We are Setenta, and this is Apollo Solar Drive—our sixth mission, our sunward journey, our way of saying: we’re still here, still together, still moving toward the light. Over nearly twenty years, we’ve explored funk, boogaloo, salsa, soul, and spiritual jazz. This time, we looked to the sun and let it burn through every bar. It’s retro-futurist, yes—but also intimate, warm, cosmic, and rooted. We made this one for the vinyl heads, the dancers, the dreamers. Let us take you track by track.

1. Ecuajey

We wrote this as a cosmic tribute to Oyá—the Yoruba goddess of winds and storms—and to all the loved ones we’ve lost. It’s a funky yuka intro, deep and earthy, driven by the pulse of Bantu drumming traditions. We wanted to open the record by grounding it spiritually, to honor the ancestors before blasting off.

2. Apollo Solar Drive

The title track is our solar statement: high-energy bembé rhythm meets jazz harmonica brilliance from our old friend Grégoire Maret. It’s sunlight in motion, a celebration of friendship, rhythm, and pure sonic uplift. We just barely caught Grégoire while he was in Paris—thankfully, he said yes.

3. Madame Shingaling (Blue Version)

Almost a decade later, we wanted to revisit this signature track with a deeper, jazzier flavor. It’s the same song that first took us global—but now she’s in blue, with acid-jazz curves and space-age keys. Call it a love letter to the original and a reimagination in full flight.

4. Libérame

This one’s a slow-burn mozambique, built for liberation—not just in theme, but in form. The beat is carnival-born but slowed down to a funk strut, spiked with synths and wah-wah. We usually do this one uptempo live, but this time, we wanted to explore its deeper, sexier side.

5. Tambú

We wanted to fuse Afro-Puerto Rican bomba with cosmic disco and French Antillean vibes. Tambú isn’t just a drum—it’s a dance, a spirit, a bridge between worlds. It starts slow and lifts off, closing with an interstellar synth wash that carries us far beyond the Caribbean.

6. Luz

“Light” is what this album is all about. Our conguero Fabien pushed for a guarapachangueo approach here—clave-forward, rooted in Cuban rumba but dressed in ’70s funk and fusion. The message is simple: the light never scares us. It guides us.

7. Yambuspection

This one is all inner space. Built on the yambú rumba form, we let it drift—Bootsy basslines, Henri Guédon textures, and whispered meditations of peace and light. Floating, yes. But grounded in longing too. It’s the calm before the final boost.

8. Danzón de Planetas

Osman wanted us to take on the danzón—and Florian dove in headfirst. We pulled the 19th-century Matanzas form into the future, channeled through Irakere and reshaped with our own harmonic language. It was a challenge—and a joy.

9. Sa Ki Taw

We close on this joyful blend of makuta ritual rhythms and West Indian Creole funk. There’s some Salsoul shine in there too—because why not end with a party? The cowbell rhythm nods to ti bwa, the chant pays homage to our Antillean roots, and the groove? Pure Setenta.