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New York hip-hop and electronica make waves
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Newsday, New York hip-hop and electronica make waves >>
New York Latin music fans have much nostalgia for the '70s, when salsa, an urban spin on Afro-Caribbean dance music, became all the rage. But at the same moment, literally across town, new electronic sounds were fusing with uptown street culture to create hip-hop. Thirty years later, hip-hop and electronica are a mainstay of Latin music in ways never dreamed of back then. Maybe you're too young to remember, but in the late '70s, Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" was played on "Soul Train" and the world changed. The idea of soulfully dancing to such soulless music was one of the roots of hip-hop, as evidenced by Afrika Bambaataa's classic recording "Planet Rock." This month, Señor Coconut - a German producer and DJ based in Santiago, Chile - has cleverly flipped this script with his new album "Around the World" (Nacional Records). "El Baile Alemán," a just rereleased 1999 Señor Coconut recording, compiled his cha-cha, cumbia, mambo and merengue versions of Kraftwerk classics. But his new "Around the World" turns its focus to electro-classics, such as the title track by Daft Punk, the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" and Prince's "Kiss." There's even a drop-dead hilarious merengue version of Laid Back's '80s club fave "White Horse." Featuring the tongue-in-cheek irony of Argenis Brito's Spanish-accented vocals and Norbert Krämer's persistently cheesy vibes and marimba, "Around the World" can either be your holiday party's biggest hit or practical joke. Señor Coconut's label mates Monareta, a Brooklyn-based duo of native Colombians, venture into the territory established by Tijuana's Nortec Collective on their new release "Picotero." Sticking with big-bass techno-house beats, Monareta occasionally hint at accordion-based vallenato, reggae and throw in some Toto la Moposina-style vocals and rap. This is strictly party music, preferably a late-night one. The recently released Rough Guide compilation "Colombian Street Party" captures some raw street sounds, most notably Chocquibtown's wildly popular "Somos Pacífico." But some of the most innovative hip-hop I've heard in a while can be found on "$1,99", a new album by Rio de Janeiro's A Filial (to be released Dec. 2 on Verge Records). Mixing traditional sounds from northeastern Brazil with influences from NWA to the Beastie Boys, the eclectic A Filial comes off a bit like De la Soul compared to some of their harder-edged contemporaries. The group features trumpeter and MC Ben Lamar, who grew up in Chicago and contributes some vocals in English to the dominant Portuguese mix. Switching gears to L.A. hip-hop, Eric Bobo's "Meeting of the Minds" (Nacional Records) adds a strong Afro-Cuban element to his variation of the Cypress Hill sound. A Cypress member since 1994, Bobo is the son of Latin jazz legend Willie Bobo, and has performed with such artists as Gnarls Barkley, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins and 311. "Meeting of the Minds" features Cypress Hill's B Tony Touch, and Control Machete's Toy, producing a highly experimental, often danceable brew of post-gangta hip-hop. Finally, Cypress Hill MC Sen Dog's "Diary of a Mad Dog" (Suburban Noize Records) offering a strangely nostalgic take on thug life after age 40. Pondering Sen Dog as an elder statesman makes you wonder where the days of Kraftwerk on "Soul Train" have gone. -- by Ed Morales 11/23/08
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