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LP
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VAMPI 309LP
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This is one of Ray Pérez's most highly sought-after albums, not only for its strong salsa dura anthems and funky boogaloo numbers but also for its brave, quirky eclecticism and youthful, rebellious spirit, all of which are reflections of "El Loco" Ray's unique genius, making him a beloved figure in rare record collector circles everywhere. The original is not that easy to find today and carries a hefty price. Thankfully, it has been remastered from the original tapes, fully licensed, with the original artwork, preserving and presenting the legacy of this great Venezuelan music for today's generation. The late 1960s was a very busy time when Pérez was juggling several different studio bands: Los Dementes, Los Calvos and Los Kenya. The daring experiment Pérez created with Los Calvos laid the basis for Los Kenya, an actual working band that released six albums between 1968 and 1972. Despite being titled Los Kenya, Vol. 2 because it was the second released by Discomoda, the record actually represents Los Kenya's third album, and is perhaps the most mature, well-rounded venture in the lot. In February 1969, on Discomoda, came Los Kenya, Vol. 2 Focused on the upcoming carnival season, it was calculated to compete with rival bands Federico Y Su Combo Latino and Sexteto Juventud for the plethora of gigs offered at that time of year. The album, like all Ray Pérez releases of the time, is short and powerful, with five tracks per side, showcasing a variety of singers, genres, rhythms, influences and arrangements, making this one of his more eccentric and interesting efforts. 1960s California "sunshine pop" rock (often referred to as "surf" on Los Kenya records), guajiras, boogaloos, descargas and even Mexican mariachi corridos are all added to the pot of salsa cooked up by "El Loco Ray" and his band. The album has been rescued from obscurity and lovingly restored, remastered from the original tapes, fully licensed, with its original artwork intact, preserving and presenting the legacy of this great Venezuelan music for today's generation of global salsa dura fans.
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LP
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INFINITA 002LP
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Música Infinita presents the raw and uncompromising Afro Latin sound of Ray Perez and Los Kenya, one of the most interesting groups to spring out of the Venezuelan salsa scene in the late sixties. The late '60s was a prolific period for outstanding Afro-Latin music in Venezuela, with multiple local labels releasing and distributing records by a myriad of homegrown talent. Pianist and bandleader, Ray Perez, recorded and released seven LPs between '67 and '68 with Los Dementes, one of the best-known salsa bands in the country at the time. Following a brief stint in New York, where he shared the stage with Kako's orchestra, Perez returned to Venezuela and under the influence of bandmates Luis Arias and Alfredo Naranjo formed Los Kenya. The core of this compact group was made up of two trumpets and a drum set, uncommon at a time when big bands were the norm. With the addition of an accomplished and unique pair of vocalists in Calaven and Carlin Rodriguez, Los Kenya cooked up a stew of raw, groovy, and uncompromising tunes for their debut LP on Velvet, later re-released by Ray himself under his own Pyraphon label, and presented here in a limited and re-mastered edition. Having recently left his previous band Los Dementes, Ray and Los Kenya debuted with a live performance in September of 1968 at Sunday Party Group to present their 7" single featuring "Hoculele" and "Omelembe". Soon after, their debut album was released by the label Velvet. Due to a combination of original compositions, most of them written and arranged by Ray; a killer lineup of musicians; and an uncompromising and raw approach to their music, Los Kenya became one of the most interesting new groups in the Venezuelan salsa scene. In Ray's own words: "each of my bands had a distinct sound. For example, Los Dementes had a different sound to Eddie Palmieri's band even though we shared a similar configuration. The same happens with Los Kenya and another of my band's Los Calvos, both of which had a very similar lineup of musicians."
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