Mushroom Pillow Spain Vinilo y CD

Review: Mushroom Pillow is on a proud and so far successful mission to bring back Latin American music from the 60s-80s via its Relatin project. it's all about mixing up the traditional and the modern and putting fresh spins on what went before. Many of the originals they look to have gone unnoticed the first time round and that's the case here as Franc Moody adds his own twist to Elia & Elizabeth's 'Alegria.' His remix is a sympathetic one that gets the hips swinging over fat and funky disco bass and beneath the sunny Latin vocals. He strips them away on the instrumental version on the flip.

Review: The Phenomenal Handclap Band combine forces with Buscabulla on this new split 7" for the new Relatin project, a New York-based initiative to reimagine Latin music for a new generation of music listeners. Touted as "sweet sixties soft pop meets funk and club culture", this three tracker comes to us with all the style of a low key Americana acetate found in a thrift store, but surreptitiously works modern sonics into the mix; 'Descripcion' is a beatless meander through mellow Latin vocals and whistles, while more energetic cuts adorn the A.

Review: Mushroom Pillow have tapped up the maverick Jacques Renault here and asked him to tap into a whole new world of influence away from his colourful house fair. It is the rich heritage of Latin underground sounds he leans on most as he threads together his own edits of classics from that world into two steamy new jams. His vibrant rhythms come peppered with mystic flutes and Latin vocals, psyched-out guitars and soulful melodies that make for truly captivating listening. The originals were chosen for their historical significance and cultural impact and have been sympathetically touched up here.

Review: Cultural icon Don Letts joins forces here with the masterful musician Greg Foat and producer James Thorpe to make a new entry into the Relatin project series. It is one where artists engaged with Latin musical roots from another era and update them for the here and now. Here they bring plenty of heavy dub vibes and great special awareness to a tune by Venezuelans Un Dos Tres. Greg Foat & James Thorpe also step up with a remix that is just as heavy and summery.