On April 6, Todomundo/Nonesuch Records will release Here Lies Love, the new Imelda Marcos concept album by veteran musicians David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Six videos have been created for the project, all which will be included on the deluxe edition of the album.

It may have seemed like just another example of dilettantism from a major star during the late ‘80s – a time when Amnesty International tours were all the rage and the Top 40 was stuffed with globetrotting music from Sting, Paul Simon, and Peter Gabriel – but 21 years later, David Byrne’s Luaka Bop is not only still around, it’s an inspirational example for anyone hoping to establish a boutique label. Known primarily as an outlet for releases from Byrne-approved “world music” artists like Zap Mama, Luaka Bop has actually been a more eclectic imprint than most people have given it credit for, something highlighted in the label’s new anniversary compilation, Twenty First Century Twenty First Year. You get the expected stuff – like Byrne’s tastes, the set skews toward South American and Afro-Caribbean grooves, offering booty-shaking cuts from Moreno +2, and Los Amigos Invisibles and some fine Shuggie Otis – but Twenty First is also careful to remind you that the label has provided a home for artists as diverse as Geggy Tah and Jim White. It all adds up to a solid hour of eclectic music that, like the label itself, is more interested in showing you a good time than proving how hip it is. And it succeeds, too – with the exception of Geggy Tah’s “Whoever You Are,” which should be locked in a lead-lined vault and fired into space, these tracks will make a fine addition to your next barbecue playlist, and it’s a fine introduction to the label in the bargain. (Luaka Bop 2009)

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