Edmundo Arias - Guepa Je! (2xLP)

Edmundo Arias - Guepa Je! (2xLP)

Step beyond the palm-fringed beaches of mid-century exotica and into the ballrooms of Colombia with Guepa Je! — a vibrant 2×LP collection of Edmundo Arias’ golden-age recordings. Where Martin Denny and Les Baxter conjured tropical reveries from a Honolulu bandstand or Hollywood studio, Arias lived inside the rhythm, crafting cumbias, porros, and tropical dances that defined Colombia’s nightlife in the 1950s and ’60s.

This beautifully remastered set feels like exotica’s Latin cousin: hypnotic percussion, swaying horn lines, and irresistible grooves that flow as naturally with a Mai Tai in hand as they once did in Medellín dance halls. Arias, part of Colombia’s “big three” alongside Lucho Bermúdez and Pacho Galán, was a master arranger who gave tropical music both sophistication and swing.

Guepa Je! is more than a historical document — it’s the missing link between tiki bar daydreams and the real Caribbean-Pacific soundscapes that inspired them. A lush double-vinyl escape for crate diggers, exotica fans, and dancers alike.

Original Release Date: 2024 (music from 1950s & 1960s)

For fans of: Lucho Bermúdez & Pacho Galán (Colombian tropical pioneers), Yma Sumac (Latin exoticism),Robert Drasnin (lush orchestrations), Afro-Cuban jazz & Latin big-band dance records