Greetings fellow shakers, thought I should spice it up a bit with some Texas-flavored latin soul for this week’s post. To be more precise, this record seems to fall more in line with the guajira boogaloo category, though retaining a uniquely soulful property. Hailing from San Antonio, TX, Rafael Duran Y Omega cut this groove-laden slinky single for the local Mr. G Records. Pow-Pow features a distinctly haunting overtone with a moody B3 organ adding that delightful polyrhythmic quality commonplace in afro cuban rhythms. Though limited information, I did find that Rafael Duran Y Omega cut a full length LP with Mr. G in the late 70s, but it seems to be more of the Ranchera/Tejano persuasion, likely within their latter career days. The duo also released a handful of 45s for Mr. G, but with little radio love they seemed to have disappeared into obscurity due to limited commercial success. Eddie Aleman is credited as singer for this particular recording, and most likely recorded at Mr. Guerra’s Amen Studios in San Antonio, still in operation to this day.
Mr. G Records seem to have also slipped into ambiguity with little information to trail, and although they were an independent/private record label, Mr. G is responsible for some of the biggest, meanest (and rarest) funk and soul to come from our beloved Lone Star State. Recording and releasing records from the now-legendary Mickey and The Soul Generation, quoted to be Josh Davis’s aka DJ Shadow’s “favorite funk band” (check out his own reissue of that band’s recordings, Iron Leg, here) to Dimas and a wealthy grip of Chicano artists, Mr. G kept San Antonio in independent music business.
Interesting to note that the publishing company noted on this record, “Guerra Company Production“, are also responsible for releasing some of San Antonio’s greatest brown-eyed soul and pop groups under the GC Productions label, ranging from Tortilla Factory to Joe Gallardo y Sol to The Royal Jesters and much more. GC Productions was also manned by the aforementioned Manny Guerra and his team of music producers. Lastly, thought I would point out that Jazzman Gerald’s storied Texas Funk compilation features some music from Manny’s labels, and the cover art on the record actually reads, “Mr. G’s Texas Funk“. Props to Austin print designer and record collector extraordinaire, Noel Waggener, for his contributions to the cover and compilation.
Without further ado, Rafael Duran y Omega’s “Pow-Pow“, hope you dig it!
