Afro Latin Samples reviewed by Reasonfreaks
The Loopmasters series should need little introduction to most Reason users. With releases in eleven, sub Genres of Electronica these guys have become one of the major players in this increasing market.
Their recent release, AFRO-LATIN Producer, adds another 1350 samples to their extensive library. Do not assume that this is a CD of cheesy Latin percussion/ bongo loops; this is a real feather in the cap for these London-based lads, and is a powerful addition to a refill library.
The CD comes in the usual formats – Rex Loops, NN-XT patches, WAV loops and one-shot samples, includes a second CD of WAV samples for easy auditioning. Sounds are mostly stereo, high quality and meticulously organized and labeled.
Of course, within, you will find an array of percussive loops, anything from authentic Bossa nova or Samba to Brazilian techno or Drum and Bass to keep your feet moving. In fact, the percussive loops are so extensive that there are separate files for Drums and Percussion, both containing sub-folders by BPM.
However, the real jewel was the amount of “live musicianship” on the disc. It seems that Loopmasters have put together some fine session musicians to record these loops and samples – including: Guitar, funked and jazzed up. Keys, some classic Rhodes loops, Bass lines, FX to name a few.
There is an incredible brass section, which includes sub-folders of trumpet and sax, both demonstrating riffs, trills, solos and more, which sound like they captured the essence of a Cuban waterfront or an Argentinean ballroom. Furthermore, there is such a large amount of such samples, that it allows the user to layer loops with more choice.
Overall, this is a new direction for the Loopmasters, and as a result, a disc that is more outstanding. These sounds can easily be incorporated into Electro/Lounge tunes such as can be heard on the Costes compilations for example. Fine for D&B, funky house, Acid Jazz, Funk and so on. Anyone who is looking to add a bit of “spice” to their recordings ought to consider this disc and is a must have for anyone into anything Latino. Let’s smoke a cigar.
4.5 out of 5
