Clandestino Festival spring edition 4 May Stora Teatern

Sofrito is a collective of DJs, producers and artists that combine a love for Tropical rhythms with a firm basis in modern club culture. Rooted in the legendary Tropical Warehouse Parties in East London, Sofrito mixes up vintage sounds from across the tropics with modern productions and exclusive dubplate specials, bridging the gap between eras and continents to produce a unique and intense sound that has seen them play at clubs and festivals across the world.

The Sofrito label covers everything from Nigerian acid boogie to raw Gwo Ka rhythms, futuristic sounds from new European producers and heavy Latin vibes from the Pacific coast of Colombia. The heart of the Sofrito collective is made up of Hugo Mendez and Frankie Francis:

Paris-based Hugo Mendez has traveled extensively in order to produce groundbreaking compilations for leading record labels, including the genre-defining Tumbélé! compilation for Soundway Records and the highly successful Tropical Funk Experience album for Nascente. He DJs regularly across Europe, creating a unique blend of African, Caribbean and Latin rhythms – a percussive explosion that includes heavy Afro grooves, old school mambo, Tropical Disco, bouncing samba, calypso funk and heavy Cumbia, bringing vintage styles up to date with exclusive dubplate edits and a contemporary club slant.

Hackney-based Frankie Francis runs The Carvery mastering and dubplate cutting studios, working on vinyl retrieval and mastering for labels such as Strut, Sir Collin’s Music Wheel, NYC Trust, Superfly and many more, as well as cutting dubs for the cream of the reggae and Tropical DJs in the UK.

Press kit here