I don't get latin. The weirder stuff (Tropicalia) and the fuzzy psyche stuff I like, but the majority of latin music that gets sweated here does nothing for me.
For the Strutters who are dropping money on this, when did the interest begin?
Any opinions on when latin became the new thing for diggers? Is their a time-line that standard collectros have followed
early '90s - samples/breakbeat raer - later '90s - deep funk - early '00s - private press psyche(?) - mid '00s - latin heat/afro beat(?)
Yeah, I do mean for people on this board, but broadly speaking, I suppose I'm also going on trends that I've observed - what shops stock, what labels re-issue, what DJs are mixing...
So far the bug hasn't bitten me, and I just wondered when it got others.
Being in New York it might be a little different, because latin music was already being heavily collected, reissued (though the old Nuyorica! comps were done by London's Soul Jazz) and priced accordingly by those who knew what they were doing, back when I got here in the mid 90s.
As far as this board, it's been a little odd in that it seems to constitute a revival of a trend I was seeing back then. But it's not like, say, African records, which up until fairly recently were completely off the radar except to a select few.
Any opinions on the Ray Jay and the Eastsiders LP?
Its a cool record, the track "Searching For Love" is really dope, and on 45. I think "Love Doll' was their "big hit." All in all the record is that Cotique boogaloo, latin soul sound. That price is super high though, its more like a $30 record.
I don't get latin. The weirder stuff (Tropicalia) and the fuzzy psyche stuff I like, but the majority of latin music that gets sweated here does nothing for me.
For the Strutters who are dropping money on this, when did the interest begin?
Any opinions on when latin became the new thing for diggers? Is their a time-line that standard collectros have followed
early '90s - samples/breakbeat raer - later '90s - deep funk - early '00s - private press psyche(?) - mid '00s - latin heat/afro beat(?)
Latin is dance music; if you don't dance to it then you probably won't get it. Anyone can enjoy the musicianship but dancing is the whole point.
I don't get latin. The weirder stuff (Tropicalia) and the fuzzy psyche stuff I like, but the majority of latin music that gets sweated here does nothing for me.
For the Strutters who are dropping money on this, when did the interest begin?
I can only speak for myself but I got turned onto NY Latin by Vinnie Esparza back around 2002 or so and I was definitely late to the game. As JP points out, Latin's been "collectible" for quite a while; it's not really something that's come in or out of vogue in the same way, say, random rap did. For example,
early '90s - samples/breakbeat raer - later '90s - deep funk - early '00s - private press psyche(?) - mid '00s - latin heat/afro beat(?)
I dont think this is accurate past maybe the "deep funk" era. The ways in which eBay changed the game circa 2000 has meant that tastes have been able to further atomize amongst collectros. I don't know if there are any generalized waves of collecting trends these days compared to what you might have seen in the '90s.
That said, I think there have been micro-trends in Latin music collecting. To me, the South American market has blown up in a heavy way in the last 5 years or so (but again, maybe that's just my limited perspective) thanks to comps and eBay sellers from the region making more stuff available. I think the peak for interest in Latin soul probably came a few years back; prices are still good but I wonder if there's been a saturation point. I know Cool Chris, who used to be able to move "mid-market" pieces pretty well (The Ray Jay would be an example) has said that it's not doing much at the store. I'm a sure a mint, gold label "Acid" would still go for loot but the common Johnny Zamot album seems to have fallen on tougher times.
As for Latin doing nothing for you; interesting. Considering that Afro-Cuban styles have worked their way into everything from jazz to funk to soul to rock, etc. are you just generally disinterested in polyrhythm? Is it the instrumentation? I'm not being judgmental; I've just never met a music fan who couldn't find something to like about Latin.
I was in a bar last night, and there was a Spanish crowd in. They brought a guitar, started strumming, and the rhythmic clapping broke out to accompany some flamenco dancing. In a live setting, I love it, but also felt that every stereotype about white-anglo-saxons not having a real sense of rhythm applied to me as I tried to follow the hand-claps. Mesmerising stuff.
I appreciate almost any kind of music in a live setting, but wouldn't necessarily dream of buying it, and for me Latin falls into this category.
I guess technically Brazil is a Latin culture, though I have a hard time perceiving it that way.
It's amazing, though, how little influence Salsa, Danza, Merengue, Boogaloo etc have had on Brazilian music. South and Central America are chock full of various Latin groups, but I don't know if I can think of a single one from Brazil (though there has to be some).
Right, can somebody point me to a mix or selection of Latin not Brazilian jams that could act as a gateway drug so I can be sure of exactly what it is that I'm not feeling?
Horse: I could be wrong but I imagine there are any number of good explanations why, starting with the fact that Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese rather than the Spanish and that the slave routes that brought Africans to various points in the Afro-Caribbean perhaps routed differently to Brazil than through other parts of the Spanish-speaking colonies (especially Cuba). Add to that Brazil's massive, internal music industry and culture. Geography aside, Brazil's always been a nation separate in key economic, political and cultural ways.
Right, can somebody point me to a mix or selection of Latin not Brazilian jams that could act as a gateway drug so I can be sure of exactly what it is that I'm not feeling?
Horse: I could be wrong but I imagine there are any number of good explanations why, starting with the fact that Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese rather than the Spanish and that the slave routes that brought Africans to various points in the Afro-Caribbean perhaps routed differently to Brazil than through other parts of the Spanish-speaking colonies (especially Cuba). Add to that Brazil's massive, internal music industry and culture. Geography aside, Brazil's always been a nation separate in key economic, political and cultural ways.
But Brazil has also been open to outside musical influences. Witness the large amount of embarrassingly bad world reggae produced in Brazil. So it's notable that it would be so resistant to the Latin influence of neighboring countries.
Horse: I could be wrong but I imagine there are any number of good explanations why, starting with the fact that Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese rather than the Spanish and that the slave routes that brought Africans to various points in the Afro-Caribbean perhaps routed differently to Brazil than through other parts of the Spanish-speaking colonies (especially Cuba). Add to that Brazil's massive, internal music industry and culture. Geography aside, Brazil's always been a nation separate in key economic, political and cultural ways.
This is all true, and Brazilians have always been fiercely (and justifiably) proud that their music is theirs. This is why seemingly innocuous Bossa Nova was highly controversial when it appeared - it was too influenced by American cool jazz. Tropicalia had a similar reception ten years later also because of the American, British and French influences.
Still, it seems weird that there are virtually no Latin groups from Brazil. Hell, even countries like Japan and Sweden had Latin groups going back to the 70's.
Sorry dudes, if you didn't grow up with your grandmother cooking and dancing to that shit at family parties, it just looks like alot of commodity fetishism to me.
Personally i hate "latin" music, because every Saturday morning my dad would blast that shit and wake me up with his damn congas. But i still get it, and it's very emotional. I don't understand how an outsider collector could "get" that from the music, and thus i don't understand why anyone would pay money for this stuff aside from it being "collectible".. like pez or barbie dolls.
when i hear Afro-Peruvian music blaring through am radio i get a little weepy, I miss my family. Does that mean i'm going on ebay to battle with a bunch of bearded cat guys over the "value" of the actual physical latin record. NO.
Sorry dudes, if you didn't grow up with your grandmother cooking and dancing to that shit at family parties, it just looks like alot of commodity fetishism to me.
Why does this apply to Latin more than any other music that you didn't grow up with?
Can we only have a legitimate connection to music our parents listened to?
Comments
For real, but only a few of the soundclips work!
Any opinions on the Ray Jay and the Eastsiders LP?
SOI: The Ray Jay is a decent Latin soul LP. 7 out of 10?
For the Strutters who are dropping money on this, when did the interest begin?
Any opinions on when latin became the new thing for diggers?
Is their a time-line that standard collectros have followed
early '90s - samples/breakbeat raer - later '90s - deep funk - early '00s - private press psyche(?) - mid '00s - latin heat/afro beat(?)
Yeah, I do mean for people on this board, but broadly speaking, I suppose I'm also going on trends that I've observed - what shops stock, what labels re-issue, what DJs are mixing...
So far the bug hasn't bitten me, and I just wondered when it got others.
As far as this board, it's been a little odd in that it seems to constitute a revival of a trend I was seeing back then. But it's not like, say, African records, which up until fairly recently were completely off the radar except to a select few.
Its a cool record, the track "Searching For Love" is really dope, and on 45. I think "Love Doll' was their "big hit." All in all the record is that Cotique boogaloo, latin soul sound. That price is super high though, its more like a $30 record.
I haven't reached that higher plane yet.
I can only speak for myself but I got turned onto NY Latin by Vinnie Esparza back around 2002 or so and I was definitely late to the game. As JP points out, Latin's been "collectible" for quite a while; it's not really something that's come in or out of vogue in the same way, say, random rap did. For example,
I dont think this is accurate past maybe the "deep funk" era. The ways in which eBay changed the game circa 2000 has meant that tastes have been able to further atomize amongst collectros. I don't know if there are any generalized waves of collecting trends these days compared to what you might have seen in the '90s.
That said, I think there have been micro-trends in Latin music collecting. To me, the South American market has blown up in a heavy way in the last 5 years or so (but again, maybe that's just my limited perspective) thanks to comps and eBay sellers from the region making more stuff available. I think the peak for interest in Latin soul probably came a few years back; prices are still good but I wonder if there's been a saturation point. I know Cool Chris, who used to be able to move "mid-market" pieces pretty well (The Ray Jay would be an example) has said that it's not doing much at the store. I'm a sure a mint, gold label "Acid" would still go for loot but the common Johnny Zamot album seems to have fallen on tougher times.
As for Latin doing nothing for you; interesting. Considering that Afro-Cuban styles have worked their way into everything from jazz to funk to soul to rock, etc. are you just generally disinterested in polyrhythm? Is it the instrumentation? I'm not being judgmental; I've just never met a music fan who couldn't find something to like about Latin.
I appreciate almost any kind of music in a live setting, but wouldn't necessarily dream of buying it, and for me Latin falls into this category.
No, not really, but I think I would appreciate latin stuff more if I heard it live.
It's not much of an update--a lot of that material has been in stock for months.
Last Latin update was better--I grabbed Lenni Sessar.
For me, in 1998 upon finding a copy of Willie Colon's Gran Fuga.
I am not aware of it having been the hot thing at any point, although there has been a steady increase in interest since that time.
Also: Tropicalia = not Latin
Kinda tepid IIRC
baby steps
I guess technically Brazil is a Latin culture, though I have a hard time perceiving it that way.
It's amazing, though, how little influence Salsa, Danza, Merengue, Boogaloo etc have had on Brazilian music. South and Central America are chock full of various Latin groups, but I don't know if I can think of a single one from Brazil (though there has to be some).
Right, can somebody point me to a mix or selection of Latin not Brazilian jams that could act as a gateway drug so I can be sure of exactly what it is that I'm not feeling?
http://www.souljazzrecords.co.uk/releases/?id=185
But Brazil has also been open to outside musical influences. Witness the large amount of embarrassingly bad world reggae produced in Brazil. So it's notable that it would be so resistant to the Latin influence of neighboring countries.
This is all true, and Brazilians have always been fiercely (and justifiably) proud that their music is theirs. This is why seemingly innocuous Bossa Nova was highly controversial when it appeared - it was too influenced by American cool jazz. Tropicalia had a similar reception ten years later also because of the American, British and French influences.
Still, it seems weird that there are virtually no Latin groups from Brazil. Hell, even countries like Japan and Sweden had Latin groups going back to the 70's.
Personally i hate "latin" music, because every Saturday morning my dad would blast that shit and wake me up with his damn congas. But i still get it, and it's very emotional. I don't understand how an outsider collector could "get" that from the music, and thus i don't understand why anyone would pay money for this stuff aside from it being "collectible".. like pez or barbie dolls.
when i hear Afro-Peruvian music blaring through am radio i get a little weepy, I miss my family. Does that mean i'm going on ebay to battle with a bunch of bearded cat guys over the "value" of the actual physical latin record. NO.
/end rant
Why does this apply to Latin more than any other music that you didn't grow up with?
Can we only have a legitimate connection to music our parents listened to?