Tags: Cumbia

Review: Analog Africa's latest must-have release focuses on the little-known musical culture of the Para state on Northern Brazil, and specifically the port city of Belem. Since the 1960s the city's musicians have been serving up unique and exciting new styles that draw as much on West African, Cuban and Caribbean music as they do the rhythms and instrumentation of the Amazonian tribes based nearby. It's these kinds of unique and exuberant fusions - think heavy bass, bouncy ska-style rhythms, punchy Afro-Cuban horns, densely layered drums, celebratory vocals and tropical guitars - that make "Jambu E Os Miticos Sons Da Amazonia" such an essential listen. Context is provided via the included 24-page booklet, whose extensive liner notes track the development of Para's unique musical culture.

Review: Cuba-meets-Cameroon-via-Guinea-and-Senegal, the roots of this African-adopted Cuban sound are as rich, unique and exciting as Amara Toure's tale itself. After years of club performing in Dakar, Amara and his Black & White Ensemble in the late '60s and proceeded to release 10 songs during the '70s. Here, for the first time ever, all of these recordings are united on this immaculately presented collection. From the cobble-kicking percussive Cuban heels and emphatic harmonies of "Fatou" to the deep yearning crooning blues of "N'ga Digne M'be" and the spacey, out-of-this-world guitars and jazzy trumpet lead of "N'Niyo", there's something very special and unique about this collection. With a heart that beats in Africa but a soul that shines with Cuban fire, as Analogue Africa state themselves... It's only taken 10 songs for Amara to become a legend. Very few artists can claim this feat.

Review: A very special release, available for the first time internationally... Here Analog Africa explores the pollination of rural Brazilian music made by Amazon natives and the influence of escaped African slaves. Composed by Mestre Cupijo and recorded between 1975 and 1982, each track blasts and wheezes its own unique narrative. From the frenetic rhumba of "Tubarao Branco" to the spiralling horns and rich chants of "Siria Quente" via sad croons and concrete guitar strums of "Passarinho Siriri" there's a vibrant fusion of elements that will resonate with fans of music from both sides of the Atlantic.

Review: Analog Africa has got their sights firmly set on Peru right now as they drop two vital new records on the same day. This one is the second volume of Sonic Expedition into the Peruvian Amazon with a specific focus on the years 1972 to 1986 across four sides of vinyl. It is a thrilling collection of high-energy Cumbia that indulges plenty of guitar-driven instrumentals that take you deep into the heart of the jungle. From the trilling acoustic riffs of Sonido Verde De Moyobamba's 'La Cervecita' to Los Invasores De Progreso's more slow and sun-kissed 'La Bola Buche,' this is a glorious listen.

Review: Global groove trotters and world renowned compilers Analog Africa are back with another gem for your collection, this time looking deep into the sounds of the golden age of Mexico City's mobile soundsystems. Super Disco Pirata - De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980" is a musical adventure with no fewer than 23 red hot jams of topical greatness all ready to get asses shaking and floors full. They have been taken from "the finest and strangest pirata LPs" and they all shine bright from Enrique Lynch's bright and brassy 'La Quinta Sinfonia De Beethoven' to Gabriel Meza Y Su Organo Chevere's 'La Luna Y El Pescador' with its rather haunting organ melodies and shuffling samba rhythms. A real treat for world music lovers.

Review: Analog Africa is back with another of its eye-opening and mind-altering trips into musical wonderment here as the 20+ year-old label digs deep into the Andean city of Quito. It's the Ecuadorian capital and home to the music which makes up this vital collection and which owes so much to Polibio Mayorga. He spent much of his musical career trying to - and succeeding in - modernise the ancient rhythms of his region, namely Huaynito, Sanjuanito and Albazo. He did so with cutting-edge - at the time - electronic equipment and a trusty Moog and the result of his effort was that he is now regarded as a pioneer of tropical psychedelia. Dig in deep to hear how that happened across these superb 16 sounds.

Review: Analog Africa doesn't do anything other than special releases really, but this one tracing the label's origins back to Zimbabwe over 20 years ago is a real standout. A carefully curated collection of 25 tracks with a fine booklet proving plenty of extra context, it captures the birth of the country's modern music scene and brims with the creative sound explosion of the 70s and 80s. Before genres were fully defined, artists blended rock, rumba, soul and traditional rhythms in bold, experimental ways that still stand up and get diggers and dancers excited in 2025. Included are never-before-released tracks from Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi and more and they all add up to rich and dynamic snapshot of Zimbabwe's peerless musical evolution during what was a transformative era.

Review: Analogue Africa's latest deep dive into the forgotten corners of global music culture shines a light on Mexico's 'pirata' (bootleg) compilations of the early 1980s - sets that contained edited, pitched down and distorted versions of genuine dancefloor hits from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and other central and South American countries. The compilations themselves were, of course, highly illegal, came with very strange covers, and - because of the in-demand nature of the music on offer - sold well. It's a great collection of trippy tropical music all told, with the accompanying booklet - written by a local specialist in 'pirata' musical culture - doing a great job of providing background information and showcasing the movement's strong link with Mexico's soundsystem-powered 'dance-party' scene of the turn of the 80s.