Flash & The Dynamics - The New York Sound

The New York Sound is the first and only studio album by Puerto Rican psychedelic funk outfit Flash & The Dynamics, originally released in 1971 via Tico Records.

Much has been documented about the pioneering music that came out of the U.S. in the ‘60s and ‘70s, amid the social and political strife of the era. But the scene wasn’t just about the Summer of Love or Woodstock.

There was another movement happening in the Latin neighborhoods of New York City as cultural barriers loosened. Beginning in the mid-‘60s, musicians were filling clubs with an irresistible combination of soul, R&B and Afro-Cuban dance rhythms.

By the turn of the decade, Latin music in the U.S. had evolved, often integrating socially conscious lyricism (in both English and Spanish), rock and funk influences, and a heavy dose of psychedelia.

That sound is captured on Flash & The Dynamics’ album The New York Sound, a rarity from the Fania Records vault. The 1971 album, which marks the band’s sole release, blends traditional Latin melodies with distorted guitars, soulful psychedelia and funky rhythms. Listeners will be transported to another era with jams like “Everybody’s Got Soul,” “Guajira Sicodélica,” and the trippy instrumental “Electric Latin Soul.”

Returning to vinyl for the first time in decades, this reissue features all-analogue remastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram purple vinyl LP.

This album is a 2023 Record Store Day limited edition of 2500 copies on 180 gram transparent purple coloured vinyl housed in a heavy card single pocket sleeve, with remastered audio, pressed in the US via Craft Recordings.