Various – Latin Fire! Tropical Dance Music from Discos Fuentes, Colombia 1956-83 (2xLP)

Soul Jazz Records delve into the vast vaults of Discos Fuentes, one of the oldest and largest record companies in Latin America, known as ‘the Motown of Colombia’. Discos Fuentes played a major role in spreading Afro-Latin sounds both to Colombia and around the world and this album explores that legacy. Latin Fire! features legendary Colombian artists such as Fruko, The Latin Brothers, Michi Sarmiento, Afrosound, Pedro Laza, Wganda Kenya and more and showcases the wide-ranging variety of styles that Discos Fuentes made unique to their sound. The album features music from the golden era of Fuentes; from late 50s and 1960s Cumbia through to the emergence of heavyweight and hardcore salsa and Afro-funk in the 1970s and up to the early 1980s. Discos Fuentes pioneered the sound of ‘Tropical’ music – Afro-Colombian dance music that originated in the north coast of Colombia bringing it to a new worldwide audience. This album shows how Colombian music was also influenced by New York barrio-style hard Latin and salsa and Caribbean styles such as soka and zouk to create a truly unique dance music sound.