Still Skanking - Desorden Publico "Los Dados de La Muerte"

Venezuela's top ska band Desorden Publico have been making music for more than 25 years and they just get better with each new album.

Their latest video for Los Dados de La Muerte, from the EP "Los Contrarios" shows a re-energized Desorden Publico in blistering form.

After the Colombian-influenced cumbia-ska of their last hit single Cristo Navaja, Los Dados de la Muerte is a return to the classic 80s ska of Madness and The Specials that first inspired them to start a band in 1985.

It features a cameo by Kanikazu Tanaka of Japanese ska band Dad Mom God.

Venezuela ska band Desorden Publico launch new CD

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.

Venezuelan ska band Desorden Publico star in BBC documentary

Veteran BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby joins Desorden Publico - a ska band that has been at the top of the charts in Venezuela for over a quarter of a century - as part of his documentary series "South American Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby", which airs on BBC 2 at 8 p.m. on 25 September.

Playing to audiences of up to 150,000 people, Desorden Publico are not mere entertainers but have a profound political purpose invariably challenging the status quo.

As Jonathan stomps his feet to their energetic beat, Horacio Blanco, the lead singer is worried. He tells Jonathan that Chavez's 21st century Socialist revolution has polarised the country.

A video of Desorden Publico in London playing the song Monkey Ska

The veteran BBC presenter also visited Hato Masaguaral, a ranch in the plains of Los LLanos Venezuela, that breeds an endangered species of crocodile commonly know as the Caiman del Orinoco. Video here.

The full documentary of Jonathon Dimbleby's documentary on Colombia and Venezuela is being shown on BBC 2 at 8 p.m. on 25 September and will be available on the iPlayer for a week after broadcast.

4to Poder and Horacio Blanco - Tolerancia

Horacio Blanco, the lead singer of Venezuelan ska legends Desorden Publico, joins up-and-coming rap collective 4to Poder on their latest single "Tolerancia".

Click here for a video of 4to Poder song "Fuerza Pal Latino"

Click here for a video of Desorden Publico song "Monkey Ska" filmed in London

Desorden Público to launch new album - teaser!

Venezuelan ska legends Desorden Público are in final preparations for a highly-anticipated new album. This teaser video gives a hint of some of the new tracks. As soon as I get more info I'll update the post.

Mango Funk - Trankilo

Maracaibo band Mango Funk hit big with "Trankilo" - a track from their album "El Nuevo Beat del Tambor", which fuses elements of Afro-Venezuelan beats with funk and electronica.

Basically, it's a break up song: "Mujer, dejame beber, dejame vivir tranquilo."

There are clear echoes of Los Amigos Invisibles on "El Nuevo Beat del Tambor", with the upbeat electronica and slow bossa nova tracks, but Mango Funk are succesfully carving out their own niche and "Guira y Tumbadora" is a great attempt at making folk drum beats funky.

It's a confident first album considering the band only got together in 2003, when guitarist and lead singer Alexis Romero hooked up with Miguel Romero on bass guitar, Melvin Portillo on percussion, and Luis Cova on drums.

Later, knob-twiddler and turntablist Carlos Guillen and keyboard player Oscar Vargas came on board to fill out the sound.

Check out their MySpace page:

I like the Gilbert and George inspired poster.

Desorden Publico: Monkey Ska

Venezuela's favourite ska band Desorden Publico came to London to play a show in 2005 and decided to make this video of a Derek Harriot number. For some reason they also decided to feature the distinctive double-decker buses of the capital.

Sadly, it was 7th of July and the London tube and buses were hit by suicide bombings that very same day.

The band finished the video but the gig was cancelled and their tour over. This excellent cover of a ska classic appears on their 2007 album: "Estrellas del Caos".

The video was filmed and edited by Ignacio Crespo.