Ritual

Ritual is a 1971 Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin funk set from Belgian bandleader Nico Gomez and his Afro Percussion Inc. Heavy congas and bongos sit under acid organ, wah-wah guitar and tight horn charts, with Latin funk readings of Pérez Prado's Caballo Negro and Lupita, Jobim's Samba De Una Nota So and El Condor Pasa alongside Gomez originals such as Cuba Libre and the title track.

Gomez, born Joseph Van Het Groenewoud in Holland and based in Belgium, led the Nico Gomez Orchestra and played in Les Chakachas, the Latin soul group behind Jungle Fever. Ritual sits at the peak of that career: it was first issued in 1971 on the Dutch label Omega International and reissued by Mr Bongo in 2013.

AllMusic lists it as a 1971 International/Latin album running 37 minutes 32 seconds. Mr Bongo's reissue notes call it one of the best blends of Latin and Afro funk, name Lupita a DJ favourite and note the title track was sampled by Liquid People; Ambient Exotica's 2013 review praises its layered percussion and brass. This is the original Australian pressing on Carinia Records, catalogue 99 011. Carinia was a Sydney label founded in 1952 by Polish refugees Michael and Nathalie Kulakowski, and the Powerhouse Collection notes that its 1970s contemporary releases, Ritual among them, are now prized by collectors.