El Ladron En La Noche

Néstor Álvarez is the Latin-music alias of Neil Anderson, an english versatile multi-instrumentalist who performs up to 80% of the instrumentation on his own recordings. Anderson adopted the name Néstor Álvarez—constructed from his initials—when he began exploring Cuban rhythms, boogaloo, and vintage Latin soul. Believing that few listeners would buy a Latin record credited to “Neil Anderson,” he chose a name that better reflected the musical lineage he was honouring while giving himself the freedom to inhabit Latin styles authentically.

A drummer by training, Anderson’s career took an unexpected turn in 2006 when he found himself teaching at a local music school. The lack of professional outlets for his retro-influenced compositions pushed him to create one himself. In 2017 he launched Original Gravity Records, a label that quickly became a playground for his deep love of classic Latin grooves and the sounds of maestros such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Mongo Santamaría.

Under the Álvarez moniker, he collaborates with a tight network of musicians and vocalists worldwide, crafting tracks that feel simultaneously timeless and fresh. Between 2020 and 2024 he released a string of Cuban-inspired and boogaloo-driven recordings on Original Gravity that caught the attention of European selectors. El Ladrón en la Noche is a curated selection by El Vidocq—one of Europe’s greatest selectors—featuring Álvarez’s standout tracks from this period. These recordings already sound like “classics,” the result of Anderson’s distinctive talent combined with the influence of the maestros who inspired him.

Tracklist

A1.   Arroz Con Frijolez
A2.   La Gordita Americana
A3.   Mozambique
A4.   Bang The Bongo
A5.   El Ladrón En La Noche
A6.   Sin Luz

B1.   Un Bucanero Más
B2.   Ixo's Taxi
B3.   Original Gravity Pts. 1&2
B4.   Joanna
B5.   En Candela
B6.   El Relojero