Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound of Latin New York

VINYL FORMAT. Strut is pleased to present the first ever definitive double-album retrospective of Fania Records, the seminal New York Latin label, spanning its influential heyday between its formation in 1964 through to 1980. Fania was originally the brainchild of musician and bandleader Johnny Pacheco who, when disillusioned with the label releasing his music, teamed up with lawyer Jerry Masucci to form a new imprint, named after a Reinaldo Bolanos composition. At the time, the era of the 'mambo kings' that reigned supreme in New York from the late 1940s to the 1950s had begun to lose momentum. New York's new generation of young Latinos were more interested in doo-wop during the late 50s, then the 'twist' and the R&B of Motown. Younger Nuyorican musicians began experimenting with new, energetic fusions of Latin music like boogaloo and what ultimately became known as salsa, and Fania arrived at the perfect time to bring the new sounds to the huge Latin communities in Spanish Harlem and across New York. Over the next two decades, Fania successfully popularised the new music to a global audience and helped create a worldwide salsa explosion. This set follows the development of Fania's sound during its key years.