arepafunk

Your Support is needed...

2010-09-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hola gente linda!

I got a friend working on an important film about violence against women in Guatemala but she needs your support!! She needs to raise $5000 by October 12th in order to fund her final trip to Guatemala. So... PILAS EVERYONE, lets help her reach her goal!

The documentary is called Justice for my Sister and if you want to learn more about the film or if you are ready to donate click here.

Also, there are a ton of cool premiums if you decide to donate, check it out!

PLUS - for those of you who donate or help spread the word just email me at johnny@arepafunk.com and I will hook you up with an exclusive 60-minute arepafunk set. That's right, just like that! Email me ya'll, its good for ya health!

oh, and for all my mexicanos and mexicanas out there... VIVA MEXICO! 200 years of independence for ya'll who don't know.

I got an episode coming very, very soon, Leche con Cafe, be on the lookout!

Peace!

Arepa con Queso II

2010-07-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

Que hubo mi gente!

It's been a while since I've posted anything but I had to do something special for Colombian independence day. I put this Colombian set together on July 20th but I couldn't find time to post it. Better late than never, right? I hope ya'll enjoy.

Polito Bances "Carnaval de Arequipa" (Caliente)
Hermanos Martinez "Soy colombiano" (CBS)
Emilita Dago "Porro Tradicional" (Discos TH)
La Sonora Dinamita "Cumbia Barulera" (Delujo)
Emir Boscan y los Tomasinos "Porque me llaman Vallenato" (TH)
Alfredo Gutierrez "El Cacerio" (Color)
Edmundo Arias y su Orquesta "Ojitos Chinos" (Sonolux)
Sonora Ponceña "A Cali" (Inca)
Willie Salcedo "Lo Que Trae Willie" (Daro)
Ray Perez "No Salgas de tu Barrio" (Discomoda)

Que viva Colombia!!

Peace

Fresh Pandebono

2010-01-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Joey Pastrana and his Orchestra "Cuidate Compay" (Cotique)
Los Falcons "Aquellos Diciembres" (RCA Victor)
Orquesta Los Melodicos "La Murga" (Discolando)
Conjunto Sensacion "Congas Callejeras" (Tropical)
Machito y sus Afro-Cubanos "Mambo Infierno" (Tropical)
La Plata Sextette "Que Buena Esta" (Tropical)
Rey Roig y su Orquesta "Borracho No Vale" (Salsoul)
Gran Banda Caleña "El Son de Celina" (Discos CBS)
Hector Lavoe "Songoro Consongo" (Fania)
El Gran Combo "Y No Hago Mas Na'" (Combo)

Some great tracks here - I'm really diggin' Congas Callejeras, Mambo Infierno and Songoro Consongo. Aquellos Diciembres is appropriate for the season, no?

I wish you all good health and lots of fun in 2010. I will do my best to squeeze in as many arepafunk episodes as I can this year. Thanks for listening!

Oh, I can't believe I haven't mentioned this 'til now - Watch Modern Family on ABC, its the greatest show on TV right now, palabra.

Peace, Johnny

Papita Frita

2009-10-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hola familia and friends, I hope everyone is well. Here is the track list for this week:

Willie Bobo "Shing-A-Ling Baby" (MGM)
Tito Puente "Oye Mi Guaguanco" (TVO)
Lord Cobra y los Hnos. Duncan "Love Letters" (Soundway)
Joe Bataan "Magic Rose" (Fania)
The Harvey Averne Dozen "You're No Good" (Atlantic)
George Guzman "Y No Sabia Bailar" (Fania)
Joe Cuba Sextette "Wabble-Cha" (Seeco)
Ray Barretto "Trompeta y Trombon" (WS Latino)
Pete Rodriguez y Su Conjunto "I Like It Like That" (Alegre)
Azuquita "California" (Vaya)
Download file here

Good stuff, no? Check out that third song in particular.... it comes off this AMAZING album, Panama! 2. You have to pick this up...you HAVE TO. It's an arepafunk requirement. It is available on vinyl, CD, and on iTunes. Here is the link to the store. Roberto Ernesto Gyemant does an excellent job on the liner notes. Seriously, on iTunes you can get this album for 10 bucks and you get 20 carefully selected songs with the digital booklet - all fire, I'm telling you - you won't want to skip a single track. That sounds like a steal to me.

Guess what?! Fania Records has some new releases scheduled in the next couple of months. First up... Tito Rodriguez, "A Man And His Music," out 11-3-2009. Check out this video.

til next time, Peace!

No excuses LA

2009-08-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

If you call Los Angeles, Califas your home then you absolutely must make it out to the California Plaza in downtown at noon or at 8pm this Friday, August 14th to catch Totó La Momposina LIVE for FREE. This event is brought to you by Grand Performances. Check out their site for more info...

Also, I am going to go check out Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro at the Echoplex on Saturday the 15th. Should be a dope show... for all things Quantic, check out his site.

Oh and I almost forgot... The LA Salsa Music Festival at the Greek Theatre on August 22nd. Don't miss it... every year so far its been pretty sick. This year the headliner is El Gran Combo.
Get more info and buy tickets here.

Lots of good music, right in LA. Don't sleep!

Ciao

Jamón y Queso

2009-08-11T02:45:00.000-07:00

A new look plus new music! Finally!

What's up mi gente... I know your starving for some arepafunk. Tranquilos... I got you.

First off - Caminito Serrano by Jaime Llano Gonzalez. Afrosound has a really dope version of this song too. This one reminds me of Chicha which is a cool, psychadelic cumbia sounding music from Peru. Check out Chicha Libre, a Brooklyn-based band thats got an awesome sound.

Mambo en España by Orquesta Riverside is one I have been saving for a special occasion. This is some good music that will never grow old. I know you'll love it.

I end the set with the Fania All Stars playing El Raton. In the liner notes there's a clip from the New York Post that sums up all the excitement from the night that this song(among others) was recorded live at Yankee Stadium. It's nuts.... Just to give you an idea of how crazy this show must have been... Mongo Santamaria, Tipica '73, and El Gran Combo warmed up the crowd....

En serio? For real? Arr ju kidin me? Just picture that, all those guys are opening up the show, then you got the Fania All Stars showing up with Manu Dibango and Jorge Santana. Holy chit, its no wonder 40,000 fans rushed the stage and the show had to end early.

Yankee Stadium, August 24th, 1973. Wow

Here's a video of El Raton being performed live in Zaire. Enjoy.

Alright, be good. Peace!

Andy Montañez at the Conga Room

2009-08-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Attention all Angelinos... Andy Montañez LIVE

Thursday, August 6th
Conga Room at LA Live
800 W. Olympic Blvd

I'm sure its gonna be a great show so try to make it out!

Peace

Johnny B. Bueno

2009-07-30T00:55:00.000-07:00

Yo! If you've been checkin' the site for updates mil gracias for your support and I apologize that I haven't posted anything for a second. I'm a perezoso, I know! Now that midterms are over and I have time to slack off until finals, I am going to re-design the site and you should have a fresh looking site plus a new episode within the next week. Palabra!

Don't forget to catch up on any episodes you might have missed by checking out the archives page.

http://www.arepafunk.com/archives.html

Peace,
Johnny

Lentejas con Arroz

2009-07-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

Eavamaria, I am pretty bad at this blogging thing. I have had this slow jams set ready for more than a week, I just haven't made time to post it up. True old school tracks - my grandma and Nana (my grandma's aunt) were totally groovin' and singing along to this in the car the other day when we were out and about. That's how I know its good. =)

So, I just got back from the Hollywood Bowl. Poncho Sanchez, Eddie Palmieri and Sergio Mendes were performing. AMAZING. I had so much fun. Those of us who live out here in LA need to take advantage of the Hollywood Bowl being in our backyard- it is so wonderful.

There was a rapper that performed with Sergio Mendes and his band. I'm not sure if I liked it. I am a huge hip hop fan and some of my favorite performers are hip hop artists (Crown City Rockers, Living Legends, Zion I), but I still think that I would have preferred Sergio without the hip hop addition. It's weird - I'd go see this MC again because he was good, but I think he sort of diluted the latin groove on stage. It's like adding ice cubes to your wine (I've heard of people who do this). Yeah, I guess its refreshing but I'd much rather have my wine without the ice. You be the judge... check out H2O on his myspace.

I will be including some Eddie Palmieri on the next podcast so don't forget to come back soon. I am going to get better with my consistency here, en serio! =P

Peace!

Aguardiente Estraight II

2009-06-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the first Aguardiente set, find it in the archives (March 7, 2009).

This is some great music to dance too. I even threw in some merengue. Seriously, be careful with this en la oficina... you will end up out of your chair shaking it.

Coming up soon is a 'slow jams' set. Be on the lookout!

Peace

Arroz con Frijoles

2009-06-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Ay caramba, I've fallen behind again! It looks like my education is getting in the way of your weekly arepafunk. To make it up, I've used some of the good stuff I've been "saving" to impress you.

Here is the play by play...

This week we have George Guzman opening it up with Diggin' Rice N' Beans. With all the food related lyrics in both ingles and spanish, I thought it was perfect to kick things off.

Yo vengo soltando chispas, yo vengo hechando candela... I love the catchy lyrics on Pete Rodriguez's track Soltando Chispas. Great dance tune.

After Joe Bataan's Muchacho Ordinario, you'll hear three boogaloo grooves by Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, and Joe Panama. Great stuff!

Nat King Cole's Ay, Cosita Linda is a classic. If your looking for a new album to pick up, be sure to check out the Nat King Cole tribute album Re: Generations that came out earlier this year. Here's the link to the iTunes store.

A couple of weeks back I know some of you were really diggin' El Pito by Joe Cuba, so I included Bang! Bang! which has that same fun energy.

Next up is Willie Colon's The Hustler, the title track from his 1968 album. Look forward to some great solos.

And last but not least is a live song by the Fania All Stars at Yankee Stadium. Congo Bongo features Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto on the congas with Hector Lavoe and Cheo Feliciano on vocals. I only wish I coulda been there to see this!!!

Bueno, its back to studying for my final.

Peace!

Arepa con Queso

2009-05-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yo! I've been really bad at keep this blog and the podcast up-to-date on a weekly basis. I apologize to all of you that visit weekly. I should be back on track now.

The good news is I did some record hunting and picked up some great stuff while I was in San Francisco this past weekend. I look forward to showing off some of these great finds in the coming weeks.

Arepa con Queso is a set I put together right before I left for my little vacation to Sacramento/SF. It is made up of all Colombian music. The last four songs were written by the legendary Rafael Escalona who passed away on May 13th. Click here to learn more about his life. QEPD

Peace.

Birria

2009-05-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

The Cinco de Mayo holiday inspired me to dig through my collection for some music from Mexico.

I selected mostly songs written by Mexican composers but performed by artists I've featured before on my sets. You'll find some fun covers of La Bamba and Cielito Lindo by Arsenio Rodriguez. We also got Perez Prado with Rebeca (written by Wello Rivas) and Maria Bonita (written by Agustin Lara). I had to include a couple Javier Solis tracks just because I like those particular songs so much.

I hope you enjoy this set. It's a bit slower than a typical arepafunk set, but don't worry, next week you won't be able to keep still.

Hasta la proxima! Ciao

Patacón Relleno

2009-05-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

Yo! Mi gente, arepafunk is back with a great set. Since I missed an episode last week, I made sure that the tracks I selected this week were extra special.

Some of the highlights include Joe Panama's Soul Sister, Larry Harlow's Las Luzes (with Ismael Miranda Jr. on vocals) and Carlos Argentino singing Tu Rica Boca.

As part of the Jazz at the Bowl series this season, Eddie Palmieri will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl on July 8th. For those of you in LA, you won't wanna miss it. Sergio Mendes and Poncho Sanchez will be playing that night too. Should be amazing - see you there! Tickets went on sale yesterday, check it out.

Colombianisate!

Ciao

Please estay tuned...

2009-04-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Qui'bo! You may have already noticed there was no arepafunk update this past weekend. I am experiencing technical difficulties but as soon as I'm back up and running I will be sure to hit you with an extra set to make up for the one I missed. Thank you for the visit and stay tuned...

Peace!

Café de Desayuno

2009-04-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what you'll think of the first track by Tipica '73. It's starts off slow (give it like 2 minutes to pick up). In the liner notes we learn that all tracks on this side of the album are the "concert" tracks, where the group has the opportunity to stretch out and "perform without the time or tempo restrictions of dance music." I just love how the violin and electric guitar sort of duel at around the 6 minute mark. La Tipica '73 were pretty famous in the 70's and early 80's - the funny thing is that they were formed by a bunch of guys from Ray Barretto's band (you might have noticed arepafunk loves Barretto).

Next you have San Lazaro by Celina y Reutilio. This woman has so much soul in her voice, and her hubby Reutilio is sick with it on the guitar. Did you know that, in the UK, Celina is known as the "Queen of Cuban Country Music"? Bueno, now you know.

Despues sigue una cumbia de Peter Delis. Delis was awarded a gold record by Discos Fuentes for this album (pictured). This was a big deal because never before had a foreigner received this award in Colombia (Delis es argentino).

That last track goes out to all the ladies that look so good in their minifaldas. Cambia el paso, que se te rompe el vestido. =P

Jaja, Okay my people. Take it easy.

Arroz Chino

2009-04-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

So this week I found a set of 45's that belong to my Pops. You know when you find a dollar in your pocket? Well, it was something like that. Except, I did cartwheels. Maybe you do cartwheels too when you find a buck? No se.

Anyway, the first selection for this week came from that stack of 45's. It's a song called Pesebre by Grupo la Droga. I couldn't find any info on this group on the net (fun name though). This track is funky - I can't get enough of it.

There is a funny intro to Sono Sono by the Alegre All Stars - it's the voice of Kako , the timbalero. Cheo Feliciano provides the vocals on that track and then you hear him again on the next track El Pito by the Joe Cuba Sextet. Back to back Cheo - you can't beat that.

Charlie Palmieri's Tiene Sabor will make you wanna dance if you weren't already. Be on the lookout, he plays the melodica towards the end and it sounds so dope.

Saludos a Michelle, who I caught checkin' out this blog. Gracias chica! Atleast I know someone is reading this =)

Alright friends of arepafunk, have a great week.

Peace.

Papas Chorreadas

2009-04-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Every time I hear "El Negro Bembon" I have to move the needle back to the beginning and hear it again. I'm not sure if it will have the same effect on you, but I can't help myself.

There's is a little of everything in this mix. I hope you enjoy the variety.

Peace

Platano Frito

2009-03-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Don't act surprised, I told you this week's set was gonna be fresh! BANANAS!

Willie Colon starts it up for us with the title track from his debut album "El Malo". This album also served as the debut for Hector Lavoe as the singer for the Willie Colon Band. Thank you Johnny Pacheco for linking these two up - what a legendary combo.

Some of you really liked Ray Barretto's "Right On" from my Chitos set from 2 weeks back, so I made sure to include "The Soul Drummers" this week - definitely a similar sound/feel. Muy groovy.

After that you got some Joe Cuba, more Lavoe, Bataan, Palmieri, Hermanos Lebron, and even some Niche. Eeaaaave Maria, que mas quieren?

Bueno mi people, enjoy the set and continue to spread the word about arepafunk.

Mucho thank you.

Aguapanela con Limón

2009-03-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Eddie Palmieri kicks off this week's set with the funky "Vamos Pal Monte" - perhaps one of his most classic tunes. Next, you have Lisandro Meza's "Entre Rejas" - this is the song that makes me wish I played the accordean!

Be on the lookout for Fruko's "Sabré Olvidarte." I never paid much attention to this one before, but it is definitely a treat.

I hope you enjoy the overall selection. Tune in next week - I got some fun tracks already picked out. Sorry to have to make you wait =(

Peace!

Chitos con Gaseosa

2009-03-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

RIP Ralph Mercado. Click Here for NY Times Obituary.

As I was looking over the records I had selected for this week's set, I thought about revising some selections in order to feature more songs that would pay tribute to a man that did so much to promote latin music around the world. It was at this moment that I realized that Ralph Mercado's influence on latin music is so widespread that I can play virtually any song in my vinyl collection and there's a good chance that the artist is somehow connected to Mercado. Finally, I went with my original selection. In this week's track list alone, there are six artists that Ralph Mercado represented at one point - Tito Puente, La Lupe, Ricardo Ray, Bobby Cruz, Ray Barretto, and Eddie Palmieri.

This week's selection highlights some boogaloo and soul. You don't want to miss the Fania All Stars' live version of Marvin Gaye's "If This World Were Mine," featuring Joe Bataan and La La.

Also, the song "If (We Had Peace Today)" comes off one of my favorite albums, Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive. I highly recommend you take a listen to the entire record, it is truly great.

Aguardiente Estraight (on an empty stomach)

2009-03-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

No sitting, no 'playin the wall', none of this 'I don't dance" paja - this is some get sweaty, get movin', get with it or get out type of chit - no joke. Asi que, get the 'firewater' ready because this is salsa de la buena - pa' que sepan

We got some hardcore classics here - The Latin Brothers have two spots on this weeks selection. They are a very successful Colombian group organized by Julio Ernesto Estrada, who we know better as Fruko. Las Caleñas son Como las Flores has Piper Pimienta Diaz on vocals and Patrona de los Reclusos features Joe Arroyo.

Hector Lavoe's El Todopoderoso is by far my favorite 'gospel' song. If they played this at church, I'd be there every Sunday - en serio!

And then we have El Preso. Wowsers, talk about a power song - this one never fails to get everyone on the dance floor. If I'm at a party with my sister, it doesn't matter what I'm doing, when this song comes on, I put down my drink, empanada, or whatever and I look for my hermanita on the dancefloor. This one is for you flaca!

Brevas con Arequipe

2009-02-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

After a heavy week, I hope you saved some room for this sweetened selection. Joe Cuba's "Mujer Divina" along with Lucho Gatica's version of "Historia de un Amor" give this mix a candy coat. Enjoy.

No olvides sonreir.

Caldito de Pollo

2009-02-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

Qui'bo people. Welcome to the arepafunk blog. This is where I will be posting notes from time to time regarding the weekly arepafunk podcast. Feel free to leave me comments! Since my goal is to mix it up and keep it fresh, your feedback is much appreciated.

So... the first epsiode is now available at the homepage and in the iTunes store. My very first selection of tracks came after a full weekend at home while I was recovering from the flu. I listened to records for like 3 days straight - no joke. Entonces, if you feel like you might be catching something, the doctor says lots of fluids and a lot more arepafunk - Pa' que sepan