Check down the page for a link to the Santo Domingo Digging mix I did this week, featuring 15 of my favorite records I brought back from the Caraib region. You'll find an extended tracklist down there too. Here are the covers already.



Last summer I had the chance to spend a few weeks in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR). To make a long story short, I went for a year to Santo Domingo as an exchange student 10 years ago. Now I have a second family, a Dominican one, which I visit on regular digging trips back there. I quickly learned the language (Spanish), the culture, the dances and of course the music. Let's start with some pics of Santo Domingo, DR's capital. These were taken close to the colonial part of the city, which is being "rehabilitated" for the moment.













Being part of the large Antilles, in the Caraib region, DR has a tropical climate. That is not a good point regarding conservation of the precious vinyl. You might hear that in the mix joining this post, but the music is worth it...





Often, record are sold right on the streets. Not many dealers are to be found,
but among the years I managed to know the ones still carrying the "long plays". Private collectors are always a good treat too.









Heat, sweat, moldy record covers, bugs all over the place... Sometimes a dirty job, that resulted this time in a nice 200+ LPs and a handfull 45s to get home.



DR is especially known for it's superb beaches. Going inside the country is just beautiful too. The cooler temperatures and exuberant tropical vegetation, hosting a typical dominican lifestyle, makes it worth checking out.











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THE LAIDBACK SHOW
FM BRUSSEL 98.8FM
October 15th 2008

FUNKY BOMPA special guest mix
SANTO DOMINGO DIGGING 2008
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

EXTENDED TRACKLIST

00:00 Jimmy Spleer - Super Rhyme's Rap (Dazz Records 1980)
I just used the intro of this early hiphop classic sampling Vaughn Mason's dancefloor classic, which I found in the very same cover. DJs were always there.

00:49 Vaughn Mason - Bounce, rock, skate, roll pt2 (Brunswick 1979)
The track I was just talking about. Great break.

03:21 Salsoul Orchestra - Journey to Phoebus (Salsoul 1977)
Big band disco breaks. Made in US. In my opinion most of the Salsoul Orchestra's albums are one-trackers, so be careful...

07:53 The Impact Of Brass - So far so good (Motown 1971)
The cover shows a bunch of white guys, posing with attitude. Happens to be signed to Motown. The prominent horns make it a real heavy soul track.

11:30 Willie Rosario & Orchestra - Consorte (Inca 1977)
Oldschool salsa meets jazz with a powerful dancefloor attraction. Make it hot.

14:22 Saoco - Siempre sere guajiro (Mericana 1976)
I've always the slow melody of the guajira, a typical cuban rhythm. NYC had Saoco back then to remember how good this stuff sounds.

19:48 Los Virtuosos - Montuno viene (Discolor 1977)
Another great salsa track from Cuco Valoy's Virtuosos. Couldn't find a clean copy of this...

23:49 Carmen Rivero - Cumbia, cumbiamba (Caytronics)
Colombia's national dance, the cumbia, is always nice on dancefloors. No info is to be found about composer Carmen Rivero, except he got Linda Vera doing the vocals. Favorite cumbia record for sure.

26:28 Linda Vera - La yerba santa (Discos Columbia)
Same singer, incredible voice. I said the previous track was my favorite. Here's a challenger, even if the rest of the album doesn't well.  Superheavy cumbia though...

29:01 Indio Bravo - Celos (Zuni)
Back to Dominican Republic with this perico ripao, ancester of the merengue. It's uptempo rhythm with accordion and scraping percussion makes it another favorite on the dancefloor.

31:30 O.V. Wright - Born all over (Back Beat 1971)
Lost soul from the States. Who would think such a rarity would end up on the streets of Sto Dgo. Superb album from start to finish.

34:36 Barrabas - Chico (RCA 1972)
I had this record, but didn't notice this incredible track until finding it back. Soul meets rock, slow and powerful.

38:17 Leon Thomas - Shape your mind to die (Flying Dutchman 1972)
My favorite jazz record from the bunch. Again superb album from start to finish. Leon Thomas' voice, also to be found on Pharaoh Sanders' records, is just perfect.

43:24 Curtis Mayfield - We the people (Curtom 1971)
Classic soul from The Man. Another start-to-finish gem. The funky theme in the middle comes just right.

49:21 Grupo Folklorico y Experimental Nuevayorquino - Cuba linda (Mericana/Salsoul 1975)
We end the trip with a great latin-jazz burner. The name of the band says it all.

Check all the covers on the top of this post.

Thanks to Julius for hosting me at his LaidBack Show on FM Brussels.
Check also the online LaidBack Radio on www.laid-back.be for continuous heat.

www.funkybompa.com
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