Sofrito

When the skies are as grey and lifeless as a wet Wednesday in January you need something light and fruity to shake you out of your gloom.
The simple act of cueing up this collection got my anticipatory booty shrugging and by the time that the opening number – ‘Quiero Amanacer’ by Banda Hijos de la Nina Luz – was half way through I was well out of my post-Xmas topor and shaking it around the room. Big horns, insistent drums and shakers and a positively stupid little keyboard (welcome back Casio?!) – you simply can’t sit still while this kind of call and response is going on around you.

Sofrito is a collective of UK DJs – Hugo Mendez, Frankie Francis and The Mighty Crime Minister – specialising in Tropical and this is the first compilation under that particular moniker. They have been travelling for the last few years, hitting the hotspots of Greece, Africa, playing WOMAD and Worldwide and if this is representative of the kind of grooves they have been laying down it isn’t any surprise that the elite of the Tropical and dance world have been playing at their shows.

The collection continues with a gorgeous piece of Zairean HiLife – over 8 minutes of poppy rhythm with a hypnotic guitar line – and on through dance classics from all over. My personal favourite has to be their own mix of Victor Uwaifa’s ‘Ohue’ which has just about everything without ever getting too complex.

All told a great dance compilation a a bright start to the year.