GOMEZ NICO - CD RITUAL / WORLD/LATIN AFRO-FUNK

Popis - RITUAL / WORLD/LATIN AFRO-FUNK:
Belgium, not the first place you'd think of when it comes to
Latin or Afro funk. Yet one of the greatest records to blend
both styles came from the small northern European country,
masterminded by Nico Gomez and his Afro Percussion Inc.
'Ritual' was originally released in 1971 on the Dutch label
Omega International (Gomez was born in Holland before moving to
Belgium in the late '40s) and is being reissued by Mr Bongo in
2013, bringing its blazing funk grooves to both new ears
and those already tuned in to this masterpieces legacy.
Across its 11 tracks 'Ritual' delivers the kind of production, arrangement and musicianship that rightfully belong in a
dictionary next to the definition of professional. Theb band
Gomez lead was tight and they knew it, showing it off on their
covers of Perez Prados' 'Caballo Negro' and 'Lupita' by
injecting the originals with a deep funk that blends both Afro
and Latin influences. On 'Samba De Una Nota So' and 'El Condor
Pasa', another pair of covers, they switch to soulful downtempo
with mesmerising ease. The title cut remains one of the album's
highlights, a devastating dancefloor groove with horns to match
that has aged beautifully and was heavily sampled by Liquid People for The Dragon. The track 'Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!' adds touches
of rock with fuzzy guitars for one of the album's headier
experiences. 'Ritual' is a perfect example of the kind of
experimentation that was rife in the '70s and which, when done
as well as on this album, proves quite simply timeless.