The 1970s were a time of technological breakthroughs and musical innovation, with DJs grabbing samples from around the world and disco remixes pushing old and new fans onto the dance floor. In New York especially, Latino musicians fused traditional music from their homelands with urban funk and soul. That's the same spirit behind Bio Ritmo's post-salsa party.
The band's membership includes a classically trained pianist, a dub reggae drummer, a hardcore punk rocker and players from the jazz, rock, disco and Miami funk scenes. Over 17 years and five albums, the lineup has changed and morphed and now stands at a party of nine -- Giustino Riccio on percussion/timbales, Marlysse Simmons on piano, Rei Alvarez on vocals, Gabo Tomasini on congas, Eddie Prendergast on bass, Bob Miller and Tim Lett on trumpet and Tobias Whitaker and Bryan Hooten on trombone.
Founded in the early 1990s, Bio Ritmo was part of the Virginia college music scene that included such acts as the Dave Matthews Band and Fighting Gravity. The group began as an acoustic project but has never shied from mixing contemporary electronica into its sound. Spontaneity abounds in whistling and clapping, wacky samples, spacey effects and a vintage drum machine called the Drum Fire.
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In 2004, a self-titled CD (sometimes referred to as "The Green Album") was released on the band's Locutor label. Two years later, the group released an EP, "Salsa System," produced by legendary engineer-producer and multiple Grammy Award winner Jon Fausty.
Throughout the 1970s, Fausty worked on more than 3,000 records, including many salsa classics on the Fania label. He also mixed and mastered Bio Ritmo's latest album, "Bionico," which came out this month, also on Locutor. It's shot through with groovy throwbacks and a futuristic take on a beloved musical form, pushing it forward without forgetting its past. Even "The Bionic Man" gets the treatment on "Bionic Boogaloo," a tune that merges a piano vamp with the theme from the old TV series.
The group has toured the United States extensively, played in Canada and Puerto Rico, and shared stages with the likes of Tito Puente, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Ozomatli, Steel Pulse, Burning Spear, Morphine, Wilco and Southern Culture on the Skids. In January 2006, Bio Ritmo performed at the inaugural ball for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. At Iota, expect old songs, new songs and even newer ones that haven't been recorded yet.
by Marianne Meyer
