Los Dementes - Descarga a la Ray (Venezuela, 1966)

(Prodanza - LP 1240).

First LP from Ray Perez with Los Dementes, playing in Caracas from the mid 60s. I found this Venezuelan version in Colombia. Los Dementes used the word "salsa" as a music style before it became widely used in New York, and this LP includes boogaloo, guaguanco, pachanga, and salsa. Despite the rough mix, "Descarga a la Ray" is totally crazy, also very innovative at this period comparing to famous local bands such as Billo and his Caracas Boys... 

MIX /// Tropical Roundtrip by Muzzicaltrips (Palmwine Radioshow #50)

(PWRS50).

Here's a Muzzicaltrips selection recorded for Palmwine Radioshow. A special repost as some really nice tracks there...

Conjunto Papaupa and a brief glimpse on afro-venezuelan culture

(Music With Soul 7").

Actual growing interest for "tropical" music provides a wide variety of projects and vinyl releases. Muzzicaltrips looked into a afro-venezuelan influenced project (Conjunto Papa Upa, from the Netherlands based label Musicwithsoul), a very good actual DJ friendly sound, loaded with interesting traditional elements. This was opportunity to exchange with the father of this project, Alex Figueira, a real music specialist on the (yet little documented) afro-venezuelan culture.

Lets  start with a synthetic 7 minutes historical introduction to afro-venezuelan culture:

Ray Perez y sus Kenyas - Uvas Verdes (Venezuela, 1968)

(Pyraphon LP 3352).

This seems to be the 2nd LP from an ephemera band (68-72) from Caracas called Los Kenya(s). Band leader was the pianist Ramon E. (Ray) Perez, who previously played with Los Dementes, and then played in New York with various figures as Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano, Cortijo, Patato...

Perucho Conde - La Cotorra Criolla (Early Latin Hip Hop from Venezuela, 1980)

 

(EPIC EPC8899).

A bonus track from the 45rpms found in Barcelona...

And here's a crazyness made in 1980 in Caracas: an humorist rapping in spanish on a fat disco instrumental. When first hip hop from the US arrived in Venezuela it was surnamed "musica cotorra" (cotorra = parrot) I guess because of the singers flow. So Peruche Conde made a hip hop typically from Venezuela with this hit "la cotorra criolla" (criolla = creole). Lyrics are very funny, but behind the humoristic approach, it's a real social and protest song (!) denouncing poor living conditions (prices increase, low salaries, no social welfare, pre-election promises...).

Don Efra y sus muchachos - Joropiando (Venezuela, 70s)

(VENUS 149).

This paseito comes from Venezuela and i guess from the Llanos region as "joropo" is the traditional style in this area.