A classic collaboration between Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco – one that uses the rootsier sounds of Pacheco's tumbao group to further focus the energy of Celia's vocals! The record's got a solid, cohesive feel that makes it easily one of the best Celia Cruz sessions of the 70s – a focus that no doubt comes from the sharp arrangements by Louie Ramirez, Bobby Valentin, Johnny Pacheco, and Papo Lucca – the latter of whom plays piano in Pacheco's group on the record. Charlie Rodriguez plays tres on a number of tracks, further enforcing the roosty element of the music – and titles include "Cuala", "Oriza Eh", "La Sopa En Botella", "No Aguanto Mas", "Rico Changui", and "Ni Hablar". CD

Trumpets, piano, and plenty of percussion – a perfect backdrop for singer Ray De La Paz, set up here by the mighty Louie Ramirez, as he finds a whole new focus for his talents in the 80s! Louie's always been one of our favorite Latin leaders, no matter what the period or style – and here, he works on arrangements with Marty Sheller and Isidro Infante, who also plays the piano and Fender Rhodes on the record. Ray's got lead vocals on all tracks, and Louie plays timbales and vibes – on titles that include "Vamanos De Aqui", "Yo Soy Aquel", "Timbalero", "Quiereme Y Veras", "Lluvia", and "A Esa" – and a great Latin remake of Bill Withers' "Two Of Us". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the usual album of boleros – as you'd guess from Nacho Sanabria! Titles include "Tormpo De Juguete", "Carta Para Ti", "Amor Sin Esperanza", "Amada Amante", and "La Vida Es Un Sueno". LP, Vinyl record album

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For those of you who've always loved the French pop side of Stereolab's electronic musings, this is a great single that has the band fronted by French pop legend Brigitte Fontaine (best know to DGA customers for her legendary recordings with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and Areski). The single features one track that has Fontaine singing with the group, and it's a haunting little ditty, with a great lilting feel that captures some of the slight funkiness that you'd find in classic French pop arrangements. The great Sean O'Hagan handled the brass arrangements for the track, with his usual genius pop flair! The flipside, "Cache Cache", features vocals and playing by Laetitia of the group – with assistance by Tim & Mary – and it's almost as great as the first track! CD

One of the most groove-heavy collections we've ever heard from the team of Andy Votel and Doug Shipton – a set that's got a lot warmer vibe than you might expect from the styles mentioned in the title! Most of the cuts here have a sweet post-disco sort of approach – lean instrumentation fused onto grooves that represent the more cutting edge sound of the underground in the early 80s – styles that definitely learn a lot from the changes on the post-punk world, but which also find a way to keep things aimed at a crossover dancefloor! As usual with the pair, there's plenty here you never would have discovered otherwise – and titles include "Killing Car" by Philippe Brejean, "The Fremen" by Zed, "My Time" by The Tunes, "You Can Choke Like That" by Biting Tongues, "Tyklo Punk Rock" by Andrezj Korzynski, "Cruise Missle Blues (inst)" by Sirons, "Horizontal DIY" by 53 Bus, and "There's A Star In You" by Don Gere. LP, Vinyl record album

A later set from Roberto Blades, mostly with arrangements from James Warren – on titles that include "Que Gente Averigua", "Discriminacion", "Guaguanco", "Casas De Carton"," Calena", "Controlate", and "No Te Puedo Apartar". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from X Ray Pop – a totally wonderful French group from the 80s, and one with the same mix of female vocals and spare electronics that would later surface more strongly with Stereolab! These guys are kind of a bridge between that group and the early 80s experiments of Brit groups like Young Marble Giants – working here in a style that's a lot warmer than most post-punk material, but still equally spare – a great stripped-down approach to electronic pop, but without any of the darkness that genre usually embraces! The package is a wonderful discovery – especially given that most of the music here was only issued on tape or rare vinyl singles and compilations – finally out in a better format, complete with great notes too. Titles include "Pampam", "Bal", "Klac Klac", "Rana", "Ding Dong", "Petit Animal", "Les Nonnes En Noir", and "La Mort". 27 tracks – including some CD-only bonus cuts! CD

Dark 80s electronics from X Ray Pop – a record that has all the freaky, fuzzy touches of some of the best work coming out of the North of England in the late 70s – but was recorded a few years later, and originally only issued as a limited edition cassette tape! That format is the only reason the record never got wider acclaim at the time – as it's a corker, and would easily have become one of the best-remembered electro-trash sets of the time – punky in attitude, but electro in presentation – and topped with some surprisingly sweet French language vocals from the lovely Zouka Dzaza. Doc Pilot handles all the keyboards and beats – and titles include "Chapeau Volant", "Bobby Bonbek", "Nana Electronique", "Nous Sommes", "Gogol Le Mongol", "Funky Cat", and "Cobaye". CD

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A lost chapter in the legendary legacy of music from the team of Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier – the pair who created Serge's fantastic Melody Nelson album, and also did the funky soundtracks for the films Cannabis, La Horse, and Sex Shop! This set is every bit as groovy as those classics, but has been lost for years – because the master tapes were reportedly lost, and have only just recently been discovered – which makes the whole thing a 21st Century treasure from these two 60s maestros! The music is great – funky at times, jazzy at others – with elements that include tablas and sitar, funky bass, fuzzy guitar, heavy drums, and sweet clavinet – all used with that mindblowing melange that Vannier could cook up in the studio – so that even some of the familiar elements come out sounding very fresh and new. The film was also issued under the names Road To Kathmandu and The Pleasure Pit – and titles include "Opium Den", "Overdose", "Flower Child", "The Pleasure Pit", "Cache Cache", "Fallen Rainbow", and the tune "Colin Maillard" – a great funky number that's done in both vocal and instrumental versions. LP, Vinyl record album

Daft Punk's epic second live album – an uncommon feat for an electronic act of their era, in that they had that kind of pop or rock cache to build a reputation as a must see live "band', without compromising their club floor shaking genius – and a bit of a classic in its own right. This one came a decade after their first, and again somehow harnessing the show's energy in perfect form and blasting it outta the speakers – and it includes Robot Rock", "Oh Yeah", "Steam Machine", "Brainwasher", "Superheroes", "Rock N Roll", "Alive", "Da Funk", "One More Time", "Prime Tiem Of Your Life", "Short Circuit" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive bit of funk – and from 70s France, no less! These guys clearly come from a jazz-based background – and have absorbed some of the best electric influences of their time – working in a keyboard-heavy mode that's clearly inspired by Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and George Duke – yet also kicking up a groove that's a bit more down and dirty, and more in the instrumental funk mode overall. The sound of the set's incredible – really raw, riffy, and filled with plenty of snapping hard grooves – and the used of the keys is sublime throughout, changing mood from track to track, but always staying funky! Titles include "Penwick", "Marathonic", "Ergocentric", "La Moto Verite", "Psychocross", "Ring Modulator", "Plongee Synthetique", "Kayak", and "Cache Catch". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime debut from the up-and-coming Cecile McLorin Salvant – a fresh new jazz singer with really rich roots – and a vocalist who's equally at home with both contemporary styles, and modes from the earliest years of jazz! There's a really complex approach to this record – both stylistically and referentially – and Salvant wants to show right from the start that she's a force to be reckoned with – a singer who can resonate with the best of the contemporary jazz underground, yet one who's got a special attention to creative roots as well. The tunes are a really surprising blend of well-chosen nuggets and a few original numbers – and Cecile gets some killer backing from a creative quartet that features Aaron Diehl on piano and Rodney Whitaker on bass. Cecile's got a sound that's right up there with the best work by Dee Dee Bridgewater or Carmen Lundy in recent years – yet an approach that's definitely all her own as well! Titles include "Baby Have Pity On Me", "Woman Child", "Nobody", "Le Front Cache Sur Tes Genoux", "You Bring Out The Savage In Me", and "Deep Dark Blue". CD

A really special look at the sound of the Pacific Northwest – served up here on a host of rare recordings from legendary Seattle producer Kearney Barton – all pulled from never-issued tapes that were stored at his home for decades, and released here to the public for the first time ever! The music is a really great mix of modes – rare funk and soul, trippy psych, and some of the leaner, meaner cuts that first put the northwest scene on the map at the start of the 60s – music that spans a much wider spectrum than you might expect from a city like Seattle – a huge cultural cache that really reflects the wider musical version of Barton! The spirit's a fair bit like some of the best genre-crossing Numero compilations from years back – and the whole thing's overstuffed with rare nuggets we'd never have heard otherwise, backed up with plenty of notes on the music, and on Barton himself. Titles include "Happy" by Secret Dynamics, "Looking Through Eyes Of Glass" by Ann Wilson & The Daybreaks, "Sticky" by James Henry & The Olympics, "Occupation Soul" by Occupation Soul, "Wrong Age" by Muf, "High Flyer" by Magic Ferns, "All My Nights All My Days" by The Wailers, "Qui El Petit" by Wilkins, "Everybody Knows" by Sweet Rolle, "Hold To God's Unchanging Hand" by Beacon Hill First Baptist Choir, "Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Dave Lewis, and "Don't Ask Me" by Tiki & The Fabulous. CD

Includes tracks by Tito Rodriguez, Cheo Feliciano, Johnny Ventura, Daniel Santos, Beny More, Ismael Quintana, and others. CD

Afro Caribbean Jazz – but with a good dose of New York Latin as well – just the kind of wonderful blend we'd expect from Batacumbele on a classic like this! All tracks are nice and long, and are recorded with an open, free-flowing energy that was hardly used in Latin music at the time – a mode that hearkens back to the jam sessions of the descarga generation, and some of the most creative modes of the 70s modernists as well! Like the best of those artists, Batacumbele has a way of weaving old traditions into something new – working complex musical patterns, but with a quality that's right on the money, right away – really grabbing you in, and holding you rapt throughout! The jazz aspect of this record is even higher than most of their other sessions – with trumpet from Tommy Villarini, trombone from William Cepeda, tenor and flute from Hector Veneros, keyboards from Amuni Nacer and Arturo Ortiz, and lots of great percussion from Angel Cachete Maldonado and other members of the group! Includes long instrumental numbers "May Day" and "Hot Blood", plus a cover of Horace Silver's "Nutville" – and the vocal track "Cachita". LP, Vinyl record album