Cuba - music and revolution vol. 1 : culture clash in Havana Cuba : experiments in Latin music 1975-85

"This compilation (...) collects together some of the most exploratory items from the catalogue of Cuban label EGREM ... On 'Y No Le Conviene' Juan Formell & Los Van Van blend son with a classic 60s beat bassline, while Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC's 'Sondeando' could be a Curtis Mayfield soul soundtrack gem in disguise. At times there appears a kinship with Brazil, Pablo Milanés' 'Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero' having more than an echo of Milton Nascimento's orchestral pop, while Paquito D'Rivera is a samba delight. Surprise of the record must be Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo's 'Rompe Cocorioco', a funky son with a lunatic arrangement: synths bleeping, harpsichord hooks, in-your-face percussion and a relentless pace that somehow gives it a proto-disco feel. The bittersweet conclusion after listening is that while salsa was exploding around the world, its progenitor, son, was having its own adventures back in Cuba, its light burning just as bright. Such a shame that only a few saw it flicker at the time".

"Priceless comp goes beyond Buena Vista: This compilation uncovers many gems. Some are pre-revolutionary artists whose careers were given a funky reboot in the 1980s, like the sprightly son montuno band Conjunto Rumbavana, or the all-female vocal trio Las D'Aida (featuring Buena Vista Social Club star Omara Portuondo, here in a surprisingly proggy setting). There are three tracks from Grupo Monumental, all spiky horns, squeaky Farfisa organs and sly invocations of American funk ... There are two pieces of hypnotically funky prog from Los Reyes 73 featuring swirls of organ, wah-wah guitar and angular horn riffs. Best of all are the tracks by Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC, led by the cosmopolitian classical guitarist and composer Leo Brouwer ... You'll hear unusual time signatures, heavy-duty psychedelic organ solos, FX-laden guitars and touches of atonalism: imagine an Afro-Cuban blaxploitation soundtrack played by an incarnation of Soft Machine who just happen to have sensational Latin-jazz chops".