Chakachas

Best known for their near-pornographic funk classic "Jungle Fever," the Chakachas were actually a group of Belgian-based studio musicians. Led by Gaston Boogaerts, who served as the group's arranger, the Chakachas first appeared during the early '60s, recording a playful mixture of Latin music, jazz, and European-style exotica. By the time Polydor released the Jungle Fever album in the U.S. in 1972, they'd updated that foundation with a heavier funk groove. The title cut -- a down-and-dirty, stop-start funk instrumental punctuated by heavy breathing and orgasmic female moans -...