image note       view larger image

La Extraodinaria

Temporarily Out Of Stock

A Colombian album, but one with a heavy dose of African influence too – a sweet blend of modes that virtually defies categorization, and which makes the record bristle with energy all the way through! There's definitely a trace of more familiar Latin rhythms here – bits of cumbia, and some slight Caribbean elements – but the whole thing's pretty tripped-out too – with some of the Afro-psych production styles that were used more heavily on the other side of the Atlantic in the decade before – a far cry from the cleaner sounds that were beginning to emerge in the more mainstream Colombian scene in the 80s. Percussion is tight, and often very uptempo – and instrumentation mixes offbeat keyboard lines with lean guitar bits – but sometimes drops out so there's just percussion behind the vocals. Titles include "Calambre", "Lady Mankenwa", "El Platano", "Tamba", "Viva Africa", and "Amapondo".  © 1996-2013, Dusty Groove, Inc.