PRESENTS AFRO-CUBAN RHYTHMS by Robin Jones - ROYAL PALM [RPRCD002] FLAC download included with physical items

PRESENTS AFRO-CUBAN RHYTHMS

Robin Jones

A 13 track latin pop album (1h 16m 32s) — released March 12th 2001 on ROYAL PALM

#pop #latin-pop
The roots of much contemporary dance and electronic music are to be found in the rhythms of Latin America, and this album elegantly joins the dots between these two musical forms. With the legendary Latin percussionist Robin Jones laying down the foundation and a host of the UK's finest experimental dance producers at the controls, Afro-Cuban Rhythms is an album that inspires, educates, but most importantly leads your feet directly to the dancefloor. Robin Jones could legitimately be called the Grandfather of the UK Latin scene (don't think Werther's Original, think inspirational percussion genius!). As well as playing with such renowned musicians as Charlie Palmieri, Lalo Schifrin & Stan Getz, Robin also leads two of his own bands, King Salsa and The Robin Jones Latin Jazz Sextet. In the words of Royal Palm head honcho Mike Hazell;'there is no-one else in the U.K. that loves the music, and teaches the young bloods a thing or two, more than Conguero Robin Jones'. In a nutshell, the idea behind this project was for Robin Jones (with the help of Brazilian musician and percussionist Bosco de Oliveira) to record versions of classic Afro-Cuban Rhythms which would then be passed on to some of electronic music's more inspirational tweakers and twiddlers for a thorough mix down. The first fruits (and the first Royal Palm release) came with the release of a 12' featuring 'Royal Mozambique' and the Bullitnut's own twisted remake, which was greeted with widespread acclaim. More 12's followed, with Fila Brazillia, Fretless AZM, Raj Gupta, Jimpster and Audiomontage all contributing remixes. Now all these tracks are gathered together on this CD (with a previously unreleased Tim 'Love' Lee mix thrown in for good measure). Again Mike Hazell hits the nail squarely on the head in his conclusion to the album's (very informative) sleeve notes: 'I am proud to say that this is the first CD of its kind to be Made in England ('Hecho en Inglaterra'). The recordings stored within are to be enjoyed and although it was never conceived as an educational tool, if you do end up knowing the difference between a merengue and a mambo, then that can only help keep the spirit of one of the most sensual, free and honest forms of musical tradition alive. The rhythms on this CD, like the stately Royal Palm tree, have strong & deep roots, and are the foundations on which the Royal Palm label is built.''

Internationally regarded percussionist Robin Jones has been breaking down musical barriers for many years, so his involvement in Royal Palm's superb 'Rhythm Series' is a match made in heaven. This recent project's aim was to highlight the pivotal relationship between traditional Afro-Cuban and modern dance music- from funk to disco, house to drum & bass - by releasing six split Eps, each with a typico rhythm by Robin and a remix by a contemporary electronic artist. Now the best of these interpretations, plus the veteran conguero's inspiring originals, have been gathered on one 13-track feast. With Fila Brazillia's blistering take on the 'Rumba'; Jamie O'Dell's freewheeling fusions of the 'Conga' and 'bembe' as both Jimpster and Audiomontage; and the Bullitnuts' double-bass-driven 'Conga' re-rub, each track is sensitively rendered for today's dancefloor. But the overwhelming feeling on cuts such as Raj Gupta's lightly dubbed 'Marcha', Max Brennan's thumping Fretless AZM jam 'Merengue' and Tim Lee's previously unreleased 'Marcha' is one of respect and good clean fun, and it's precisely this attitude that makes 'Afro-Cuban Rhythms' such a warm and welcoming compilation. - Dave Stelfox XLR8R

Basically this album is an almagamation of all the recent Royal Palm series of twelves dedicated to promote the sound of Robin Jones and his Afro-Cuban rhythms in a contemporary-meets traditional style. This wonderful series saw remix gems from the likes of Fila Brazillia, Raj Gupta, Jimpster, Tim 'Love' Lee, and Fretless AZM, which all feature on this long player. If you didn't manage to get the twelves (shame on you) then this is a truly vital release from one of the best new dance independents in the UK today. Dance, be educated, and enjoy. 8/10 - Phil Meadley Wax

OK, here's the deal: the godfather of the UK Latin scene, conguero Robin Jones teams up with Brazillian percussionist Bosco De Oliveira to record versions of classic Afro-Cuban rhythms. These productions (which include Marcha, Conga, Rumba, Merengue, Mozambique and Bembe rhythms) are then handed over to some of electronic music's more discerning tweakers and twiddlers for some serious mix-down pressure. The six authentic rhythms on show here are all of equal quality - for proof just check the nine-minute 'Royal Mozambique', with its scorching timbale outro. The new school artists Jimpster, Fila Brazillia, Tim 'Love' Lee, Bullitnuts, Raj Gupta and Audiomontage each choose a rhythm and give it their own dancefloor-friendly interpretation, the most irresistible of these being 'Jimpster's Haribo Starmix' of the Conga rhythm. - PY Straight No Chaser

Robin's percussion prowess is known throughout the globe and his teaming with Bosco De Oliveira is one partnership not to be scoffed at. These beats and pieces are the roots of today's dance and cannot be ignored at any cost. - Dr Bob Jones Muzik

The Sketch? Having played alongside Charlie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria, Lalo Schifrin and Stan Getz, you could say Robin Jones, Britain's leading 'conguero' was a geezer. This collection of historic afro-Cuban rhythms celebrates the pervasive nature of the 'drum' alongside some trendy reworkings from the likes of Audiomontage and Fila Brazillia. Highlights? Jimpster's Heard-esque deep house remake of the 'Royal Merengue' and Raj Gupta's reverential, piano-led hip hop rendition of 'Royal Marcha' are all fine and groovy, with Tim 'Love' Lee's staggering dub reggae rendition an exclusive bonus cut. Lowlights? If you've bought all the 12"s you're gonna be rightly pissed off whether you're a Tim 'Love' Lee obsessive or not. But you're in the minority so ha. The Verdict? Based on primal, traditional, organic rhythms, the hypnotic nature of the originals cut right through to the core - sod the remixes'. - Mark Jackson Jockey Slut

The rhythms of Latin America have undoubtedly influenced the dance world, and with that in mind, the idea behind this project was to bridge the two by putting Robin Jones - grandfather of UK Latin - into a studio to record traditional Afro Cuban rhythms, then handing the results to modern producers to tweak. Hence, Fila Brazillia engage in a modern funk shindig and Tim 'Love' Lee shows how close dub and Latin can be. However, many of these tracks are too reverential and smooth by far and are out-stripped by the passion of the original unremixed rhythms that are included. In short; educational but not always inspirational. - Gal Detourn DJ

'An interesting release from Royal Palm, UK conguero and 'founder of the British Latin scene' Robin Jones puts down some classic Afro-Cuban rhythms (with the help of native musician and percussionist Bosco De Oliveira) and these are remixed by various contemporary electronic beatsters. The ambitious ideology behind this is apparently to show us the link between these original Afro rhythms and today's electronic dance scene. Whilst the educational value might be somewhat exaggerated, there are still some tasty tunes on this album, specifically the original recordings making a fantastic addition to any record collection - meticulous examples of the rhumba, conga, merengue, marcha and bembe, beautifully recorded and showcasing all the subtleties and grace in the drumming. Then we have seven remixes, with Bullitnuts' 'Royal Mozambique' New Yorkshire Dole Mix really making use of the percussion to create a groovy dancefloor mover, and Fila Brazillia's 'Royal Rumba' doesn't let us down, again using the rhythms to full effect. Raj Gupta's 'Royal Marcha' does a more traditional remix in that it keeps the song and arrangement pretty much intact whilst sharpening up the beats for the soundsystem. Fretless AZM's 'Royal Merengue' mix too provides a really funky and slick reworking whilst Jimpster's 'Royal Conga' mix, though deep and soulful, doesn't quite relate to its Afro-Cuban starting point. And Audiomontage's half-hearted jazzy experimentation is the weakest link. To round it off, Tim 'Love' Lee's dub mix of 'Royal Marcha' sends us home happy. - Massimo 7

  • Kudos happily ship all items worldwide.
  • Shipping costs and delivery times are available here.
  • UK items are sent tracked as standard at no extra cost.
  • We aim to dispatch orders placed before 2pm on the same day.
  • We are unable to ship orders on weekends or Bank Holidays.
  • If you purchase a pre-order item amongst an order of in-stock releases, we will typically hold your order until all items are in ready to send.
  • Although we use all reasonable means to ensure that your order is delivered within a specified time, we cannot accept any responsibility for late deliveries due to circumstances outside of our control. We will do our best to inform you of any unexpected delay.