12 Bombazos Bailables

Considering the sheer amount of quality music that came out of Colombia from the 50s through to the 70s, highlighted by the golden age of cumbia and the country's impassioned takes on salsa and descarga, it seems scandalous that there are not more compilations of this period (especially when you compare it to Cuba).

Thankfully, Vampisoul have issued this collection of gems from the Discos Fuentes vaults, with bona fi de cumbia classics from Lito Barrientos, Pedro Laza and Conjunto Miramar, and some true salsa delights, varying from Adolfo Echeverría's hard driving rhythms to the looser groovy-as-hell Fruko y sus Tesos’ ‘El Vidriero’ with a roving bass line that is a joy to listen to alone. And there are many other bailable (danceable) delights including a wild descarga from Los Supremos and a bit of exotica to end things with Tita Duval's louche ‘Safari Safari’ and the vibe-tastic ‘Mambo Flamenco’ from Sexteto Miramar. From 1961 onwards, Discos Fuentes released a compilation each Christmas of their best party music. Entitled 14 Cañonazos Bailables, it was clearly the main inspiration for this collection, which does exactly the same job, exhibiting the many ways Colombians have of shaking a leg.