Review: Discodelic comes correct again with a new 7" that features a pair of rather lesser-known and brilliantly obscure Latin psych-rock gems. Conjunto Raza' 'African Dream' is all crackly and immediately nostalgic because of it, with noodle acoustic guitar sounds making way for a more upbeat and driving 60s garage rock sound but all in loveable lo-fi. Add in a red-hot vocal and you have a flame cut full of funk. On the reverse, The Scepters 'Message' is another well-aged jam that brings rawness and emotion in equal measure.
Review: The Scepters, formed in 1967 in Paraiso by guitarist Celso Spencer, were a popular Panamanian band known for their energetic performances across military bases and high school dances in the Canal Zone. Alongside Lionel Best and Jose James, they covered Top 40 hits and iconic rock bands like Santana and Jimi Hendrix. They released two 45s, including 'Message,' which debuted at Panama's first National Soul Music Festival in 1971 and features next here to a jam from Conjunto Raza, another project led by Agustin Leiro, this one with rotating musicians. They released a single 45 on Onda Nueva in the mid-70s and it blends Zonian and Panamanian talent with aplomb.
Review: "The world's greatest two person rock 'n' roll ensemble, the next big thing - out now!" You can hear the delicious wit and parody in the copy sitting on The Courettes website, a band that have managed to do the unthinkable, swerving all trends to come up with music that simultaneously sounds self-aware in its retro nostalgia, yet incredibly fresh. Hailing from Denmark and Brazil - another curveball in many ways, California, which welcomes the additional vocals of La La Brookes, is a case in point. Jangly yet snarling garage rock, seductive art pop aimed at the charts, beach guitar stuff that supplants realism and experimentation for the doe-eyed dreaminess of, err, beach guitar stuff. Original as ever, it's more evidence that these guys may well be on the money with that description of themselves.
Review: Mr Bongo's Brazil 45's series brings us two Brazilian classics: Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti's 'Agora E Moda' and Pete Dunaway's 'Supermarket'. 'Agora E Moda' from Lee's 1978 album Babilonia is a psychedelic disco-boogie groove highlighted by squelching guitar licks, funk drums, and cosmic vocals. Rita Lee, the former lead singer of Os Mutantes and a key figure in the Tropicalia movement, left a lasting legacy upon her passing in 2023. On the flip side, Dunaway's 'Supermarket' is a rare groove/AOR gem with a standout bassline, swaggering guitar, and lush strings, showcasing his talent as a composer and multi-instrumentalist. This release celebrates the enduring influence of Brazilian music.
Review: Discodelic and Groovie Records unveil a pair of rare 1970s Panamanian gems here with forgotten tracks from The Meditators, and Los Misticos. Originally recorded for radio and left in storage, these Latin psych funk bombs capture the underground spirit of Panama's vibrant music scene from more than 50 years ago. Licensed through Tamayo Records, these songs have been beautifully mastered and now the long-lost recordings, which barely made it to vinyl the first time around, become available for all who are keen to drop the heat and learn about Panama's hidden musical treasures at the same time.
Review: These two rare 1970s Panamanian gems are long-forgotten tracks from The Meditators and Los Misticos that now get pressed up to a very colourful 7", though we also have a plain black version. These Latin psych-funk recordings were created for radio but were stored away for many years and now listening back they offer a glimpse into the vibrant, underground scene of Panama. Beautifully remastered and licensed through Tamayo Records, these rediscovered songs are now available after originally being pressed in extremely limited quantities. These tracks provide a unique chance for listeners to experience Panama's hidden musical treasures while adding some heat to any collection.
M Hawk - "Beat Me Till I'm Blue" (No Horns version) (2:41)
The Mohawks - "Beat Me Till I'm Blue" (Horns version) (2:42)
Review: 'Beat Me Till I'm Blue' is a wonderfully funky classic by The Mohawks presented under the M Hawk alias, the Hawk in question being none other than KPM Music Library overlord Alan Hawkshaw, who wrote the themes from everything from Grange Hill to Countdown. It was a real cornerstone of the late-1960s library and soul-infused grooves of the sort that diggers still fawn over today, and sample fiends still search out. The track delivers Hawkshaw's distinctively driving Hammond organ riffs, tight drum breaks and irresistible rhythms, all of which have made it a favourite among DJs for decades. Two versions are served up here, one with the iconic horns and one with them stripped away, and both offer plenty of energy. .
Review: This a unique release that features a song that was released by two different bands during within the same year. The song 'Meshkalina' was by a psychedelic and prog band from Peru called Traffic Sound and then, soon after, by Latin duo Paco Zambrano and Reynaldo Murrieta under the name Paco Zambrano Y Su Combo. The latter version is more traditional and Latin while the Traffic Sound version is more psychedelic garage rock band-like. Two formidable and very different versions featured on limited splattered 7" vinyl.
Review: Matching breezy, Bossa nova-tinged sophistication with softly spiralling psychedelia, Testbild! arrive in the Quindi lounge as though they've always been there. Bed Stilt is their latest, anagrammatic album, on which the Swedish collective cast their minds back over their entire careers, all the way back to the earliest days of their 25-year trip through sweetly mysterious pop-not-pop, rendered in warm tones and shot through with surrealism. At once nostalgic for the sleepy neo-psych rock realisations of 90s Malmo - yet also unconsciously nodding to the potents of an incarnation of the sound yet to come - the likes of 'And Her Eyes Are Red', through to the farmyard dream scenario of 'Soft Winged & Frail' and finally absurd bemusement 'Water On The Moon', meet us with an unconscious flight of fancy, teeming with psychic quirks and happily irresolute instrumental combinations, from banjo to Mellotron Mikro to vibraphonette.
Review: Peru has enjoyed a thriving and exciting music scene since the mid-1960s. Bands such as Los Saicos, Los Shain's, and Los York's, to name just a few, released a number of brilliant records that drove young fans crazy and set an example for many to follow. The end of the decade brought about an evolution in sound and new music, as Peruvian bands kept an eye on the groundbreaking British and US artists. One of them was Traffic Sound, founded in Lima in 1967. Over a very short period of time the band managed to successfully develop their career, and by 1971 their Latin influences had overpowered the psychedelic prog vibe of their previous records. The song became a local hit and several versions were recorded by different Peruvian artists. On the other side of this single we find Black Sugar, a Peruvian band considered to be a pioneer group in Latin America in mixing funk influences with rock and Latin rhythms. In 1976, following their gig at Coliseo Amauta in Lima, opening the night for the legendary Spanish band Barrabas, they started to show a growing interest in disco music, resulting in some line-up changes with members leaving the project due to their lack of interest in the new sound and new ones joining in. Their own take on 'La Camita' was released in 1978, and adds a modern twist to the original song.
Review: So much for a psychedelic lifestyle - we're talking music rather than intoxicants, obviously - proving bad for productivity. Tucson, Arizona's Trees Speak have managed to record three albums in the space of a year for Soul Jazz and been praised as creating a "Dark Side of the Moon for the 21st century" in their most recent, Timeforms. Hot the heels of that success comes a limited (to a super select 150 copies), hand stamped 7" containing two even newer productions, with 'Wave Healer' proving a swampy, glorious mess of echoing, ring modulated voices and vintage synth soaring pinned down by a Broadcast-style organ and Mo Tucker-esque floor tom thump. 'Psychic State' meanwhile, on the flip, goes hither and zither with a slower and more off kilter beats and controls set for the heart of the echo again. This is most definitely what the fuss is all about.
Review: A collaborative EP between 2 Australian rock giants, this limited one-sided collectors disc comprises the 19 minutes long 'Satanic Slumber Party' split into three sections. 'The Chairman's Portrait' intro is a dark, heavily distorted spoken-word piece backed by dark rumbling guitars that explodes into the head-banging electronic banger 'Midnight in Sodom'. The angry lyrics are paired with awesome melodic guitar solos and chiptune noises, before shifting into noise rock territory. 'Hoof and Horn' takes up most of the runtime at a hefty 12 minutes, in which ambient drone begets experimental sound effects that are reminiscent of the liquid bass and synths favoured by producer SOPHIE. The track evolves into a demonic lullaby that wouldn't feel out of place in an episode of American Horror Story, and fans of 2 Mello's 'Atmospheric Horror Music Vol.1' will greatly appreciate this track. The EP is all-in-all a camp experience. An Avante-Garde, quintessentially fun blend of two incredible groups.
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