CD Review: Impressive Empresarios

Empresarios

Sabor Tropical

Fort Knox

The Washington, D.C.-based band of modern Latin-funk is hitting the streets with the most impressive dance beats, trip hop rhythms, and dub-step on the market today. The Latin grooves border on jazz styles that heat up any occasion or mood. "Siesta" is an instrumental track right out of a Tejano film thriller. The album's title track, "Sabor Tropical", or 'Taste Tropical', contains a rhythmic groove out of the barrios or any club in Havana, Cuba. The Spanish vocals do not detract from the instrumentation and percussive tones. If there was such a thing as a Latino-Arab sound, then "Negrita Linda" would be a prime example. The deep bass beat, keyboards, and string sounds resemble an urban rhythm indicative of a club somewhere in Cairo. The classic throwback to Brazilian psychedelica and trip hop is the mainstay on "Grouper Soup". Dubtronica is another genre explored on "Happy Track". All in all, a good mix of vocals, modern sounds, and eclectic sounds paved by earlier artists, notably Nortec Collective, make Sabor Tropical an unforgettable release to start the new year and cause a January thaw wherever it is played. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Roots of Chicha 2

Various Artists

The Roots of Chicha 2

Barbes Records

The psychedelic music of Peruvian slums is showcased from the recordings of the 1960's through early 1980's on The Roots of Chicha 2. Chicha is not only a musical movement, but a fermented beverage indigenous to South America. Chicha is the Peruvian equivalent of cumbia music that incorporates European instruments, South American beats, and West African styles. The result is a Latin-driven, trance-inducing musical mixture of psychedelic proportions. It is not quite salsa, bolero, merengue...or anything else you've heard before! It features eleven bands including Los Wemblers, Chacalon, Manzanita, Grupo Celeste, Ranil, and more. In essence, the cultural acceptance, or lack thereof, remained remarkably similar to the situation of rai music's social unacceptance in North African society. The 'underground' sound of chicha is refreshing, unique, and enjoyable. Find your Roots of Chicha today! ~ Matthew Forss