The story of Putumayo begins in 1975 with an “ethno boutique” on New York’s Upper East Side, where studied ethnologist Dan Storper sells crafts and textiles from Latin America in a nearly 15-square-foot store. Soon Putumayo, named after a river valley in Colombia, will be crowned a successful brand with its own designs and Storper by the fashion press as “ethnic Ralph Lauren”. But the music, initially only a decorative accessory for the sonication of the now six Putumayo shops, is becoming more and more important, and so in 1993 the own music division was created: Putumayo World Music. Dan Storper also works as a hunter-gatherer, who compiles from his finds as eclectic as he does coherent compilations.

From world music introductory courses with titles such as The Best of World Music: Vocal, the journey will take you across continents (Africa), regions (Cairo to Casablanca) and genres (Celtic Collection) to best-of collections of selected artists such as Chico César. This development ultimately leads to in-house productions with top-class musicians such as Ricardo Lemvo, “Mama Africa” Miriam Makeba and Habib Koité.
Over the years, special focal points (Latin America, Celtic music, Africa) have developed, and Putumayo has naturally grown with his repertoire. From the very beginning, Storper was lucky enough to have Nicola Heindl, a congenial cover designer, at his side. The “naive-ethnic” designs of the Englishwoman have contributed a lot to the identity and success of the label, always appropriate to the respective theme and yet always immediately recognizable.

Direct social engagement was and is an integral part of Putumayo’s work. Part of the proceeds of many CDs is donated to a recognized charity, usually corresponding to the theme or country of origin of the music selection. One World also benefits UNICEF, Women of Spirit raises funds for GROOTS, an international network of women’s self-help projects, and Music From The Coffee Lands supports the Coffee Kids initiative, which caters for children in coffee-producing countries.

Putumayo has shown in more than 30 countries around the world that culture, business and engagement at the Grass Roots level go together very well. The slogan “Guaranteed to make you feel good!” seems to be true in two ways.
The “most colorful record label in the world” celebrated its 15th birthday in April 2008. Around 155 CDs with music from almost all parts of the world have been released since then, and they deserve the term “album” like hardly any other series: Even the music selection of the Putumayo collections is always exciting, and the lush, beautifully designed booklets convey interesting background information about artists and cultures. The much-vaunted “Putumayo recipe”, the mixture of world music stars, insider tips and new discoveries is also very popular in this country. No wonder many journalists and other experts believe that Putumayo has perfected the compilation into an art form.

RPRESSESTIMMEN
“far away from the pleasing folklore … mostly cleverly compiled, powerful and lively samplers” (FOCUS)
“Music by lovers for lovers – amazingly catchy yet far from the mainstream” (Classic Today)
“fascinating music-historical search for traces” (Hamburger Abendblatt)
“excellent musical compositions” (Madame)