Repeating Islands

Selection of African, Caribbean and South American gems, old and new—Stewart Smith reports for list.co.uk.

‘This is the sexy part of our music,’ teases Lord Shorty, in ‘Vibrations Groove’, the delicious opener to this selection of African, Caribbean and South American gems. Sofrito masterminds Hugo Mendez and Frankie Francis dig deep for treasure like Kiland et L’Orchestre Mabatalai’s ‘Pour Chercher le Magot’, a gorgeous soukous psychedelicised by liquescent guitar and synth. There’s rubbery disco from Cameroon, vintage Creole pop from Les Vikings, and a magical Kenyan waltz from Melodica Teens Band. It’s not all retro, however, with Groupo Canalon and Nairobi-London outfit Owiny Sigoma Band contributing excellent new tracks.

For the original report go to http://www.list.co.uk/article/43468-sofrito-international-soundclash/