TITLE: Tanbou Toujou Lou: Meringue, Kompa Kreyol, Vodou Jazz & Electric Folklore From Haiti 1960-1981
LABEL: Ostinato
There’s an upswing of interest in vintage Haitian music these days, with crate-diggers unearthing material that rivals West Africa’s best, and old and new bands like RAM and Lakou Mizik introducing themselves to a world music audience. Strut's 2014 Haiti Direct compilation, with its combination of scholarly notes and street-wise selection, arguably kicked off the new trend. And this package, compiled by journalist-DJ Vik Sohonie for his own brand-new record label, is a more-than-worthy successor. Sohonie spent years digging for vinyl in Haiti and New York City (the capital of the Haitian diaspora); the stories and photos he came up with make the 20-page booklet a must-see as in the Analog Africa projects. Sohonie curates like a DJ: he doesn’t care too much about lineage or genre, he wants tracks that work well together and, crucially, put dancers in motion. So this is a high-energy set with just the right running order – a perfect soundtrack for a party or to get you motivated. I could recommend just about any track here: I’ve selected a few favorites, but they’re all worth hearing.
TOP TRACKS: 1 6 7 13 14 15 16
ALSO RECOMMENDED: pretty much all of the rest of them
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