black rio 2

azambuja & cia - tema de azambuja

second volume from Strut of killer post-Tropicalic samba-funk. RIYL: being alive, sunshine, good moods.  "tema de azambuja" has those great floaty berlin-bowie tinny synth pads and will go well with your stunningly pleasant friday afternoon. 

"While Volume One brought together pioneers of the movement like Tim Maia, Gerson King Combo, UniaoBlack and Jorge Ben, Volume 2 digs much deeper, exploring more of the key artists and some of the short-lived bands and smaller labels of the time. Highlights include the dynamite funk / samba jam Faz Tanta Tempo by Renata Lu, a great funky cover of Gilberto Gil’s Bananeira by Emilio Santiago and a rare slice of breezy soul, Supermarket, by Pete Dunaway aka Paulistano, one of many artists giving themselves a Western-sounding name at the time.

The album is compiled and annotated by leading Brazilian music DJ Cliffy, the man behind long-running London club night Batmacumba."

Tracklist

1. Zeca Do Trombone & Roberta Sax – Coluna Do Meio

2. Renata Lu – Faz Tanto Tempo

3. Guimaraes E O Grupo Som Sagrado – Our Sound

4. Rubinho E Mauro Assumpcao – Ta Tudo Ai

5. Emilio Santiago - Bananeira

6. Watusi – Oi Gere (CD only)

7. Os Diagonais – Nao Vou Chorar (CD only)

8. Claudia – Salve, Rainha (CD only)

9. Pete Dunaway - Supermarket

10. Super Som Lord – BR Samba

11. Azambuja & Cia – Tema De Azambuja

12. Avan Samba - Ibere

13. Cry Babies – It’s My Thing

14. Balanca Povo – Novo Dia

15. Edson Frederico E A Transa – Bobeira (CD only)

16. Bebeto – Princesa Negra De Angola (Instrumental version)

17. Marlene – Sinal Vermelho

18. Sonia Santos – Poema Ritmico Do Malandro

Calypsoul '70

The Revolution of Saint Vincent - The Little You Say

Reissue kingpins Strut cover the Caribbean on this new comp: Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover. A very diverse collection of forays into island-rich funk, disco, reggae, etc. The cover explains it all: whoever these lost groups are, all you need to know is that they wear amazing uniforms and play in a sunny field. what do you do all day?

This would be the perfect summer BBQ album to casually throw on like you haven't spent all day thinking about what to play when your friends show up. Except that, I hate to tell you this, summer is kind of over. I know the weather persists, I know sunny doldrums carry on, but the icey truth is there before you, even though announcing it to you only gives me the same kind of joy as it would to whisper Nietzsche quotes to an old lady in church.

Now there are those that welcome summer like moviegoers tittering at the parting of a curtain, and those that acknowledge the onset of the sweetest season as a time for reverence and joyful ritual. Listen to this great dusty beach funk jam, "The Little You Say," and tell me which camp feels like home to you. And don't think about that it's almost September and you have to go buy a new Trapper Keeper.