dondechi
What an unexpeted joy this is! I hadn't heard of Bio Ritmo until a Puerto Rican friend turned me on to them about 10 years ago. To find out that they made this incredible debut album more than 10 years before that and to suddenly have it re-released in late 2023 is really good news. Shades of the Fania heyday with its tight arrangements and boisterous horns, but the antithesis of slick with its energy and freshness.
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Peace & Rhythm and Hyperopia Records are proud to announce the release of Richmond, Virginia-based salsa orchestra Bio Ritmo’s self-titled 2002 album, first time on vinyl, remastered from the original tapes, with three bonus unreleased live tracks and download card. The so-called “Green Album” (named for the green painting by Rei Álvarez, the band’s vocalist, composer and co-leader/founder, that graced the original CD cover) has received a facelift for its vinyl debut, with a remix of the artwork and an interior gatefold spread chock-full of band memorabilia from the era. What’s more, the original album tracks have been properly mastered from the reel-to-reel tapes for the first time, and the added live recordings give fans a taste of what it was like to hear tunes from the album performed on stage back in the day.
Historically speaking, this reissue represents several milestones: the band’s 30-plus years in existence, and the 21st anniversary of the release of the album. Additionally, the original 2002 “Green Album” CD marked the recording debut of Marlysse Simmons, Bio Ritmo’s bandleader, pianist, arranger and composer, and Marlysse was instrumental in partnering with long-time friends of the band, Peace & Rhythm and Hyperopia, to dive into the archives, gather and prepare the audio-visual materials needed for this ambitious reissue project. The record, spread out over four sides, sounds better than ever, with entirely fresh aural vistas opened up and a new dimension revealed to the music. The memorabilia on the inner spread will take fans down memory lane and shows the now veteran band, which has gone through some personnel changes over time, in their younger days.
Bio Ritmo are known as pioneers of the indie-salsa music revival, and this visionary album is the one that kicked the band into high gear in the second chapter of their career. Though inspired by classic salsa dura artists of the seventies, Bio Ritmo have created their own unique sound, some say “experimental” for their mixing of influences not commonly found in salsa music. This exciting tension between the “trad and the rad” can be found here on this record in abundance, as it ushered in the beginning of a sonic and visual rebirth of sorts for the band. Several classics in the Bio Ritmo cannon of fan favorites are here, as are some lesser-known gems, and this gorgeous new edition will not only reacquaint Bio Ritmo’s loyal International pool of fans anew, it will also no-doubt attract a number of new converts who are discovering the band for the first time through this deluxe, limited edition vinyl release.
The obsessive searching (in all the best ways) and crate digging pay off once again for the Analog Africa crew! This compilation is a veritable gold mine of crazy good funky riffs with horns aplenty. As with most AA offerings, the music appears to originate from various sources and time periods but the underlying quality of all the tracks is undeniable. Drop the needle and get ready to be enthralled!! blixa00