Album Review: Panama! 2 Latin Sounds, Cumbia Tropical & Calypso Funk on the Isthmus 1967-77

 

"Gawd damn my man this shit slaps." - Me, circa 30 minutes prior to writing this. 

Hi, again. Are you like me: Do you like Latin grooves? Do you like the pleasure of unearthing hidden musical gems complied for you in a neat, tasty platter without the laborious process of having to travel to obscure countries just to dig through records that have yet to be digitised and released to the public world? Do you know pretty much f*** all about Panama? Well, if you answered yes (or no) to any of the following questions - sit down bucko, you're in for a treat.

Panama, located on the isthmus of Central and South America linking both continents, can often be associated with tropical cocktails, luxurious beach getaways and in more recent history, tax evasion....yeah, I went there.  

Thirst quenching fruity beverages and money laundering aside, the country also boasts (well, Im not sure if they 'boast' per sey, but they oughta) some pretty spectacular musical jams to come out of the mid 1960's to late 1970's. Due to its geographical positioning, Panama's music scene falls victim to a DOPE variety of influences, including Colombian cumbias and vallenatos from the south, Cuban descargas and rumbas, calypso funk from its Caribbean counterparts and psychedelic rock and soul from it's nearby ,leading musical-exporter monolith - America. Aside from borrowing music styles and genres from its neighbours, Panama! 2 also provides a neat selection of musica tipica, a style native to the nation which is closely related to Colombian cumbia (making sense as Panama was formally considered to be part of Colombia).

The result - you ask - is a culmination of f*cking vibes bro. Seriously, if you aren't begging to hear more by the end of the second track (Tamborito Swing) then you may as well throw in the towel now and get back to reluctantly enjoying your dose of Latin-flavoured tunes from your local Nando's with your weak-ass lemon herb marinated 3 piece....but anyway I digress. 

Amisdt dramatic, political, economic and social change in the mid 1960's, a musical collective emerged comprised of Panama's top bands and musical outfits dubbed 'Combos Nacionals'. This compilation features the best of the best from the recordings curated from this collective throughout the mid 60's 70's, marking the zenith of their musical success, domestically and internationally. 

Lets take a moment to thank the work and efforts of Soundway Records (based in London) who put together this catalogue of rare, musical treasures. Especially the efforts of label-head Miles Cleret and associate Roberto Ernesto Gyemant, who curated the phenomenal track list. The aforementioned Tamborito Swing brings an incredibly sexy Latin groove to the table right of the bat, while tracks like Dreams by The Duncan Brothers supplies an infectious dose of psychedelic-funk with Latin undertones. Delicious. The album also includes a pretty ripper instrumental cover of Bill Withers' classic Aint No Sunshine by The Soul Fantastics which is groovy as shit. 

Look, I don't really know what else to add to be honest, its just a fantastic compilation that I highly recommend blessing ya ear holes with. Fair waring to my Australian Spotify addicts out there - for whatever reason, only two songs from the album are available to stream on the platform. Luckily, the aforementioned Tamborino Swing is included ;) Spotify link below.

Favourite tracks: Tamborito Swing, Decidete Mi Amor, Dreams, Aint No Sunshine, Eso Muerto No Lo Cargo, Love Letters & Piculino (God, that was hard).

Listen/purchase: https://soundwayrecords.bandcamp.com/album/panama-2-latin-sounds-cumbia-tropical-calypso-funk-on-the-isthmus-1967-77

In Between The Grooves IG: @inbetweenthegrooves_

Soundway Records: https://soundwayrecords.com/release/155898-various-artists-panama-2