Melting Pot (LP) - Néstor Álvarez

The debut 12" LP from Néstor Álvarez

Side A
1. El Ladrón En La Noche
2. Un Bucanero Más
3. Mozambique
4. Original Gravity pts. 1 & 2

Side B
1. Joanna
2. Sin Luz
3. En Candela
4. Melting Pot

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When I completed making my first couple of latin influenced tunes a few years ago and wanted to release them, it occurred to me that it was unlikely that anyone would buy a latin record by someone called “Neil Anderson”. So I took my initials and came up with the pseudonym “Néstor Álvarez”. I even had a picture in my head of what he looked like (a bit like me, but wearing sunglasses indoors and maybe a bit “cooler”!). This approach seemed to work well, with Néstor’s releases selling well and making it on to the playlists of some highly respected DJs and of course Néstor’s partnership with Luchito yielded a succession of popular singles. So I stuck with the name and continued to use it for any music that I worked on in the latin genre.

I had a whole bunch of longer tracks that I wanted to finish and release. Not so much geared towards the dance floor (most of them are too long to fit on a 45), many of them have been around as half-completed ideas since as far back as 2010, but I perhaps didn’t have the skills and knowledge to complete them - until now (my recent study visit to Cuba helped “push me over the line”). There’s 8 tracks - 7 originals, plus a version of The Booker T & The MGs classic “Melting Pot” (that gives the LP it’s title (a cover that I’ve wanted to attempt for a long time).

There’s a heavy latin influence in the music, but also jazz and funk and listening back to LP now it’s finished, I’ve definitely been channeling a 70s Cop Show / Car Chase vibe in quite a few of the tracks.

I was supported in making the LP by a cast of fine musicians: Jason Kendall (saxophones), Abramo Riti (keyboards), Michele Fortunato (trombones), Francisco Grillo & Jake Painter (trumpet), Dan Lipman (flute), plus the brilliant O’Gees on horns. Mastering duties were handled brilliantly by David Doll and photography by the fabulous Geoff Waugh.

Paz y Amor

Neil Anderson / Néstor Álvarez