The history of the iconic Latin imprint that has been dubbed the “Motown” of Colombia.

One of the world’s greatest Latin music archives, Discos Fuentes’ story begins with the visionary Antonio Fuentes. Born in Cartagena, near the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Fuentes spent his university years in the United States during the heyday of jazz and the rise of radio broadcasting. Inspired by his experiences, Fuentes returned home with a vision, founded his own radio station, and just a few years later, formed Discos Fuentes. In 1934, Colombia had only just had its first radio station established a few years prior, and most stations played European-centric music. Discos Fuentes would be the country’s first record label and play a major role in spreading Afro-Latin sounds to Colombia and around the world.

Intent on breaking traditions, Fuentes searched the most remote corners of Colombia with a single goal in mind: to find local artists with world-class talent. “Within religious, traditional, or conservative circles, that music wasn’t very well-received. So, Don Antonio’s great achievement was bringing visibility to these genres, which are now considered mainstream. That was truly daring,” current label manager Montoya says. The label would help launch the careers of many legendary artists including Guillermo Buitrago, Los Corraleros de Majagual, Andrés Landero, Fruko y Sus Tesos, Joe Arroyo, Rafael Escalona, Julio César Bovea, and others.

“Don Antonio was interested in the music of popular festivals, of Black culture, of the towns primarily on the coast, not so much in the major cities. That was truly decisive.”

Antonio Montoya (Discos Fuentes manager)

Over the years, Discos Fuentes has released a wide range of Afro-Caribbean styles including cumbia, vallenato, porro, salsa, gaitas, fandango, merengue, puya, merecumbe, as well as “Colombian Popular Music,” which encompasses music of rural origin including ranchera, bambuco, parrandera music, among others. The label’s sound has been loosely described as “tropical music,” native sounds to the Caribbean coast mainly composed for dancing.

The label’s most successful series, 14 Cañonazos Bailables (14 Danceable Cannon Shots) was first released in 1961 and was a groundbreaking innovation in format. The story goes that Fuentes’ children suggested an idea to “make an LP that isn’t just one genre, but rather varied and danceable.” Previously, vinyl records could only fit 12 tracks, but Fuentes’ technological advancements made it possible to allow for 14 tracks. Some believe Discos Fuentes’ “crossover” compilations to be one of the most important precursors to today’s modern playlists. Many stars have been featured on these albums including Pedro Laza, Lucho Bermúdez, Clímaco Sarmiento, La Sonora Cordobesa, and others.

For those in the United States, you can find US pressings of many of these albums through Miami Records, a Florida based imprint formed by Colombian immigrant Carlos Diaz-Granados. Starting from the ’50s, Miami Records manufactured Discos Fuentes titles and distributed the label’s releases throughout the United States. We also highly recommend checking out our friends El Marchante, who run a shop in Caracas, Venezuela, but are also based in Los Angeles and frequently pop-up at various events, including our monthly record fairs.

You can browse their shop online on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/seller/Elmarchante/profile