The years between the late '60s and the mid-'70s were a very special time for the neighborhood of New York known as the Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio. A new generation of American musicians, most of them of Puerto Rican origin, were influenced by rock, psychedelia, funk, disco, r&b and the tropical formats of the Spanish speaking Caribbean. It was an exciting time for music, and El Barrio was fertile ground for the creation of a new sound: salsa, boogaloo and Latin Soul exploded like a shooting star.

Celebrating an era of unparalleled creativity for Latin music, Fania is releasing a box set of 4 CDs exploring the many shades and colors of El Barrio. The discs explore the development of salsa, boogaloo, Latin funk, soul and disco. All include a seductive combination of major hits with rare gems, as well as extensive liner notes written by Fania experts.

The Latin Funk collection showcases the funky experiments of such notable salsa artists as Ray Barretto, Panamanian vocalist Azuquita and supergroup Fania All Stars - complemented by tasty tracks by lesser known bands like Seguida, Café and TNT Boys. Latin Disco is the more genre-specific of the discs, with lushly orchestrated dancefloor scorchers by Orquesta Novel and Louie Ramírez. Bad Boogaloo takes you back to the era of raucous Latin Soul and swanky shing-a-ling: even La Lupe, Joe Cuba and Bobby Valentín experimented with the format. Subtitled Gangsters, Latin Soul & The Birth of Salsa, the fourth disc in the set demonstrates the stylistic richness of the time, from the velvety Latin jazz of Eddie Palmieri's "Chocolate Ice Cream" to Roberto Roena's devastating fusion of salsa with funk on "Que Se Sepa."

An amazing set, ideal for dancers and collectors alike. LESS >