A whole host of cool Latin tracks from the French West Indies scene of the late 60s – not music that flowed to Guadeloupe or Martinique from Cuba or Puerto Rico – but fresh new sounds that were directly inspired by the boogaloo generation on the New York scene! The tracks here aren't straight Latin Soul – and they're hardly familiar Latin, either – and are instead this wonderful hybrid of elements, including some previous Caribbean modes – all fused into the tighter, shorter burst of energy that was unlocked once Joe Cuba and some of his generation discovered the smaller combo mode of Latin grooving! There's a nicely messed-up criss-crossing of sounds going on here – not the same as, but with similar energy to the Spanish Harlem scene at the time – on cuts that include "Jerk Vide" by David Martial, "Mais Tu Sais" by Dany Play, "Je Voudrais Danser Avec Toi" by Les Bois Sirop, "Sauvagement Sexy" by Gaby Siarras, "Sekirite" by Maurice Alcindor, "Tu Bois Beaucoup" by Le Ry-Co Jazz, "Disque La Raye" by Joby Valente, "Ou Que Di Moin" by Monsieur X, and "Ou Pas Z'Amis En Moin" by Henri Debs. (Global Grooves, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album

A really groovy set of tracks – not just the French cha cha promised by the title, but instead this beautiful mash-up of sounds and styles – often with results that are pretty darn unique! Sure, the rhythms are Latin, and the language is French – but there's also strands of crime jazz, soundtrack modes, hi-fi scoring, and other cool approaches of the period – so that the tunes come together with all these wonderful twists and turns, very cool surprises, and often a nice dose of humor as well! Titles include "Le Fil Direct" by Billy's Sax, "Please Mr Hitchcock" by Cassius Simon, "Cha Cha Transistor" by Jack Ary, "Mundial Cha Cha" by Norman Maine, "Ca C'Est Du Proulet" by Los Chiquitos, "Ne Nous Fachons Pas" by Spartaco Sax, "Cha Cha Stop" by Gilian Hills, "Le Soukou Soukou" by Les Kills Cats, and "Marchand De Melons" by Les Bretelles. (French, Latin) LP, Vinyl record album