Galletas Calientes France Schallplatten & CDs

Review: ARN4L2's first-ever solo vinyl project is a doozy. Across five cuts he looks to the dance floor from his own unique perspective and mixes up Congolese soukous, Colombian Bullerengue, Nigerian highlife, Caribbean soca, and good old house music. His style is colourful and psychedelic and it really is fresh across the hurried, skittish percussive rhythms of 'Rompecuero' and deeper Afro-funk and soul of 'Caribe.' 'Kampangola' brings great instrumental displays and 'Papasukus' is pure summer music. A super strong EP from an artist well worth watching this year.

Review: 2019 marks 50 years since The Beachers formed in their home country of Panama. That they're not only still going strong but also capable of conjuring up magical albums like "Cincuenta" - their 13th in total - is remarkable in anyone's book. Long-term fans will tell you that this isn't actually a brand new set, having first appeared in 2017, but this is the first time it has appeared on vinyl. It remains a humid, vibrant and sun-kissed affair, with the veteran combo serving up ten tracks that gleefully join the dots between soca, calypso, ska, reggae, traditional Panamanian music and the more dancefloor-focused sounds of Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela. In other words, it's business as usual for the acclaimed Panamanian fusionists.

Review: Global electronic sound specialist - Producer and DJ Oliver Williams aka "The Busy Twist" is at it again. Among his numerous projects as a producer, this double-sider, dancefloor-focused EP is one of his seldom seen, more personal works in the vein of what he does best: an uptempo, bass-heavy madness, influenced by his regular trips to Africa, Latin America and the West-Indies, packed with undeniable British club music culture and production technique. Highly infectious energy, pure sunshine, 100% good vibes. Following up on The Busy Twist previous collaborations with Congolese singer Tres. "Nanko" is another joyful, sun-soaked, highly danceable Electro-Soukous party joint, loaded with captivating guitar grooves and soulful vocals. On the flip, "Rwendo Rweupenyu (The Journey Of Life) Remix" is an outstanding take on Zimbabwean Sungura Music (one of the country's most popular genres), originally performed by street band Daniel & Gonora Sounds, led by singer-guitarist Daniel Gonora and his drummer son Isaac. Respectfully using Daniel's mind bending guitar riffs and highpitched, uplifting vocals, The Busy Twist and his collaborator Portara deliver an inspiring and remarkably effective version of the original song. Vinyl contains exclusive extended and instrumental Dj-friendly versions of both tracks that won't be available for download anywhere.

Review: It would be fair to say that "Camaleon" - Spanish for "chameleon", fact fans - is a fitting title for the debut album by Carlos "Caribombo" Guillen. Born to Colombian and Venezuelan parents, but now living in France, the percussionist/DJ/producer makes music that not only draws on his South American roots, but also his love of contemporary music from all four corners of the globe, be it the tropical sounds of Mauritius, Afro-house, Portuguese kuduro, Jamaican dub or British bass music. As a result, the Venezuelan's debut album a tropical, multi-coloured treat that's joyfully hard to describe. Don't take our word for it: give it a listen ASAP!

Review: Bristol-based Hippo Sound System has a sound that draws on a wide sphere of reference from Afro to downtempo, tropicalia to dub. Origins in their debut album and comes deep in sound system culture but laden with evocative details that ate you away from the here and now to a humid jungle clearing full of ancestral rhythms, jazz freedom and contemporary bass music. It's a colourful and psychedelic listen that fuses the traditional and ritualistic with the futuristic and physical. Great drops, hooky melodies and a global feel make this one of the most unique albums you will have heard in some time.

Review: Panama Cardoon and Mister Kentro return with their sophomore trip "Enter The San", an exploration of the vast and fertile land between North Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East; a place where their own native Athens is in the middle of. Like their debut "Half Man Half Clap", the album is rich in instrumentation, variety and melodies as stories unfold and pack away before our very ears. Highlights include the mournful oboe and slo-mo hypnosis of "Dionysus" the Balkan swagger, crisp steel strings and dreamy haze of "The Corsican (feat P-Gial)" and the broken beat, flute-snapping "Wadi Rum" where some very cheeky breaks await on the pay off. And that's just three waymarks on the map...