For those that follow Sound Travels, you may remember a particularly funky obsession I had throughout the past year with a very fresh compilation put out by the UK collective known as Sofrito. A group led by one Hugo Mendez, that remains dedicated to compiling and re-issuing some of the rarest and dopest tropical beats compiled from lost music vaults throughout the Caribbean, Africa and Northern South America. Their first comp, Sofrito -Tropical Discotheque was amazing in terms of the range of styles and sources as well as in terms of pure funky freshness. From afro-funk to soca to salsa to cumbia, these cats know their stuff!
So when I discovered that there was a new comp coming up, I tried my best to score it early. No dice. But as heavily anticipated as it is (at least by me), we won't have to wait much long as it is due out soon. Sofrito - International Soundclash is set for release on July 24th on STRUT records and from what I've heard so far, there's no drop-off from the last comp. A heady mix of the same ingredients that got them into this funky position. Rarely do I write about the future, but these songs are from a past most are not familiar with and I want you to be among the first to know. And it's not too early to reserve your own copy. Preview it here...
If that piqued your interest, they've been kind enough to pre-release one of the songs. Soca from Lord Shorty, aka Ras Shorty, who was instrumental in the development of soca in his native Trinidad in the late 70's. "Vibrations" even has a short primer on that history at the beginning of this very fresh song.
