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Since 2003, Madrid's Vampisoul Records has been a label to treasure for all those in search of the cool. The vibrant Spanish label has developed a colorful roster of eclectic music, unearthing once-lost Peruvian psych, Brazilian rock, Harlem boogaloo, Detroit soul, Afrobeat, lounge, salsa and much, much more. Releases are enhanced by deluxe, stylish packaging - on both CD and vinyl formats - offering extensive liner notes and rare photos. Vampisoul remains absolutely essential for soul, funk and rare groove fans in search of more of the old gold. Welcome to the third instalment in Vampisoul's series dedicated to the original Italian library music from the vaults of Nelson Records.
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Chile's national dance is the cueca.The dance is a story of a man pursuing a woman who plays coy hiding behind her handkerchief. You will see the dance performed at every important festival in Chile, and especially on the Chilean National Day on the 18th of September.
In this album, the label digs deeper into the most experimental recordings in the archives of Nelson Records. The label was founded in 1970 by the musicians Maurizio Majorana, Antonello Vannucchi, and Roberto Podio (who along with Carlo Pes would be known as I Marc 4), after establishing the Telecinesound studio, right where the New Italian Library Sound was created. They recorded with Armando Trovajoli, Piero Piccioni, Ennio Morricone, Piero Umiliani, Henry Mancini, and many others, and created a special sound, mixing jazz, pop, rock, and psychedelic music, to produce records aiming to be used by the programmers of the Italian RAI television. The music of Thrilling Mortale is mostly special effects, drum breaks, fast bongo rhythms, and groovy Hammond background sounds inspired by cinema noise experts who did not use any musical instruments and had only a few objects to recreate the noises of the films; from horse rides to closing gates, everything was done in the traditional way.
I Marc 4, instead, would recreate those sounds with bass, guitar, drums, piano and Hammond organ. Many musicians, record producers and film directors still like, look for, rediscover and re-use for their work, and the music on these albums recorded by I Marc 4 between 1970-1976 have reached cult status among library music collectors.
The career of Atlanta's singer and guitarist Lee Moses only left behind eight 45s and an album between the mid-60s and 1973. Heard today, it's difficult to understand why success evaded those recordings, as they possess a quality and emotional intensity to match any soul track from that classic era.
Particularly his 1967 Musicor single, produced by Johnny Brantley, featuring the two parts of his own composition 'Bad Girl'. After its slow build-up comes a torrent of passionate, raw emotion delivered with throat-shredding vocals that is incredibly powerful and moving.
Pure soul gold. The Village Callers were born out of a band called Marcy & The Imperials in the mid-1960s and soon became very popular in East Los Angeles, playing all the top venues. Their first 45 featured two original compositions: 'Hector' on the A-side, an original composition which became a hit in Los Angeles, backed by the wonderful ballad 'I'm Leaving'. The infectious Latin groove of 'Hector' was later sampled by hip-hop artists such as De La Soul, Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, and Ice Cube. 'Hector' was also featured in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019). Voyage Of Exploration (2012) and Synaptic Beat (2013) established Akron as one of the best sonic and mood explorers out there, achieving an engaging personal sound while carrying on the legacy of greats such as Les Baxter, Delia Derbyshire, Mort Garson, Sun Ra. Free from any scene or genre constraints, Akron managed to combine a myriad of sounds in a completely unique way.
Soon after the release of Synaptic Beat, Akron became a quartet in order to perform their music on stage. After a few gigs they recorded an album with the aim to capture the essence of their live set-up. The result, Ritualul Sferei (The Ritual of the Spheres), resembles a pseudo-tribal ceremony that takes place in an inhospitable corner of the universe. It could be a rite from an unknown civilization living in a different planet or an enigmatic earthly celebration from another time (past or future). For five years that recording was put aside and the band's live performances stopped.
At last, Ritualul Sferei has been finished and sees the light of day. Vampisoul present a reissue of Maxayn's self-titled album, originally released in 1972. Tulsa vocalist Paulette Parker joined the renowned vocal group The Ikettes in 1967, before meeting Andre Lewis, whom she would marry some time later, changing her name to Maxayn Lewis. Both of them, along with former colleagues of Andre in the group Buddy Miles Express, formed in 1970 a new band that would be baptized after the singer's own name: Maxayn.
Their first recording was self-funded and easily achieved a contract with the company Capricorn Records to release it. It was in 1972 when that first album, self-titled, saw the light. The result is a superb record of soul and funk spiced up with a gospel vibe and also a distinctive rock sound.
As a curiosity, two of the most soulful and deep songs by The Rolling Stones, 'Gimme Shelter' and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', were chosen to be part of the album's repertoire and in both cases Maxayn's vocal performance manages to appropriate these two famous songs to the point that it seems that they were originally written for the singer herself. Facing two classics of such high caliber and successfully passing the test is a challenge that few would dare to try. Not in vain, Maxayn deserves to be placed in the same league as other better-known funk artists such as Betty Davis or Yvonne Fair.
Along with the successful versions of the Stones, their own compositions include 'Trying For Days', 'Jam For Jack', 'Song', and 'Doing Nothing, Nothing Doing', in which the energetic tandem formed by Maxayn's voice and the solid support of the band's musicians achieves an electric and timeless result. Presented in facsimile gatefold sleeve and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
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