Boy Katindig // After Midnight
The first release on Sama Sama Records arrives with both purpose and pedigree. Founded by DJ, collector, and former Soundway Records label manager Norsicaa, the new imprint is dedicated to high-fidelity reissues and overlooked musical histories from the Asia-Pacific and beyond. Its debut selection, Boy Katindig's After Midnight, makes a compelling opening statement.
Originally released in 1980, the album captures a vibrant moment when jazz-funk, disco, Latin rhythms, and Filipino musical traditions converged into something uniquely its own. Katindig moves through these styles with remarkable ease. The title track opens in a haze of late-night soul before blooming into a swaggering saxophone-led groove, while “Love Till the End of Time” glides on polished disco-funk momentum with the confidence of a crossover hit.
The album's greatest pleasures arrive in its rhythmic adventurousness. “Got The Need” transforms Brazilian batucada into a kinetic jazz-funk workout, layering increasingly exploratory keyboard and soprano saxophone solos over an irresistible groove. Throughout, Katindig's arrangements remain sophisticated without sacrificing warmth or accessibility.
What makes After Midnight endure is its sense of conversation. Soul, disco, Latin jazz, and fusion are not treated as imported influences but as living ideas filtered through a distinctly Filipino perspective. The result is music that feels cosmopolitan yet deeply rooted, equally suited for careful listening or a packed dancefloor.
As an opening statement, Sama Sama Records could hardly have chosen a more fitting release. After Midnight is both a worthy rediscovery and an exciting introduction to a label committed to expanding the map of global music history.
