Tumbele! - Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean, 1963-74

Without innovators like King Tubby, Prince Buster and Lee Perry, the current musical landscape would be utterly different to that which we know today.

But the power and innovation of the West Indies doesn’t begin and end with Jamaican music. Only across the water in Trinidad and Tobago originated the exciting sounds of calypso and soca. Perhaps even more overlooked are the incredible rhythms of the Francophone Caribbean as documented on this compilation.

Complete with exhaustively researched liner notes by compiler Hugo Mendez, this is the perfect primer for anyone looking for a new aspect to West Indian music beyond reggae and dub.

8/10

Words by Charlie Frame