New releases last four weeks: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Argentine electro-cumbia innovator Chancha Via Circuito (Pedro Canale) has a truly strong sense of give and take. His debut movements saw to Bienaventuranza (2018), a critically acclaimed album deep-setting his role in a gauzy downtempo reshape of the global music idiom. A full remix EP of the record followed, spewing forth fresh interpretations by echelonic music masters, including Euro-techno titan Nicola Cruz on 'Alegria', and Spanish producer Baiuca. Now, finally, comes the third in a three-step movement of remixes, this time hearing Chancha Via Circuito himself offer his own remixing hand to several of said very same artists, the works of El Buho, Nickodemus, and Lagartijeando also in tow. Deep, earthy tunes, full of natural oud harmonics blended with chanting, understated downbeats.

Review: El Buho's (Robin Perkins') influential 2017 debut album returns with its first repress, aiding our reflections on an album that helped define the digital folklorica and "natural cumbia" movements emergent in electronic music in the latter half of the 2010s. Balance weaves a complex darn of naturalism, Latin American rhythms, and modern synthetic percussion design, smudging the lines cordoning off organics and synthesis. Hailed in the press as "the ultimate fusion of nature and music" and for evidencing Mexico's indigenous roots in sound, El Buho helped bridge organic and digital worlds of cumbia Andina and chicha with electronic textures here, presaging and perhaps causing the clamour over cumbia that has since ensued.

Review: La Pambele, Bogota's salsa dura ensemble, distills the spirit of 1970s salsa while threading modern-day stories through every track. Their energetic and heartfelt music is a celebration of the culture that's so intrinsic to their city, blending bold rhythms with lyrics that hit close to home. In a city often perceived as less rhythmically charged than the coastal regions, the band defies the stereotype, delivering tracks like 'Para No Olvidar' and 'La Bella Y La Culebra' that pulse with energy and authenticity. 'Naci Mestizo', the album's title track, sees La Pambele collaborate with the seasoned Afro-Colombian folklorist Nicoyembe, adding layers of cultural depth and richness that further root the sound in Colombian heritage. The mix of piano, conga, flute, and brass on songs like 'Amargura' and 'Son Cimarron' carries a nostalgic yet forward-thinking energy, embracing the past while pushing boundaries. There's a warmth and precision in the way the orchestra weaves traditional salsa with contemporary expressions, effortlessly moving between nostalgia and modern relevance, all while telling the story of the everyday Bogotano in its boldest form.

Review: With his third EP and second for this label, Seattle-based South American Martin Selasco's project continues to carve out a distinct space in the Balearic downtempo universe, radiating a sun-baked, cross-cultural charm that is worldly and intimate. Side-A opens with 'La Pantera', a smoky instrumental driven by a dubby pulse and layered Latin percussion, the track's hazy atmosphere and subtle melodic touches hinting at everything from tropical lounge to low-slung sound system culture. 'Descalzo' is more of a downtempo cumbia laced gem with light funk and breezy French-Island textures. The rhythm sways with a casual elegance, evoking barefoot dances at golden hour and lazy days under a beachside canopy. Effortlessly blending influences, this EP feels like a postcard from an imagined coastline that somewhere between Colombia, Guadeloupe and the Balearics.

Review: There are immersive experiences that inspire artists to do great things. Then there's Aboutface heading to the Wampis Territory, in the Peruvian Amazon, to live with the local community, learn a little of how they live and their relationship with the Lungs of the Planet, capturing field recordings collaboratively with those people, and trying to articulate their world through an electronic-organic deep dive album. After you've got over the jealousy about how life-changing that trip was, let's focus on the fundamentals. This is seriously escapist stuff that seems to have been made using every root, branch, and animal encountered during those weeks. The synthesised elements are audible, but take a backseat to what was and is actually there. Or here. Quite unlike anything we've heard this year, it's a stunning way to raise awareness and support for Indigenous-led conservation and initiatives trying to stop illegal deforestation and ecocide.