VA - Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats Of Revolutionary Cuba Volume 1 & 2 [Remastered] (2010)

An unprecedented combination of socialism and artistic freedom flourished during the mid-years of Castro’s Cuba, enabling musicians to create an innovative body of music based on traditional styles like those made famous by the Buena Vista Social Club. Si, Para: The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba Volume 1 captures the spirit of this time.

The music ranges from son, beat, jazz, funk, and abounds with psychedelic influences, electronic experimentation, and a heavy dose of soul. Communist funk may seem unlikely, but here it is, as Light In The Attic & Waxing Deep team up for this deluxe vinyl release.

The work of experimental trombonist Juan Pablo Torres – whose tremendous versatility and large body of work since the ’60 have often been overlooked – is given much love, with three of his tracks being featured on the album. Even the decades old Orquestra Riverside get loose with En Casa Del Trompo No Bailes. This music remained obscure even though even though they were put out by EGRAM Records, the only game in town at their time of issue. For the most part, these songs hardly conform to the central canon of Cuban pop, but this is truly epic music and is perhaps even more relevant to the funkier influences within the contemporary Cuban musical spectrum.

Light In The Attic & Waxing Deep team up again for Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba Volume 2 – taking up where the first volume left off with another a fully-licensed compilation of Cuban funk, jazz, psych, son, and soul from the last four decades. Highlights include the deep funk of Safari Salvaje by Los Rápidos, a mesmerising funk workout from an obscure band that in the 70s won the Cuban equivalent of American Idol; Al Sonar la Hora, a funk-rock classic from Los Barba who, despite being one of Cuba’s most popular bands ever, never recorded a single LP; and Vanguardia y Juventud by Sonopop, absurdly unlikely party music from teenaged members of the Communist Youth Militia.

The series has already received fantastic critical praise, with The LA Times calling Volume 1 “sublime”, Spin giving it 4-stars, and Pitchfork claiming it was “what every revolution should sound like”.

All of the tracks were re-mastered from the ORIGINAL tapes, kept by the Cuban government in a dusty Havana warehouse. Given the poor quality of Cuban vinyl, this means the music on Si, Para Usted has a sound quality previously unavailable. Quite simply, the music has never sounded this good.