Forgotten Treasures

A couple of weeks ago, the homie Lexis and I were spinning a brunch gig together and he said something I instantly connected with and knew I’d share with you: “As a music lover, there’s nothing more frustrating than attending an entire DJ set without feeling compelled to walk up …

North African rythms and Afro-Arabic grooves clustered as a genre nicknamed Habibi Funk (link) have been gaining traction in the vinyl rare grooves scene in recent years. However, we have yet to see the massive vinyl releases and comps in line with other exotic niche genres. That’s why this 45 …

As far as I can figure… Anamaria and Mauricio were a couple of young vocal performers who had some gigs around Sao Paolo in the late 60s. One day in 1969 a record producer sees them in a club and signs them to record an album. That’s 1970’s No no …

Crucial UK Dancehall treasure from the mid-80’s originally released on the Heavyweight label (also a UK based sound system), featuring production by Chester Roots and Ackie on the vocals. You will also recognize a very nice appearance from a Commodore 64 sample at the beginning of the track. Killer Helicopter …

via BBE Music: Originally referred to as the ‘Pop Music Lab’, the Peoples’ Workshop was formed in 1976 at Texas Southern University as a space for students to compose and perform, free from the constrains of Western classical music education. Swiftly gathering momentum, in 1980 the organisation was granted non-profit …

The third installment of Sociedad‘s Dura Series is another perfect representation of the heavy and elite flavors of New York City salsa. From the signature sound of the band to the backstory of the label they were on, Dax Pacem embodies the golden era of salsa. Their legendary stage battles …

via Strut Records: Funkier than most yacht-rock, and beachier than most funk, “Kona Winds” is three and a half perfect minutes of aural relaxation. The track originally appeared on the “Homegrown” compilation series in 1978, showcasing local Hawaiian artists. Today, the track fits comfortably in Balearic DJ sets and left-field …

For the past month or so, when I’ve felt like leaving the world and gliding off to another place, this has been my medicine. Ken Parker, Jamaican son of a preacher man, had a string of hits in the late 60s with reggae gurus Coxson Dodd, Duke Reid and Bunny …

At the bottom of a crate laid an abandoned record with a mysterious cover featuring 7 musicians depicted in pointillism style with a funky orange and pink font. I later found out that this version was the Italian edition released on CAM (pictured below). It was the visual that caught …