The latest release from Analog Africa grapples with a quandary. How can the owner of an independent record label create a project celebrating piracy, normally seen as a curse robbing artists and labels of sales and therefore income? However, in addition to providing an intriguing piece of social history through its accompanying informative booklet, that is what ‘Super Disco Pirata’ does. It takes us to Mexico City’s dance party scene ruled by the sonideros, a network of mobile sound system operators. Their popularity increased the demand for tropical music and during the 1980s music dealers and record collectors from Mexico City created a series of illegally manufactured vinyl records featuring highly sought after hits from Peru, Columbia, Ecuador and beyond, often originally recorded many years earlier. These bootleg discs were cheaply produced in batches of 500 on recycled vinyl during the graveyard shift at pressing plants.
The original recordings were far from sacrosanct. One of the main tweaks used by the pirates was to change the equalisation and make the mid and high frequencies stand out which is an essential facet of Cumbia. Alongside the album’s sound engineer, the aim was to use the better sounding original versions but with the idea of emulating how the pirated version sounded. It serves to produce a distinctive compilation over its 23 tracks.
The Ecuadorian opener, Lucho Burbano’s ‘Afro Oriental’, has an almost piercing piano line, up front shuffling Cumbia percussion and shouts. It was a track that was impossible to replicate so the Mexican bootleg was used to create the master released here. There are tracks that could be dismissed as novelties such as Cumbia Machuca’s instrumental ‘Cumbia De Los Bee Gees’, although its muzak leaning rendition of ‘More Than A Woman’ illustrates the fantastic nature of the Gibb Brothers original melody. In a similar vein of defamiliarization using source material to create something new, Enrique Lynch’s ‘Le Quinta Sinfonia de Beethoven’ utilises Ludwig’s original to shape its horn punctuation, alongside some deeply fluent Cuban piano stylings.
There is so much to love on ‘Super Disco Pirata’. ‘Palenque’ by Carlos Haayen Y Su Piano Candeloso has Cuban sounding classical piano with a great rhythmic flourish like a woodpecker working away at a tree. Later, Ramon Ropain’s ‘Malinga’ offers similar qualities. Peruvian act, Los Pakine’s ‘Venus’ takes a smattering of early 60s instrumental groups like The Shadows but guides them by the hand onto the dancefloor. The blaring horns, calypso stylings and wonky keyboard runout of La Protesta de Colombia’s ‘Lamento de Cumbia’ is a delight.
Amongst the pirates, there was an impressive level of ingenuity, exemplified by their treatment of Ecuadorian musician Eduardo Vurita’s ‘La 3a De Los Toquecitos’. It was part of a two-song medley called ‘Lamento De Cumbia/El Chinchorrito’ but whoever pirated it didn’t like the second part so looped the first section twice. It mixes primitive high-pitched organ with an enticing rhythm. In contrast, Leon Cardona Y Los Internacionales’ ‘La Noche’ offers beguiling gypsy jazz.
While the ratio of hits to misses is incredibly high, there are a couple of tracks where the excitement levels dip, namely ‘La Luna Y El Pescador’ by Gabriel Meza Y Su Organo Chévere and ‘A Bailar El Son Satanico by Los Diablos Rojos. In between, the delights continue with Los Destellos’ ‘Tanto Tienes, Tanto Vales’ which is a cocktail of Cuban and South American grooves, highly pleasing guitar and what now come across as retro-futurist synths. ‘Cumbia Tropicalia’ by Anibal Angel is renowned for its appearance on numerous bootlegs, unsurprising considering its winning combination of African percussion and classical piano, a mixture that is a staple of Columbian music. Camacho Y Cano’s ‘Hagan Ruedas’ is a bizarrely enjoyable call and response between trombone and squeaky organ while percussionists frantically attempt to keep pace. ‘Eso Es Con Velas’ by Orquesta Rafalo has the feel of being right next to the orchestra in a ballroom as they blast out a storm, a tempo that is maintained by Alex Acosta Y Su Orquesta’s ‘Cumbia Del Amor’. The laughter at the end of Afrosound’s ‘Platico Chino’ could be a template for Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s demented cackling.
Into the home straight, Los Destellos return with a second offering, ‘La China Maria’, which maintains a sterling momentum in its light-footed combination of guitars and rhythms. The impetus is continued to the last with the stylish, twangy ‘Te Gusta Como Azucar’ by Los Orientales de Paramonga.
‘Super Pirata Disco’ is another winner from Analog Africa. Apart from being a fascinating piece of cultural storytelling thanks to the informative accompanying booklet, it is a great work of sonic excavation celebrating a vibrant world of sound and rhythms, inciting an overwhelming urge to dance.
Various Artists: Super Disco Pirata – De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980 – Out 15 November 2024 (Analog Africa)
ZURITA – La 3a De Los Toquecitos
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
