Fort Knox* – The Foundations EP

Donde Estabas 2 is actually a remix of Donde Estabas Tu by Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra which was originally released as a 10" single in 1951 but also available on this 1957 compilation called Mambo Holiday: https://discogs.pelisguay.com/Machito-His-Afro-Cuban-Orchestra-Mambo-Holiday/master/902373

Personally speaking, of all the Fort Knox Recordings this was my most eagerly anticipated. Having purchased most of the back catalogue, I spent months trying desperately to source a copy of this without much luck. Frequently outbid on eBay (usually about £20.00 a pop), and with no copies showing up at the usual internet sites, I eventually found one on-line in a shop in Chicago. A week or so later a copy turned up after being air mailed across the Atlantic at considerable expense. Unfortunately, as it transpired, my anticipation and excitement was relatively short-lived. Having come to expect great things from this label, my initial reactions were, well, far from great.

Half the problem I have with this record is that the standard set with previous releases, which are unquestionably very good, unfortunately created a ‘can do no wrong’ mentality in my mind, which subsequently meant that each release needed to be that much better or, at the very least, equal to my previous purchases just to keep me musically stimulated. This, coupled with the fact that the overall ratings were very good, led me into making unfounded and, perhaps biased assumptions.

The other half of the problem I have with this record is, it’s actually not very good. On the plus side, it’s got that fairly cool and exclusive FKR feel, inasmuch that it’s percussively led, tight and well produced. It’s also pretty lively and, I would imagine, probably generates a varying, albeit limited, degree of movement on the dance floor. However, it’s a filler and nothing more. 50% of this EP; that’s two tracks, are reggae/dub inspired numbers (nothing wrong with that), one of which (Bam & Bass) should never have been attempted. While I’m very much in favour of artists sourcing other genres in pursuit of new material and influences, this re-working of the 1982 Sister Nancy track Bam Bam, a celebrated and much sampled reggae track falls, proverbially speaking, flat on its ass. To consider such a track for re-treatment is one thing, to fail so miserably is quite another.

The second reggae/dub inspired number (Rastarollarink) is, with a running time of about 2 minutes, little more than dissipated vinyl, included I suspect to justify the Extended Player status accorded to this release and to help pad out the remainder of the redundant vinyl left on side 2 by ‘Got the Funk’, which ironically enough, hasn’t. The final track (track 1 on the release) is, Donde Estabas 2, a mediocre upbeat latin ‘cha cha cha’ workout kind of number. I can only hope that if there ever was a Donde Estabas 1 then it was more exciting than its sequel.

While this release has proved to be an extremely disappointing let down as far as I was concerned, partly down to my own hype surrounding FKR, I would like to state that while, in my opinion, this is a rather poor release, don’t let it detract you from the rest of the releases on this label, which are excellent.