Producer and guitarist Jacob Plasse has united some of his old friends – players from the Daptones, Pedrito Martinez Group and Los Hacheros – to form Peliroja, a New York collective inspired by the sounds of Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Congo. Their debut album Injusticia will be out August 19th Chulo Records, a label devoted to the transcendental sounds of New York Latin music.
 
“Some of the musicians in Peliroja and I would meet up after school on Jane Street in the West Village, at a stoop with some Old English, a spliff and a tape deck,” says Jacob best known as producer and musician for salsa masters, Los Hacheros. “We were gangly, awkward 15 year-olds and not cool by any means. I’m not sure how we became obsessed with obscure 70s funk and Afrobeat music, but that’s what we would listen to: The 3 Sounds, Lyn Collins, Africa 70.” Two decades later, his friends have gone on to become key players in the Brooklyn funk scene, and Jacob has spent the last 10 years refining his music on the road with salsa and bachata bands.
 
Produced and co-written by Plasse, Injusticia was recorded live to tape at his studio in Brooklyn, in the spirit of the music he was raised on. The groove to this music is deep, and heard in the way the Daptones’ rhythm section – drummer Homer Steinweiss and bassist Nick Movshon – play off the polyrhythms of Carlos Padron’s timbales and Jhair Salas’ congas, forming a new fusion of old sounds.
 
Jainardo Batistas vocals soar over these rhythms, propelled forward by Mike Eckroth’s mercurial arrangements.
 
“I think the experience of growing up in New York and getting to hear and play with all these wonderful musicians and having them in my life has let me create something that is true to myself, and hopefully them as well,” Jacob adds.
 
“This album is for those boys on the stoop who hadn’t figured out how to be in this world, but were lucky enough to know what they loved.”

“After playing for years in the New York salsa scene, I had a pretty good idea of who I wanted to be a part of this project, ” says producer Jacob Plasse (Conjunto Clasico, Xtreme). “It was just a matter of timing: these guys, being the cream of the crop, are always so busy.” But last winter, the stars seemed to align at, of all places, a Mexican restaurant in a Chinatown basement. “As soon as we had finished the first set, we knew that this was going to be something special,” says Plasse. As they talked, it became clear that they had a common vision for their music.
 
“Ray Barretto, Conjunto Libre, and Arsenio Rodriguez are some of the legends that have influenced us,” says Hector “Papote” Jimenez (Victor Manuelle, Jose “Alberto” Canario). “But our music has a flow and improvisational quality that is very much a part of New York now.” A band of only 5 musicians, Los Hacheros manage to sound like a conjunto of 12. Eddie Venegas (Marc Anthony, Orquestra Broadway) plays trombone, violin and sings chorus, Itai Kriss (Edmar Castaneda, Grupo Latin Vibe) sings, plays flute, campana, and guiro, while Jimenez is in charge of lead vocals and congas. William Ash (Alfredo de la Fe, Brenda K Starr) holds down the tumbaos on baby bass while Plasse plays the tres, a guitar-like instrument originating from the Oriente Province in Cuba. Utilizing this unique instrumentation, Los Hacheros draw on son, charanga and salsa to create a sound distinctly their own.
 
Los Hacheros debut album “Pilon,” out now on Chulo Records, was recorded live on a 388 Tascam tape machine. No computers, no headphones, no overdubs. “So much of the energy of the classic Fania and Alegre recordings comes from a group of great musicians interacting and playing off each other in a live setting,” says Plasse. “But that way of recording isn’t done anymore in Latin music, and so much of the magic is lost.” With their gritty and soulful sound, Los Hacheros have claimed some of that magic as their own, earning the praise of die-hard salseros while also introducing a younger generation to the music’s beauty and enduring vitality.

“Después de tocar durante años en la escena de salsa en Nueva York, yo tenía una idea bastante clara de quien yo quería que fuera parte de este proyecto”, dice el productor Jacob Plasse (Conjunto Clasico, Xtreme). “Fue sólo una cuestión de tiempo: estos chicos, solicitados por su talento, siempre estan muy ocupado.” Pero el invierno pasado, las estrellas parecían alinearse, nada menos que en el sótano de un restaurante mexicano en Chinatown. “Tan pronto como habíamos terminado la primera serie, sabíamos que esto iba a ser algo muy especial”, dice Plasse. Mientras hablaban, se hizo evidente que tenían una visión musical común.
 
“Ray Barretto, Conjunto Libre, y Arsenio Rodríguez, son algunas de las leyendas que nos han influenciado”, dice Héctor “Papote” Jiménez (Victor Manuelle, José “Alberto” Canario). “Pero nuestra música tiene un sentimiento y la calidad de improvisación que es parte de Nueva York ahora.” Una banda de sólo 5 músicos, Los Hacheros logran sonar como un Conjunto de 12. Eddie Venegas (Marc Anthony, Orquesta Broadway) toca el trombón, el violín y canta coros, Itai Kriss (Edmar Castañeda, Grupo Latin Vibe) canta, toca flauta, cencerro y guiro, mientras que Jiménez se encarga de la voz principal y congas. William Ceniza (Alfredo de la Fe, Brenda K Starr) mantiene los tumbaos en el Contrabajo eléctrico mientras Plasse toca el tres, un instrumento parecido a la guitarra, procedente de la provincia de Oriente en Cuba. La utilización de esta instrumentación única, Los Hacheros hacen uso del son, charanga y salsa para crear un sonido más propio.
 
Los Hacheros álbum debut “Pilon,” ya disponible en Daptone Records fue grabado en vivo en una máquina de cinta de 388 Tascam. No hay computadoras, ni audífonos, y sin doblaje. “Gran parte de la energía en las grabaciones clásicas de Fania y Alegre viene de un grupo de grandes músicos interactuando y que comparten su energía en un escenario en vivo,” dice Plasse. “Pero ya ese modo de grabación no se ve en la música latina, y gran parte de la magia se ha perdido.” Con su sonido áspero y conmovedor, Los Hacheros han reclamado parte de esa magia como algo propio, ganando los elogios de salseros acérrimos y al mismo tiempo introduciendo, a una generación más joven, la belleza de la música y la vitalidad duradera.