Emusica Rekindles Fania's Fire

Emusica has just announced its first Fania Records remix collection. I Like It Like That: Fania Remixed, is slated to drop in May. Back in 2006 the Miami-based company bought Fania's entire catalogue from the label's co-founder Jerry Masucci and a massive reissue project has since been launched. Albums are being remastered, in-depth liner notes are being commissioned, and the repackaged music is lighting up the embers of Fania's past glory.

In an attempt to turn up the heat on the classics, Emusica has now tapped heavyweight producers for what promises to be a sizzling summer record. Italian jazz-dance composer Nicola Conte, soulful breaks master DJ Format, house legend Louie Vega, and globetrotting producer Gilles Peterson all faithfully update classic Latin sounds from Hector Lavoe, Wllie Colon, Ray Baretto, and others.

Fania Records was at the forefront of the U.S. Latin music explosion in the 1970s, churning out hit salsa records with machine-like speed and never compromising the quality of the music. With a roster that boasted every luminary in the genre -- including the Fania All-Stars, a kind of superpower salsa group that exported NYC's rhythmic assault to the rest of the world -- it's no wonder Fania wielded the kind of power it did in the industry.

The label's artists mixed a cornucopia of styles that were rooted in Afro-Cuban music and birthed commercially viable genres like salsa, boogaloo, Latin R&B, and Latin jazz. Heavyweight singers, percussionists, and musicians, including Johnny Pacheco, Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Joe Bataan, Larry Harlow, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, and Celia Cruz created memorable solo albums and collaborative projects during the label’s heyday.
On I Like It Like That a new generation of dance music producers attempt to take on the greats.