Olindo Latin | Brazil 6 Items

Ese puerto existe' is the sophomore album by Venezuelan folk trio, Insólito UniVerso, a psychedelic dream towards sound and its powers of communication. On it, the band explore the diverse geography, rhythms and traditions of their home country of Venezuela, through their own distinctive sound. Featuring additional vocals by Stereolab co-founder and solo artist Lætitia Sadier, and mixed by Meridian Brothers mastermind, Elbis Álvarez and Heliocentrics co-founder and producer, Malcolm Catto. On their debut album, ‘La Candela del Río’ (to be reissued Very soon), the band created a magical Latin American sound of their very own, leading to critical acclaim from the likes of Songlines, Bandcamp, The Wire and many more; as well as a nomination for Best Group at the Songlines Awards in 2020

Of “Ese puerto existe”, lead vocalist, composer and cuatro player, Maria Fernanda, tells us “this song takes us to the coast, on that beach where the star and the grain of sand are tracing that vertical and infinite line of the present. Perhaps it is the mouth of the flame of the river reaching the sea. Perhaps a look of a bird in migration.”

“Ese puerto existe” takes its name from the first collection of poems by the Peruvian poet, Blanca Varela, who wrote, "On this coast I am the one who wakes up / among the foliage with brown wings”. The song is in the rhythm of the Gaita Tambora, from the Afro-Venezuelan tradition of the southern shores of Lake Maracaibo.

“Ese puerto existe” is mixed Malcolm Catto at Quatermass Sound Lab. Mastered and cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London House sleeve art & logo by Gaurab Thakali

La Candela del Río is the debut album by Paris-based Venezuelan quartet Insólito UniVerso. In the space of 8 tracks, the band fuses traditional Venezuelan styles, such as joropo, merengue caraqueño, or tambores de San Millán with psych, chanson, and contemporary electronics. Co-produced by The Heliocentrics' Malcolm Catto, the record shows two distinct sides; on the one hand there's euphoric music that begs to be danced to, while on the other there's melancholy, mystery and devotion. Originally released back in 2018, the record's initial run of 500 copies has been long sold out and is presented here in a new edition of 300 including the original artwork and printed lyrics insert

Olindo Records is proud to present the 7th full length release in its expanding catalogue by Venezuelan singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Isaac Sasson. The intimately titled, ‘Canciones de Isaac’, summons the sounds of the wind, birds, crickets, fallen leaves and the atmosphere of both Caracas by night, and daytime walks through the meadows of the Pyrenees, to create a parallel universe between his home country of Venezuela, and his current place of residence in Barcelona, Spain. Throughout the LP, Isaac’s gentle voice is accompanied by the traditional bandola llanera, charango and cuatro; various percussion and wind instruments; and carefully arranged strings. The 13 songs on the album develop a narrative built around personal stories that touch upon human emotions, family ties and friendships, to craft a collection of sonic postcards that evoke memories, places, travels and moments spent with loved ones during the musician’s journey between two continents. Lead single “La canción de mi abuelo” is an ode to Isaac’s two grandparents, but also to other elders that have greatly influenced Sasson’s life, such as the poet Francisco Massiani and sound archivist Oswaldo Lares. The rhythm is a merengue caraqueño, accompanied by cuatro, acoustic guitar and charango, all played by Isaac, and violin by frequent collaborator María Betania Hernandez. “Manyanet” is a sonic postcard dedicated to the small town of the same name in the Catalan Pyrenees, which inspired Isaac through its landscapes and sounds. It was one of the first songs on the LP to be written and recorded in Barcelona, Spain following the composer's move from Venezuela, and contains a mixture of field recordings captured during his visit, juxtaposed with the sounds of Caracas during a rainy afternoon. Recorded between Caracas and Barcelona the results carry hues of the Venezuelan Caribbean, with hints of the Mediterranean. Mastered and cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, the music is beautifully complemented by illustrations from Andreína Vallés, with additional design by Brunella Giannangeli. ‘Canciones de Isaac’ follows Isaac Sasson’s ‘Cantos Campesinos’ EP on Olindo, which included a remix by Hector Plimmer, and was featured on BBC 6 Music with Gideon Coe, The Vinyl Factory, Worldwide FM, Stamp The Wax, and NTS with Patrick Forge, Zakia Sewell and Mafalda.

We are excited to welcome Orestes Gomez to the Olindo ranks with his sublime remix for Raúl Monsalve y los Forajidos "Bocón", featuring the distinctive vocals of Luzmira Zerpa, fusing neo soul, jazz and Venezuelan drums.

Established in 1948 by César Roldán, Discomoda is one of the earliest record labels of Venezuela and the oldest family operated label in the country. Home to one of the most complete folkloric and popular music catalogues of Venezuela, the label also invested heavily in Afro-Caribbean and tropical rhythms that became popular in the 60s and 70s. In the 1960s and before the Salsa era truly kicked off, Venezuela had a significant dance orchestra and big band movement. Unlike local record competitors dedicated to selling foreign productions, Discomoda achieved its leading position by recording the most important national bands, including Los Megatones de Lucho, Orquesta Sonoramica and Super Combo Los Tropicales; all featured in this compilation. Later on, surrounding the festivities for the 400th anniversary of Caracas in 1967, the word "Salsa", which had been recently coined by famed radio host Phidias Danilo Escalona, was formalized to identify an Afro-Caribbean musical style with growing popularity in Venezuela and beyond. By then, the country was among the top 20 music markets in the world, with the local label Discomoda leading the way, responsible for one out of every five records sold in the country. With the prolonged celebrations approaching due to the 400 years of the city, Discomoda and other labels began to capitalize on this new musical style by betting on both established and new local bands, such as Nelson y sus Estrellas, Los Kenya, Principe y su Sexteto and Los Satélites. As a result, this would kick off what could be considered a golden era of Salsa in Venezuela and which lasted until the mid-70s. As we approach the 80s and with the emergence of new musical styles and bigger multi-national record labels funded by larger pockets, a lot of the previously popular bands begin to disband or choose to leave the country. Nonetheless, a few artists, like Rodrigo Mendoza, La Renovación and Grupo Yakambu, were still pushing out quality music. We are thrilled and honored to celebrate one of Venezuela's and, equally, Latin America's most significant record labels, and to share a slice of their enduring influence in advancing Venezuelan-made Salsa music.