Seemingly, we’ve been on a bit of a Latino kick here at The Distribution Tango. Last week we ventured to Peru for rear-end rousting beats of Gozalo: Bugalu Tropical Vol. 2 and before that we’d made an expedition to Cuba to expose you to the funk blast of Si, Para Usted. It’s been such a great little excursion, we’ve decided to keep it keepin’ on.
Our temporary tour of The America’s better half just keeps rolling on as this week we meander in to the arid deserts of Mexico to present you with:
What Is It?: A collection of super funky tracks from the band once hailed as the Mexican Meters. So it’s time to get down to the authentic sound of Salvador “Rabito” Agüero’s band. After spending most of the sixties in New York with his brothers Luis and Felix on the jazz circuit, on their return to Mexico in 1968, disillusioned with the local studio scene, they got together with nephews and friends to form Rabbits & Carrots. The idea was simple: instrumental cover versions of the popular soul songs of the day filtered through a brutally low budget and a distinctly Mexican sound. It includes the groups only full length from 1969, and four bonus tracks from their only “7. From Vampi Soul. Read the rest of this entry »
You’re clearing your schedule for the 5th, there isn’t any other option. But we’d like to recommend you empty the books for the 6th, 7th, and hell, maybe even the 8th, ’cause The Blakes are going to rock you in to a million pieces and it might take that long to put yourself back together again.
Can’t get enough of that sweet, sweet Canadian-Jamaican music? Can’t stop circling the date of September 25th in permanent red marker on your calender? Do you wake in the middle of the night, sweaty and humming Johnny Osbourne’s“Love Makes The World Go Round”?
You’ve got a need my friend, a need for the brand, spanking new Summer Records Anthology DUAL-DISC (meaning songs on one side, bonus material on the other) that drops on September 25th. Well, we can’t give it to you yet, but we can give you the third and final segment in the unreleased Summer Records Documentary we know you’ve developed a dopey-grinned hankering for.
It won’t stop the imaginary bugs or the itching, but it certainly helps with the shakes.
It isn’t everyday that some of the great reggae, funk, soul, dub players of the fifty years gear-up and perform together. Hell, it isn’t even every other day. Thus we aren’t surprised by the commotion Jamaica to Toronto’s upcoming performance at Pop Montreal (joining the likes of Patrick Wolf, The National and Grizzly Bear) is causing, but we certainly are grinning from ear to ear.
First, the Jamaica to Toronto show at Pop Montreal (October 5th, Club Lambi, just a measly $15 loonies) is featured on the front page of this world famous festival. The unknown author writes,
“Bolstered by overwhelming concert attendance and media support in Canada and abroad, come witness Canadian music history as “Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk and Reggae 1967-1974″ touches down for their Montreal debut.”
We know you all want to be movie stars, and here’s not only your chance to achieve that lofty ambition, but also to eat some free snacks and hang out with The Blakes. What could be better?
If you haven’t noticed yet, we here at Light In The Attic are pretty excitable people. We love getting tipped on to some great old record, or a fantastic new re-issue, or some tasty little restaurant that we’ve never been to before. We love this shit so much that we’ve decided to pass on our love of, well, everything, to you, our loyal fans. Every Monday (sometime over the course of the day) we’ll post another edition of Around the Office, a weekly peek in to what we’re listening to, watching, eating, touching, smelling, just in general loving. You know, just to help spread the love.
Check in every week, it’ll always be different, and it’ll always be entertaining. Hell, sometimes we’ll even have the bands post their own little Around the Office, and you certainly don’t want to miss that.
A brilliant little psychedelic trio from across the pond (Nottingham if you’re interested) who just released this absolutely stunning single that harkens back to 60s psych-rockers like well, Free Design. Seriously, the haunting lilt of singer Carly (last name unknown) over that sultry bass on ‘Without Sound’ quietly fucking rocks. You can check this shit out at Heron Records or own their Myspace page. Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve been busting our asses lately around here. Last month it was Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators. So far this month we’ve put out the The BlakesStreets EP, and September 25th sees the next entry in to our Jamaica to Toronto series (Summer Records Anthology). October 6th is the release date for the full, ass-kicking, LP by The Blakes (and a sure to rock two-part record release … more about that later).
So, yes, we’re a little tired, a little worn down, but damn near ecstatic to be delivering great music to the ears of discerning music lovers. And, truthfully, we’re just as happy to be garnering some serious press from across the nation. Press that looks like this:
Nicole Willis in XLR8R
“Willis’ covers the gamut of ’60s- and ’70s-era soul and funk without ever placing a foot fully in the ‘retro’ camp.’” Read the rest of this entry »
It took us a while to post the freebie from last Friday’s Distribution Tango due to a lack of technological knowledge on the part of our news-boy Noah. He’s been slapped around thusly though, and now we present to you the 70s spy theme/Peruvian ass-shaker that is Coco Lagos y sus Orates ‘Guajira Boogaloo’.
It’s free thanks to our friends over at Vampi Soul, so you’ve nary a reason not to take a listen.
My heart beats just a little faster every time I read some new glowing review of our favorite Seventies funk-goddess Betty Davis. She’s just so damn deserving, you know?
Let me tell you, it’s near heart attack time today, because Portugal’s biggest newspaper, Publico (think the New York Times of Portugal) just printed a huge three page story on Betty’s recently re-issued masterpieces They Say I’m Differentand Betty Davis. I wish I could pull a quote for you, but my Portuguese just isn’t what it used to be, so instead you can look at these pretty little scans instead.
“With a growl that would make Tina Turner jealous and a fashion sense that could cause LaBelle to bristle with envy, Davis brewed up a feast of funk that still sounds raw and righteous today.”
Since we’ve received no responses in terms of the naming of this column (though if you have one, send it to me at noah@lightintheattic.net) I’ve deemed it The Distribution Tango - at least until either I come up with something better (which shouldn’t be terribly difficult) or one of you good folk gives me something.
Until then, welcome to The Distribution Tango.
Before we get in to this edition’s release, those who were interested in Si, Para Usted (Tuesday’s album) should check out Waxing Deep’s website, where you can find some great reviews from the likes of allmusic and Maxim. You know, if you’re interested.
What Is It: The the second volume in the highly acclaimed Vampi Soul 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 it’s 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. This second sampler gives you another taste of a very special period in Peru’s musical and social history. Featured artists include Coco Logos, Tito Chicoma, Carlos Munoz, Pedro Miguel, and so many more. From Vampi Soul.Read the rest of this entry »
