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Apart from the (French Catalan) Gypsy Kings, non-Latin populations have not been enraptured by (Spanish Gypsy) Catalan rumba to any great extent. Not in any way like, say Cuban rumba, which is where its roots are. Why is this? Well that’s a whole other article, but it’s partly down to accessibility outside of Spain. At least now, the good work of Txarly Brown (the compiler of this collection) has given us a mid-point to explore the genre.

I say mid-point, because this album is a selection of tracks from 1969-1979, even though rumba arrived in Spain in the 50s. But according to Brown, rumba was at its peak in terms of record sales in the 70s. So there is rather a lot of funk and disco found throughout these particular tracks. Where a more ‘conservative’ selection of tracks can be found on 25 Catalan Rumba Hits (K Industria) Achili Funk may not be to everyone’s taste but they are great party tracks and reflect the height of the movement.

More than just a compilation in the normal sense, the album reflects Brown’s passion for the project. By making some of his massive vinyl collection available he hopes to reinvigorate young Catalans’ interest in their own cultural heritage. This, in addition to the weekly Rumba club that he runs in Barcelona at a time when techno clubs proliferate the streets off La Rambla, has begun to stimulate interest in an relatively obscure, though amazingly fantastic musical form — at least locally.

Peret, Los Amaya, Dolores Vargas and Gato Perez, names familiar to anyone interested in the genre, all make an appearance on this album alongside lesser known acts such as Smash, Las Grecas (whose tragic story is documented in the accompanying book) and Rabbit Rumba (with the ‘funkiest’ Caramelos I ever heard, Hammond and all!).

I must also mention that this is perhaps one of the most beautiful CD packages I have ever seen. It is, in a sense a historical document also, and might be enjoyed more by those who have had some exposure to Catalan rumba already or those who are ready to accept/forgive the WaaWaas and String sections particular to the 70s. Regardless, very very few good archival compilations exist of this kind of music and this is one of them.