Rooted in a love of tropical rhythms with a firm basis in modern club culture, Sofrito have been flicking their diggin’ fingers across continents in search of music that can inject a night with colour and life, and well, they’re pretty damn good at it.
Fusing the cadence rampa from Haiti and calypso from Trinidad and Tobago, their latest release comes from the Dominican godfather of “Cadence-lypso”. Forming a full-horn vocal band Exile One at a time when newly arrived synthesisers were beginning to flow around the country, their sound eventually came to be known as island boogie, bringing in elements of North American funk and soul music.
Part of the imprint’s ‘Island Series’, Sofrito have hand-picked two vibrant tracks for release on 7” for the very first time. Today we premiere our favourite, ‘The Highest Bidder’, a long-time Caribbean boogie classic that dips its toes into 80’s funk with rich horn lines and plush vocals sang in unison from the get-go. Organ licks, fluid groove and laid-back guitar strums make this a guaranteed classic to shift a party into overdrive.
Sofrito SSS016 Island Series: Gordon Henderson is available now via Piccadilly Records.
Catch Sofrito this Saturday for their Summer Session party at Shapes in Hackney for a tip-top BBQ, dancing sounds and refreshing punch. Head here for more info.
