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in DF, Mexico City. This started everything.
We meet up there and traveled together to
Belize, Guatemala, Brazil, Venezuela…
We decided to set up a record label because
we wanted to build a musical bridge between
Latin America and Europe.
. We wanted to show European people that Latin
Music wasn’t only traditional rhythms
or Salsa. So we produced our first Latin compilations,
named ‘Resto Pollo Rico’, presenting
on each CD 18 Latin bands playing Ska-Reggae-Rock-Cumbia-Rap
and Latin fusion. Real open minded compilations,
very ‘fiesta’! With ‘Muevete
Bien – Sabor Latino’, we want
to promote what Latin people or musicians
influenced by Latin Music play over here.
Our ‘Muevete Bien’ series is only
based on European bands. It’s our answer
to the 'Resto Pollo Rico' compilations. As
you see, we like mestizo music over here!
¿Que
Pasa?: What is your aim with this
project?
Herve:
We want to promote the bands we have included
in this CD. We want to share this music with
as many people as we can. Neither Cedric nor
I earn money with our label so we have a lot
of difficulties financially. Cedric is a teacher
and I’m working in a library so we only
do this for passion after our respective jobs.
I hope it will be easier for those bands to
find more dates by featuring on this compilation!
¿Que
Pasa?: This is the second part of
the Muevete Bien Sabor Latino compilation
CDs. What should we expect from this release?
Herve:
A lot of musical pleasure and discoveries,
I hope! ! ! I am running a radio show. I also
DJ at concerts and festivals. It doesn’t
bother me spinning Rumba with Salsa, a few
Brazilian tunes and some mestizo and killer
tracks too. The audience is sometimes very
surprised but always pleased. So this compilation
will be very useful for my parties!
¿Que
Pasa?: How is it different from the
first one?
Herve:
Sabor Latino Vol.1 was Salsa by only bands
living in France, with a bit of other Latin
rhythms like one Cha-Cha-Cha, one Merengue,
one Cumbia, one Salsamuffin and two Electro
Latino. On vol 2, there is also a lot of Salsa
but, as we wanted to do a different CD from
vol 1, we chose more mestizo tracks and we
have opened it up to a lot of Spanish bands.
We have recorded it as if it was a radio show,
including a few jingles and vocal presentation.
I created the order of the track listing and
mixed it with Laurent, our webmaster, at home.
We bought recently some sound equipment to
work on the quality of this compilation. Manu
from Patate Records (Paris) has mastered everything.
And I think the result is a very original
and very interesting track list!
¿Que
Pasa?: How did you choose the 18
groups featured on the CD?
Herve:
There were a few Salsa bands we couldn’t
put on vol 1 due to lack of time. We have
chosen brand new tracks so we could include
them on this volume. Some bands contacted
us, thanks to the printing of vol 1. I went
to Barcelona a lot to meet more bands, managers,
labels, DJ’s… We also have a small
distribution there with Ventilador. We are
in contact with a lot of bands from Barcelona
and we wanted to include some Rumba on this
project. There are a lot of connections between
Rumba and Salsa. You can listen to some Rumba
made in Latin America and Rumberos in Spain
are doing versions of a lot of Salsa hits
in Rumba. Cedric is in charge of most of the
web part of the label. He runs www.myspace.com/sabordiscos
and www.onvibes.com/sabordiscos . He answers
most of the e-mails we receive. He also surfs
the net, searching for interesting bands.
That’s how he met KYSHA 25, for example.
We discussed a lot when selecting which bands
and which tracks. Some bands are not on this
volume because Cedric and I couldn’t
agree!
¿Que
Pasa?: Tell us a bit about the artists
and the countries they are from.
Herve:
VICTOR HUGO is a great salsa singer from Venezuela.
He lives in Spain. SON ANDO is a French salsa
outfit, including 3 Cuban singers. LA CONTRABANDA
and BATAZO are Salsa bands based in Paris,
also Cuban influenced, with a large wind section.
From Barcelona, RADIO MALANGA play a mix of
Afro, Soul and Reggae music, all surrounded
by Latin rhythms. We have chosen a fast Forro
from ORQUESTA DO FUBA, a Brasilian combo living
in Paris. For the Samba track, we have selected
MADRUGADA (not to be confused with the Swedish
Pop-Rock band!), who are friends from Bordeaux.
Also from Bordeaux, we have MELTING POT ORQUESTA
with Cuban singer. I have DJ-ed on a lot of
their concerts over here. It was time to solidify
our relationship. We have selected KYSHA 25,
an original Latin/Salsa Hip-Hop band based
in Roma, featuring LOS VAN VAN, for a true
dance floor tune. I think DELDONGO is the
most powerful French Salsa artist around today.
He sings mostly in French and Spanish, with
humoristic and romantic lyrics. He has very
good melodies. Don’t miss his ‘Caminos
Peligrosos’ on our compilation! From
Barcelona comes PATRIARCAS DE LA RUMBA, I
call them ‘the Buena Vista Social Club’
of Rumba Catalana. 5 old Gypsy singers from
5 different families, each with a different
vocal technique, singing on a mestizo Rumba
with Salsa. They are great in concert, my
best discovery of 2007 no less! ! ! SABOR
DE GRACIA is the Patriarcas’ backing
band. Sicus, leader and guitarist singer,
produces everything. From Colombia and living
in Paris, VANNY JORDAN is a great Reggaeton
artist singing mostly on Salsa and percussion
tunes! True Salsamuffin! ! SI SEÑOR
seduced us with their Salsa track, influenced
by singing trio ORISHAS. They are based very
close to where I live in Pau. Following their
career from the beginning, we are very proud
to present OJOS DE BRUJO. They are an exiting
mix of Flamenco-Hip Hop, also from Barcelona!
We have released their debut album, which
had great hits in Colombia and the USA. OCHO
Y MEDIA present here an unedited live track,
a very ‘bailable‘ Boogaloo! Jimmy
Lopez is a timbales teacher in Abanico’s
school in Paris. He is also leader of LA NUEVA
EDICION, an excellent Salsa combo from Cali
in Colombia, with Rap singing influences.
Closing our selection, also from Barcelona,
we wanted to present an excellent band BARXINO,
mixing live electro computers with percussions
and Latin singing… a very good example
of mestizo music!
¿Que
Pasa?: What do you think of the Latin
music scene in Europe?
Herve:
I think there are a lot of interesting bands
over here, really inventive and original,
with great musicians. I like mestizo music
very much. The problem is those bands are
not very well known and have a lot of difficulties
playing regularly live. For example in Paris,
there are no more Salsa clubs that program
a concert for every week. A DJ costs less.
Salsa dancers have forgotten to defend live
shows and only dance to the same Marc Anthony’s
tunes. But I am lucky to live in a country
where there are a lot of Latin festivals,
like Tempo Latino in Vic Fezensac, Toros Y
Salsa in Dax, Latinorock in Cauterets, Bodeguitas
in la Playa en Hossegor… It’s
good but not enough for small bands to meet
their public…I remember some festivals
I went to in Belgium which were great. They
had a wonderful audience, even better than
in France, singing, dancing, and encouraging
each band in their playing…We went to
Germany and Holland in summer 2005 and have
seen good shows and met kind people over there.
We plan to go to Italy soon and the UK too.
¿Que
Pasa?: What is your favourite type
of music if you had to choose one?
Herve:
Hum, that’s very difficult to answer.
I am collecting LP’s of Soul-Funk, Jazz,
Rock, Electro, Latin and Jamaican music, Afrobeat,
World Fusion…
For Latin music, Boogaloo and Salsa represent
one of the best fusions ever made in music.
I often compare Soul to Boogaloo, Rock Steady,
Funk, Salsa and early Reggae (for the Soul
side of each music: el alma del barrio!).
I love bass, percussions and trombone…
That’s why I am closer to Black, Latin
American and Caribbean music, I guess!
¿Que
Pasa?: Where can we buy the CD?
Herve:
You can buy our compilation in French and
Spanish record shops. You can also ask for
it through our webpage: http://sabordiscos.free.fr,
where it costs only 10 euros + post costs.
¿Que
Pasa?: Are you planning anymore releases
in the future?
Herve:
We plan to do a brand new 'Resto Pollo Rico
3', two 'Muévete Bien' compilations:
one called 'Sabor Mestizo Vol.2' and the other
'Sabor Latino 3' (with more European Salsa
bands this time!)… Any bands interested
in this kind of project should contact us.
And we may work on the second album of 'Flor
Del Fango', showcasing Hispanic and Mexican
Rock from Paris, including ex-members of Mano
Negra….
You
will find a review of their CD in our CD
Reviews section.
(For
further information or to order a CD, check
out Sabor
Discos ’s
web site on
http://sabordiscos.free.fr
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