Beyoncé just released a remarkable compilation of art with her new visual album, Lemonade. In the midst of all the collaborations and samples on the record, which include Animal Collective, Jack White, James Blake and the like, she unearthed a garage-psych sample for her song “Freedom,” originally from the late ’60s Puerto Rican band Kaleidoscope, reports Remezcla.
Bey sampled a track called “Let Me Try.” The group was mostly known for their free spirited psychedelic style of music, and only created one self-titled album after winning first place in the Dominican Republic’s Dominican Music Fest, back in 1968. The prize they won granted them recording sessions in the country’s Fabiola Studios.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=rG_Kwy5ur8s
Peruvian singer Edgar Zamudio later connected them with a deal at Mexican record label Orfeón, where they issued a promotional run of 200 copies of the album without ever officially releasing it to the market. Their song “Colours” was a hit, but could not be bought anywhere. Now, original copies of it sell for a whopping $8,000.
The band eventually call it quits in New York, while on tour in the U.S. When they attempted to record their second LP, they ended up breaking their contract with Orfeón.
In addition to this, Bey also features French-Cuban duo, Ibeyi. It’s nice to see her mix of throwback trippy beats paired with deep sonic Latino musical roots—both from the new and old.