Atlantic Soul is a term that might need to be pinned down and registered. Portugal is a country turned to the sea, turned to that ocean. It’s a country with a vast cultural history but also a country that is not self-conscious of its own art. It looks ahead, to the sea, and watches the waves that come in. Costa Nova is fantastic project that recuperates some lost classics of Portuguese soul and funk music from the ‘70s. It’s history in a record. A history that the Portuguese might not know - the fantastic Costa Nova II - Atlantic Soul & Funk Gems from Portugal (71-79).

In September of 2019 two Irish record diggers spend their last days of summer by the west side of Portugal, near Aveiro. They've stayed on a rented house owned by mister Dionísio, a former radio DJ from a local station, soon to realize his private record collection was stocked with mostly ‘70s and ‘80s music. The couple promptly volunteered to properly digitize Dionísio's favorite records for his listening pleasure, now that the elder didn't even have a record player. The first compilation, Atlantic Disco & Boogie Gems from Portugal (82-89) was released last month, and now we have the pleasure to present the second volume of this invaluable project. Available digitally via Bandcamp, this record is a pleasure from A to Z.