Putumayo Presents: Latin Reggae

Ever since the crossover success of Bob Marley, reggae has made its way into the popular musical expressions of every region on the planet. Latin Reggae is a collection featuring both trailblazers and newcomers from the rock and reggae scenes of Latin America and Spain.

Like counterparts in Europe, Africa, US and beyond, the musicians on Latin Reggae have adopted the rhythms and philosophy of reggae, singing socially conscious lyrics, and adding elements of regional styles into the flexible reggae groove.

Argentina's Los Cafres recorded their featured track at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica, as did Puerto Rico's Cultura Prof?tica, who also worked with Errol Brown, the sound engineer for a number of Marley's classic albums. Chile's Gondwana developed a cult following after their first politically conscious album was released during the Pinochet dictatorship.

Across the ocean in Barcelona, Spain, reggae has become an essential element of the mestizo sound, a thriving new genre of popular music that means "mixed." Its leading musicians, include Macaco, formerly of nuevo flamenco supergroup Ojos de Brujo, and Amparanoia, the musical project of Amparo Sanchez. Other cutting-edge bands from Spain featured on this collection include the multi-cultural collective of Cuban, Spanish and African musicians that make up Radio Malanga, and the ska/reggae blends of Muchachito Bombo Infierno and Black Gandhi.

Rounding out the collection are Go Lem System and Ticklah, who pull from a variety of musical disciplines to give additional shape to their genre-melding sound. A portion of the proceeds from Latin Reggae will be donated to ACCION International in support of their efforts to provide people of Latin America and around the world with the tools needed to work their way out of poverty.  more