By Russell Maddicks
Venezuelan ska veterans Desorden Publico are marking 25 years in the music business with their long-awaited new album called Los Contrarios.
The new CD sees the Caracas-based nutty boys return with the kind of irreverent black humour, social comment, and high energy that made them so popular in the late 1980s, when they were inspired by British ska bands like The Specials, Madness and The Selector.
Melding ska, salsa and cumbia rhythms into joyous dance numbers, Desorden Publico have long mastered the art of getting huge stadium crowds across the world to stand up and skank, earning them the title the Latin Kings of Ska.
The new album promises more of the same with tracks like "Musica de Fiesta" throwing Balkan gypsy stomping into the ska mix, and "Llora por un Dolar" providing a lilting reggae beat to accompany a sarcastic sing-a-long vocal.
There are two covers on the album, a version of Venezuelan folk singer Ali Primera's "Dispersos" and "City of the Dead" by punk legends The Clash, another key influence on Desorden's sound and attitude.
Listen out for a very special guest appearance by Ruben Albarran from the Mexican rock band Cafe Tacuba on the track "El Poder Emborracha".
"Cristo Navaja", the first single from the album will be formally launched on 8 June in the Venezuela-Colombia border city of San Cristobal de Tachira, where the video for the cumbia-ska track was shot.
To see a video of Desorden Publico performing "Monkey Ska" on a double decker bus in London click here.
To see a video of Desorden Publico rehearsing new tracks with BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby click here.
To see a video of Desorden Publico rehearsing tracks from the new CD click here.
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