JOE BATAAN Schallplatten & CDs

Review: An intriguing song is 'Aftershower Funk', the Latin American musician Joe Bataan's curt salsa single from 1974. Fresh, cologned, groomed, and with towel firmly wrapped round hair, Bataan's largely instrumental track is about as lightfooted as the sprightly young man he was, then at 34 years old. With heavy tin drum and cowbell clangings peppered throughout, a toe-tapping mood is sure to beset the listener. B-sider 'Fin' continues the mood, uniting percussion with piano, brass, whistle and rhythm guitar; a much fuller exercise in triumphant finality.

Review: Joe Bataan's 1968 sophomore album Riot! is considered a cornerstone of Latin soul and the record that truly cemented his reputation as the genre's king. Backed by the dynamic Latin Swingers band, Bataan masterfully blends Afro-Cuban rhythms, soul and funk with his signature streetwise flair. Tracks like 'It's a Good Feeling' and the title song capture the energy and emotion of late-1960s urban life while reflecting both personal and societal struggles. Its infectious grooves, raw vocal delivery and tight instrumentation mean that this one remains a timeless classic that continues to resonate across the generations.

Review: This 2024 edition marks the return of Joe Bataan, via the same track that made his name in 2004. Vampi Soul first welcomed the Latin Soul king to the label two decades back, facilitating the release of his 2005 album Call My Name. The pre-release singles for the album were 'Chick-A-Boom' and 'Cycles Of You', packed onto a single 7"; these quickly became DJs' favourites and have thus since remained long out of print. As it was twenty years ago, 'Chick-A-Boom' is a simultaneously upbeat but ghostly track, with Bataan's vocals quadrupling up in a wall of sound while providing the vibe equivalent of a Jackie Chan flick. 'Call My Name', meanwhile, goes heavy on the clavichord and synth whistle, as Bataan revels in a funereal theme, dancing, thundersticking into the great beyond.

Review: Vampisoul mainstay Joe Bataan comes through once again this year for a two-track G-funk-whistling pair of soul bits, reissuing the song 'Call My Name', which cemented the crooner's name way back in 2004. A funereal theme overarches the otherwise laid-back and casually-mooded song: "we are gathered here today to remember the departed and have a final say". It's this tension between joyous and lamentatory that nails the Latin Soul artist's overall vision and here you have the potential to whack it on the 'tables once more.

Review: ,Joe Bataan has been busy in East L.A. with Orquesta Rene for this new Latin jazz double 7" courtesy of Steady Beat. It features four all new pieces drenched in soul and percussion, starting with 'So Fine' (feat Big Sandy), a mid tempo groove with vocal longing and languid horns. 'Mestizo' is a more steamy and intimate piece with sung-spoken lyrics and glowing, golden chords. 'Mom & Dad' (feat Claudia Lennear) has s steamy shuffle to its rhythms and classic Latin percussive sounds next to a call and response vocal and 'Time After Time' closes with a sentimental feel.

Review: Previously unreleased, Joe Bataan (real name Bataan Nitollano) recorded the bulk of the material making up Drug Story in 1972. This new, highly limited box set hears seven revered, rarely-heard gems of Latin jazz, deep soul, raucous boogaloo, and heavy salsa by the legend, most of which were largely salvaged from his very own self-run Ghetto Records vaults. Drug Story was inspired by true events, and hears Bataan croon graciously over themes of destitution, lost family members and friends, and addiction. One of three definitive reissues of Bataan's greatest works, licensed from Bataan himself, with his oversight and input into a 15 page oversized book by Pablo Yglesia,s that details Bataan's larger-than-imagination life and his little Latin label that could.