgeoning bossa nova craze. New Orleans native Linda Hopkins wails on 'Mama Needs Your Lovin' Baby' and the clippety-cloppety rhythm of Earl King's 'Old Faithful and True Love,' is one of the earliest recordings on here, from 1955 (NB: This is Earl Connelly King, not the better-known New Orleans singer-songwriter-guitarist Earl King). Then there's the galloping tempo of 'She's Mine,' by the rock & roll cowboy, Joe Tex -- just his third solo single out of several zillion. The whistled response to Mel Williams' lead vocals on 'Send Me a Picture Baby,' and practically everything else about this song, will make it one of your favorites. The brilliant arrangement of Eugene Church's version of 'Sixteen Tons' is extraordinary, with those bass vocals, those sloppy finger snaps, the chorus of whomp-whomps. Then, there's the lip-smacking cry of 'rib tips!' amid The Drivers' enumeration of skeletal components in 'Dry Bones Twist,' along with the irresistible swing of super-prolific keyboard man Bill Doggett's 'Hold It.' Lowman Pauling is electric on 'Solid Rock,' and Hank Ballard's vocals on 'Nothing But Good' are nothing but riveting. Billy Gayles' works a caveman attitude on 'Take Your Fine Frame Home,' which nicely compliments Jackie Brenston's hoarse, pissed-off kiss-off, 'Much Later.' There's the slinky beat of 'Thanks Mr. Postman,' a mid-tempo minor-key love song, Little Willie's 'Don't Play with Love,' and the tightly-wound tension of guitar superstar Freddy King, and so much more." --Mr. Fine Wine, WFMU's Downtown Soulville.

Artist:	VA
Title:	SAOCO!:The Bomba And Plena Explosion In Puerto Rico
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 145CD

...1954-1966. Cortijo Y Su Combo with Ismael Rivera, and Mon Rivera with his tongue twisters and trombones, are pioneers of a story that opened up the way to the salsa movement. With an unprecedented mix of flavors and Afro-West Indian rhythms, their dance proposals competed with the best tropical orchestras of the '50s and '60s. The legendary legacy of these Puerto Rican orchestras, however, hadn't been the subject of a proper retrospective, until now. In the case of Cortijo and Ismael, it's a cultural legacy related to the "third root," or African contribution, in Puerto Rico's Caribbean culture. Since its birth in the year 1954, until today (half a century after its break-up in 1962), Cortijo's combo and its stellar singer, Ismael Rivera, have been the best exponents of a modern, orchestrated and commercial way of performing bomba and plena -- Afro-Puerto Rican genres in whose tradition they had been raised in the capital's neighborhood of Santurce. To these native rhythms they added other Caribbean ingredients which were popular at the time, creating and integrating an innovative proposal that many consider the greatest precedent of the salsa movement that would emerge years later in New York. In only eight years of existence, the group became hugely successful in Puerto Rico and New York, the West Indies and part of Latin America -- particularly Panama, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru -- and even Europe. With percussion upfront, Cortijo y su Combo were a tight mess of rhythms, expressive even in the shaking and dancing of the band members while they performed their choreography on stage. This compilation looks at the importance of Cortijo and Ismael in the context of the time, contrasting their recordings with those by other contemporary artists with more or less similar styles. Among them is the essential figure of another great "plenero" and salsa pioneer such as Mon Rivera, known as "El Rey del Trabalengua" (The Tongue Twister King) (due to his comedic way of playing around with syllables to modify the rhythm and sense of a sentence) and for having started the "trombanga" kind of sound, which replaced trumpets and saxophones with trombones. It was a key innovation in the birth of boogaloo and salsa, which particularly inspired Eddie Palmieri and Willie Col�n. These three legends are accompanied by other tropical ensembles of the same period - Orquesta Panamericana, Sonora Ponce�a, Mario Ortiz & His All Star Band and the singer Chivirico - but also groups and vocalists related to the "j�bara" tradition or country music, whose repertoire includes, apart from seis and aguinaldo, plenas, bombas and guarachas. Its typical instrumentation of strings and accordion, together with its peculiar singing style, offer an interesting contrast with the way in which the tropical orchestras played those same rhythms. Includes extensive liner notes by compiler Yannis Ruel, illustrated with original artwork and memorabilia.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Feten: Rare Jazz Recordings from Spain 1961-1974
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 146CD

"When discussing the output of jazz recorded in Spain during the 1960s and 1970s, most conversations tend to simply list Tete Montoliu's discography and Pedro Iturralde's experiments in fusing jazz with flamenco. During these years, jazz didn't enjoy widespread popularity in Spain: local record labels didn't find the jazz market sufficiently attractive, and resources were largely directed towards the production of Spanish pop. Only this can explain the scarcity of releases during the period, especially when Spain is placed in comparison with countries like Italy or France, which were seemingly a lot more open to sounds originating from the other side of the Atlantic. This is even more pronounced if we bring in the United Kingdom, Germany, and certain Scandinavian nations into the equation. Along with Paris, these places became new homes for a great number of musicians who fled the United States in search of new opportunities. Nevertheless, a handful of albums and EPs exist that have remained unjustly ignored for decades, and which are in urgent need of rediscovery. These musicians helped pave the way for jazz in Spain, and are responsible for some of its brightest musical moments. Fet�n brings together a selection of recordings made in Spain between 1961 and 1974. The tracks selected were originally released on records that have become impossible to find, and which, in most cases, have never been reissued. These are unique recordings spanning modal jazz, hard-bop and even avant-garde jazz by Spanish musicians such as Mantequilla, Juan Carlos Calder�n, Ricard Roda and Vlady Bas, as well as by international jazzmen like Dusko Goykovich, Lou Bennett, and Tino Contreras. The selection is completed by the inclusion of a previously-unissued track -- a cover in a trio format of "Solar," a Miles Davis composition rescued from the master tapes and seeing the light now for the first time after being left out of the original edition of Nits de jazz al Jamboree, released in 1968 by the Edigsa label. Years of searches in market stalls and record fairs, trades with other collectors, phone calls to second-hand dealers, countless hours of online research, and a lot of dusty fingers have made it possible to bring together all the recordings presented here." --Javi Bayo. Includes 28-page booklet with notes and historic photos.

Artist:	AKRON
Title:	Voyage of Exploration
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 147CD

Under the Akron moniker stands one man bringing together all his influences from instrumental music from the '50s to the '70s: classic exotica by Martin Denny and Les Baxter, the proto-electronic sounds of Delia Derbyshire and Mort Garson, all kinds of soundtracks (from TV series like The Twilight Zone and Thunderbirds to Italian giallos), the work of unclassifiable artists such as Moondog and Sun Ra... And all of it filtered through Joe Meek's productions. Free from any scene or genre constraints, Akron manages to combine all these sounds in a unique and totally personal way. Voyage of Exploration, his debut album, takes us on a trip across different worlds, as if we were onboard the Enterprise and there were a new tune waiting for us on each planet.

Artist:	AKRON
Title:	Voyage of Exploration
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP+CD
Price:	$19.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 147LP

Artist:	LOS PIRANAS
Title:	Toma tu jabon Kapax
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 148CD

For over 20 years, Eblis �lvarez, Mario Galeano and Pedro Ojeda have been exposed to Latin American tropical genres such as vallenato, Peruvian chicha, raspa and champeta, along with African music and different types of cumbia (rebajada, villera, sabanera). All these styles are part of the new approach Los Pira�as offer within today's frenetic music scene in Colombia. The sound on Toma tu jab�n Kapax is deliberately strident but nevertheless can be danced to. On one hand, it retains the dense cadence of Andr�s Landero's legendary cumbia bass sounds and the marked percussion of Afrobeat and champeta. On the other hand, verging towards rock and electronica, Los Pira�as resort to an out of control computer and the distorted chaos of a guitar that owes as much to surf music as it does to Peruvian chicha. Matik Matik, a cultural space in Bogota which promotes music experimentation, was the venue where Toma tu jab�n Kapax was recorded live in December 2010. Originally released in Colombia by Festina Lente Discos, Vampisoul is proud to make this groundbreaking album available to a worldwide audience.

Artist:	LOS PIRANAS
Title:	Toma tu jabon Kapax
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 148LP

LP version. For over 20 years, Eblis �lvarez, Mario Galeano and Pedro Ojeda have been exposed to Latin American tropical genres such as vallenato, Peruvian chicha, raspa and champeta, along with African music and different types of cumbia (rebajada, villera, sabanera). All these styles are part of the new approach Los Pira�as offer within today's frenetic music scene in Colombia. The sound on Toma tu jab�n Kapax is deliberately strident but nevertheless can be danced to. On one hand, it retains the dense cadence of Andr�s Landero's legendary cumbia bass sounds and the marked percussion of Afrobeat and champeta. On the other hand, verging towards rock and electronica, Los Pira�as resort to an out of control computer and the distorted chaos of a guitar that owes as much to surf music as it does to Peruvian chicha. Matik Matik, a cultural space in Bogota which promotes music experimentation, was the venue where Toma tu jab�n Kapax was recorded live in December 2010. Originally released in Colombia by Festina Lente Discos, Vampisoul is proud to make this groundbreaking album available to a worldwide audience.

Artist:	ORQUESTA EL MACABEO
Title:	Salsa Bestial
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 149CD

Salsa Bestial is the international presentation of Puerto Rico's Orquesta el Macabeo. Formed in 2008, the veteran backgrounds in punk, rock, hardcore, ska and reggae of its 12 members have combined in an irresistible new take on salsa gorda or heavy salsa. Those varied influences have allowed them to reach not only the traditional salsa fan but also a wider public interested in a more diverse style within a genre which can at times seem reluctant to try new formulas. For the last four years, the orquesta has played all over Puerto Rico, and their thrilling shows and honest and straightforward approach to their sound and lyrics have gathered support across all kinds of audiences. Vampisoul is very proud to release this collection of tracks from their two self-released albums (Salsa macabra and El entierro), plus a new, exclusive recording.

Artist:	VA
Title:	R&B Hipshakers Vol. 1: Teach Me to Monkey
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 150LP

Repressed. 2LP version. The first volume in a new Vampisoul series -- an uptempo and danceable collection of '60s R&B and early soul from the Federal and King vaults, compiled by renowned DJ Mr. Fine Wine ("Downtown Soulville," WFMU). Most tracks have never been reissued. "When compiling Vampisoul's dip into King Records' deep, deep rhythm-and blues vaults, I realized that I'm a sucker for the sounds of '61. And, well, '62 too. Not that other years slightly earlier and later aren't represented as well, but, fully a quarter of the tracks herein are from 1961. What happened then? President Kennedy happened then, for one thing, inaugurated on January 20th. Also: chimps and their perhaps marginally more civilized human cousins in space; Roger Maris eclipsing the Babe, albeit with a conceptual asterisk; Jets vs. Sharks on the West Side; the Cold War in full swing; a hot war in Vietnam just starting to smolder, though few Americans had even heard of the place yet. And brilliant black musicians making timeless records for a Cincinnati, Ohio family of labels -- gibbling and gobbling down Broadway, implanting indelible, stinging guitar lines in the public consciousness, and making folks do the ginger snap like there was no tomorrow, which I'm sure there didn't always seem to be. This collection of genuine King and Federal R&B sides encompasses crazy dances, intense guitar instrumentals, inspired forays into mind-altering whimsy, timeless odes to male horniness, and hook-filled, honest-to-goodness love songs. For a raucous and potentially life-changing R&B dance party in a box, though, you'll find Teach Me to Monkey to be just the thing." --Mr. Fine Wine; WFMU's "Downtown Soulville," New York City, 2010; Artists include: Willie Wright, Hank Ballard, Lulu Reed, Little Willie John, Lloyd Nolan, The "5" Royales, Little Mummy, The Valentines, Eugene Church, Charles Brown, El Pauling, Roy Milton & His Orchestra, Freddy King, The Drivers, Carol Ford, Little Bobby Moore, Little Emmett Sutton, Willie Dixon, Johnny Watson, and Eddie Kirk.

Artist:	VA
Title:	R&B Hipshakers Vol. 2: Scratch That Itch
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 151LP

Repressed. 2LP version. This is the second volume in Vampisoul's series featuring rockin' R&B and early soul from the King/Federal/DeLuxe catalog circa 1956-1967 -- 20 terrific dance cuts selected by genre expert DJ Mr. Fine Wine ("Downtown Soulville," WFMU). "We clawed our way into the King Records vaults again to come up with more virtuosic instrumentals ('Marsanova' rhymes with 'bossa nova,' more or less, if you pronounce organist supreme Hank Marr's surname with the right accent; Freddy King raises Mr. Marr two dance crazes on 'Bossa Nova Watusi Twist'); more classy love songs with a hook ('Burnt Toast And Black Coffee,' besides being the epitome of that particular sub-subgenre, is highly elusive and expensive on an original Federal 45 and much in-demand in the R&B dance parlors of Western Europe; kudos to the gong banger on the plaintive 'You Have My Blessings'); more unholy dances ('Monkey Tonight' is one of Eddie Kirk's more restrained performances, believe it or not; this compilation's title track describes a dance that, like so many of the worthwhile ones, might get you escorted from your high-school prom in handcuffs if you tried it); and more holy nonsense ('My Name Is Puddentane,' declares the prolific and wonderful Lula Reed, an earthily appropriate reply to Hank Ballard's to-the-point pick-up line 'What's Your Name'; if 'Whiz-A-Shoo-Pepi-Dada' meant anything, would it get your hips shaking quite so violently?). Then there's the record that's almost always in my DJ box, one of my favorite 45s ever -- so exciting when its drums and taunting female chorus kick in over a loud system in a sweaty club, only to be answered by Johnny Watson's blistering voice and guitar: 'I say, I love you.' The women singing 'Get them women off your mind' -- confusingly, I can't get them off my mind. And the capper? A strong contender for Greatest Song Ever, in its best incarnation: Otis Redding's 'Shout Bamalama.' The custodians of the King vaults couldn't come up with this recording for us; for some reason, they found only a tamer mix. I had to dub it off my well-worn 45 (speaking of scratches!)." --Mr. Fine Wine

Artist:	BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND, JC
Title:	I Am Trying To Break Your Heart EP
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45053EP

Like Otis Redding fronting the Stooges, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound get crowds twisting and writhing on the floor. Brooks erupts with heart and raw emotion, unleashing uncompromising soul music ranging from sweaty on-the-one workouts, dance-punk booty shakers, garage rock thump humps, and aching R&B ballads without a missed step in between. They keep pushing forward with this new EP (which includes a stomping cover of Wilco's "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart").

Artist:	GAROTAS SUECAS
Title:	Mercado Roque Santeiro
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45054EP

Vampisoul is very excited to announce the arrival of their latest artist, Brazilian psych/soul- garage-pop combo Garotas Suecas. Sweaty, funky, exotic, committed, Garotas Suecas ("Swedish Girls," in Portuguese) hail from S�o Paulo, Brazil and offer up a hearty, full-throated stew combining the best elements of their country's homegrown Tropic�lia with Anglo-American soul and freakbeat. This single is the ideal introduction to their music; the record bursts with fuzz guitars, polyrhythms, scorching female backing vocals, big horn sections and heavy psychedelia.

Artist:	CARBONO, ABELARDO
Title:	Muevela/La Negra del Negrerio
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45057EP

2013 RSD release. To celebrate this year's Record Store Day, Vampisoul is releasing two tracks off their forthcoming Abelardo Carbon� compilation, El Maravilloso Mundo De, as a limited 7". Recorded in the early 1980s, these two tracks are just a small example of the genius of Colombia's Abelardo Carbon�, one of the most original musicians in Latin America. His music, which could be described as "proto champeta," is the result of many influences: Congolese music, cumbia, disco, Afrobeat, pop, Haitian compas, and psychedelic guitar.

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Artist:	STONE, SLY
Title:	Seventh Son (63/67)
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	VAMPI 003CD

Artist:	RAMIREZ, LOUIE
Title:	Louie's Grooves
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	LP
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 052LP

Artist:	DAVIS, BETTY
Title:	This Is It
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 055LP

Artist:	VA
Title:	Feten: Rare Jazz Recordings from Spain
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$25.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 146LP

Artist:	LONG, EDDIE
Title:	It Don't Make Sense But It Sure Sounds Good
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45006EP

Artist:	BENNITO SEXTET PLUS ONE
Title:	Psychedelic Meditation/My Sherry
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45022EP

Artist:	GILBERTO SEXTET
Title:	Good Lovin'/Please Don't Stop
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45023EP

Artist:	LAT-TEENS, THE
Title:	Mary-Wanna/Smoke Shop
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45024EP

Artist:	ED TRIO, THE JIMMY
Title:	Baby, Baby Oh Baby/Lips
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45030EP

Artist:	LOS FULANOS
Title:	Use It Before You Lose It
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45042EP

Artist:	CONJUNTO ESTIF/TOLDOS Y SU GRUPO
Title:	Tom Jazz/Nocturno Jazz
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45044EP

Artist:	KUBISOVA & ORCHESTR GOLDEN KIDS, MARTA
Title:	Jakoby Nic/Hare Krisna
Label:	VAMPISOUL (SPAIN)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	VAMPI 45049EP