Sofrito DJs and Quantic bring the tropical heat

If you're reading this posting, chances are you're not among the lucky few to escape the February blahs with a timely island getaway. Well, deep digging UK DJs Hugo Mendez (compiler of Soundway's sizzling Tumbélé set), Frankie Francis and some dude known as the Mighty Crime Minister – who formed the Sofrito party collective in East London back in 2005 – are bringing the heat to beat the winter doldrums with Tropical Discotheque (Strut).

It's a brilliantly bangin' 15-track double vinyl set of Colombian cumbia, salsa and porro joints alongside some heavy-hitting West African soukous, highlife and Afrobeat grooves with a touch of Trindadian soca-disco, topped off with a bit of gwo ka moderne and cadence-lypso from the French Antilles – essentially a sweaty Sofrito party on plastic. Check out the Tropical Discotheque link below to hear a mini-mix preview.
In addition to the vintage floor-fillers from Nigerian ekassa ace Victor Uwaifo, Lisandro Meza's Banda Los Hijos De La Nina Luz, Benin's Gnonnas Pedro, the Roaring Lion, Ghanian guitar great Safohene Djeni, Mighty Shadow and Adolfo Echeverria, Tropical Discotheque also presents an otherwise unreleased costeño-style cumbia cooker from Quantic y su Conjunto Los Miticos del Ritmo that fits so seamlessly in the mix you'd never know it was a recently recorded composition from Will Holland.

The bandleader/composer/producer extraordinaire of Flowering Inferno notoriety, who has been living in Colombia since 2007 and helped assemble the forthcoming Soundway comp Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962-1972 (due February 28 – see links below), will be reverting to his DJ Quantic guise to spin his latest tropical funk finds at A Man Called Warwick's Turning Point party on Saturday (February 26) at The Garrison (1197 Dundas West) which has been paralleling in Toronto what Mendez and pals have been doing with their Sofrito nights in London. Evidently, that Quantic hombre is looking forward to Saturday's Turning Point throwdown as much as anyone in the GTA.
“Turning Point is one of my favourite club nights of all time," wrote Holland on his site. "It prides itself on using a big sound system to present some of the best recorded music on vinyl only –  CDs are forbidden. It is held on a monthly basis in Toronto, Canada and it's truly unique with a focus on playing warm, vibrant and all-resonating tropical rhythms. If you’re ever in town, I heartily recommend it. The combination of these three things is irresistible: dark room, bass heavy sound & soulful analogue recorded music. The session resident and host is A Man called Warwick and past selectors include DJ Paulo Superfly, Miles Cleret and myself among others.”  

Sofrito - Tropical Discotheque (Strut)

01. Banda Los Hijos De La Nina Luz – Quiero Amanecer
02. Les Ya Toupas Du Zaire – Je Ne Bois Pas Beaucoup
03. Frente Cumbiero – Pitchito
04. Fair Nick Stars – Arrete Mal Parle
05. Kyerematen Stars – Maye Obi Den
06. Víctor Uwaifo – Ohue (Frankie Francis & Simbad Edit)
07. Adolfo Echeverria – Sabroso Bacalao
08. El Timba – Descarga Bontempi
09. Mighty Shadow – Dat Soca Boat
10. Dany Play – Fa’waka
11. Safohene Djeni – Mahu Wo Asie
12. Ti Celeste – Popilation Basse-Terrienne Du Abois
13. Quantic Y Su Conjunto Los Míticos Del Ritmo – Cumbia De Mochilla
14. Roaring Lion – Carnival Long Ago
15. Gnonnas Pedro – Yiri Yiri Boum




Sofrito: The Tropical Discotheque Story


To get you properly primed for Quantic's highly anticipated Turning Point return, here's a dope mix which DJ Philippe Noël (who co-runs Montreal's Canicule Tropicale monthly) put together from the vinyl treasures he uncovered on a recent digging trip from Bogota to Barranquilla. With killer tracks from Afrosound, Enrique Lynch, Peregoyo y su Combo Vacana, Los Corraleros, Afredo Guitierrez, Banda 19 de Marzo, and Mr. Trombone among others, it's a tasty selection of salsa and cumbia swingers.
Too much goodness? There's a Hugo Mendez mix in the links below which should help your digestion boasting choice cuts from Catalina y su Gran Combo, the Cyril Diaz Orchestra, Beddoe’s Limbo Orchestra, La Sonora Cordobesa, Ibo Combo, Eskill & Vicky avec Orchestre Poly Rythmo, Super Combo, Black Truth Rhythm Band, Etoile Number One and Toronto's own calypso king Elsworth James!



LINKS
Sofrito site http://sofrito.co.uk/
Tropical Discotheque Mini-mix
Cartagena! stream
Quantic site http://www.quantic.org/
Turning Point http://www.ducktape.ca/
Soundway http://www.soundwayrecords.com
Hugo Mendez's Musique Pour Aider La Digestion Mix