New releases last eight weeks: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Opa's Back Home was first reocrded in 1975 but not released until 1996; it was the fourth and final album by the esteemed Uruguayan fusion band, whose preferred admixture was usually some melted pot of funk and samba, making for an impressive heuristic building on their intuitive recalling of their mutual upbringing in South America. Mysteriously (for reasons unknown to the band), Opa's debut was shelved and remained so until the mid-1990s. But the story goes that it was recorded after renowned label producer and owner Larry Rosen heard the band playing in a Brooklyn nightclub; with this in mind, Back Home makes for an ironic title, since the sonic turn expressed by the band is not one of homesickness, but rather that of an immersion in New York's metamorphous music scene ('Brooklynville' has an instant proto-hip-hop vibe, if not for its original urban field recording, then certainly for its bulbous broken funk twang). Now reissued on vinyl and CD via Far Out, you won't want to miss this round trip.

Review: With this CD edition to complement the main LP reissue, we're once again met with the beauteous multi-instrumental talents of Agustin Pereyra Lucena, Argentina's finest. His self-titled debut record from 1970 is quite literally a 'bossa nova' (direct translation, 'novel swelling', 'new upswell'), doing justice to the genre name with a dialectical, pioneering regional take on already-established styles like samba and the aforementioned, informed by his outsider status as an Argentinian looking in on Brazil. Atypical for its time, Agustin's guitar playing never quite settles into any looping riff, instead revelling in free-associative improvs and overdubs of the crispest quality, both low and high in pitch range.

Review: Skeewiff (Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland) are a breakbeat producing team and co-founders of Jalapeno Records. With nearly 30 years of release music together, they have built Skeewiff to a household name within the breakbeat community. Something Like That? is their first full album in over five years and it shows that they are still a force to reckon with. Like the cover graphic style could indicate, this is music mostly from popular 60s songs that the Skeewiff have doctored up and refreshed. Ones like 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' by Nancy Sinatra, Austin Powers theme song 'Soul Bossanova' or the crazy jungle mix-up of 'Yakety Sax' most known from the Benny Hill show. This is enjoyable compilation!

Review: Olindo are thrilled and honored to celebrate one of Venezuela's most significant record labels, and to share a slice of their enduring influence in advancing Venezuelan-made Salsa music, with this fresh new 4xLP compilation in the style. Established in 1948 by Cesar Roldan, Discomoda is one of the nation's earliest record labels, as well as the oldest family operated label in the country. Home to one of the most complete folkloric and popular music catalogues of Venezuela, the label also invested heavily in Afro-Caribbean and tropical rhythms that became popular in the 60s and 70s. Discomoda's efforts saw to the increasing popularity of new local bands, such as Nelson y sus Estrellas, Los Kenya, Principe y su Sexteto and Los Satelites. As a result, this would kick off what could be considered a golden era of Salsa in Venezuela and which lasted until at least the mid-70s.