News in from Soundway Records: Presenting Panama! 2: Latin Sounds, Cumbia Tropical and Calypso Funk on the Isthmus 1967-77- showcasing the unique tropical music created in Panama during the fertile decades of the 1960s and ‘70s, whilst producing one of the sure-fire summer soundtracks of the year!

As is the case with all Soundway albums, the Panama!2 CD is presented with a full colour 24-page booklet, nuggets of vital information, untold stories behind the music, vintage photos and some very special cover art.

If you think Salsa is the sum total of Latin American music, then think again – the hot sound of Panamanian Musica Tipica and Calypso Español throws everything into the mix for a non-stop journey through Afro Rhythms, Carnival Sounds, Tipica Soul and Cumbia madness!

Listen to the heavy Tamborito rhythm of Los Silvertones and you’ll hear where the instantly recognizable syncopated beat of modern-day Reggaeton was born. Check the country-fied re-versioning of Willie Colon’s classic `La Murga’ – a perfect repost to those that think Latin music begins and ends with Shakira. Listen to La Escoba by Alfredo y su Salsa and see that the currently in-vogue sound of Cumbia owes as much to Panama as it does Colombia.

Panama is one of the world’s great crossroads – a bridge between North and South America, and home to the great canal that links the Caribbean and the Pacific. The canal itself was built by a huge workforce from all over the Caribbean and South America, each nationality bringing a taste of their own culture and music to make up the hugely diverse nation that exists today.

After soaking up the varied influences of Panama’s diverse population, the dancefloors and bars spat out a heady mix that took in the raw Vallenato of neighboring Colombia, the Soul and Funk of America, the Calypso of Trinidad and the Son and Rumba of Cuba, all combined and re-styled in a uniquely Panamanian fashion - making Panama a central spoke in the wheel of Caribbean music.

Panama’s lust for the freshest sounds led to it being a testing ground for Latin music giant Fania Records, who would send advance copies of albums to Panamanian DJ’s to road-test and gauge reactions – if the crowds in Panama liked it, the record would surely be a hit in the US too!

Buy a copy of Panama! 2: Latin Sounds, Cumbia Tropical and Calypso Funk on the Isthmus 1967-77