CD Review: Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol 1 - Amigos Invisibles

UPDATE: Los Amigos Invisibles win their first Latin Grammy for the album "Commercial"

Venezuelan party poppers cook up some Saturday night dance fever
Growing up in the Caribbean, in a country awash with merengue and salsa, Los Amigos Invisibles swam against the tide and immersed themselves in the British acid-jazz scene and US rare grooves. The result was a string of irreverent party tracks that shot them to the top of the Latin American charts.

It also got them noticed by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, which put out their second release "The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera" and introduced them to a global audience.

On their fourth album, "The Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1", the band continues to buck prevailing trends with a retro-feast of disco, lounge, bossa and 70s-style salsa.

Just as dance music cedes its crown to hip hop and guitar bands, the group have hooked up with New York house legends Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez and Lil’ Louie Vega, better known as Masters at Work (MAW), to help them recreate an underground 80s dance sound.

The result is a slow burning album which will impress newcomers with its smooth production values, but which keeps faithful fans waiting for classic "amigos" moments.

The showpiece of the MAW collaboration is "Ease Your Mind", a remake of rare disco classic by Touchdown from 1982, which shows off the skills of keyboardist Armando Figueredo. Listen out for the percussion breaks by Venezuelan timbables-player Luisito Quintero, who has worked closely with La India and Eddie Palmieri and recently put out his own album with Louie Vega: "Percussion Maddness".

The real fun begins with "Calne" (literally, "Meat") and "Esto es Lo Que hay" ("That's All There Is"), two stand-up-and-stomp, salsa-tinged tracks that benefit from the trombone of Jimmy Bosch and Julio Briceno's cheeky vocals.

But the guaranteed party warmers have to be "Majunche", which sounds like a remix of a track from their first album, and the irrepressible "Superfucker".

If this is all there is, we're gonna have a funking good time.

Track Listing:
1. Rico Pa' Goza'
2. Comodon Johnson
3. Una Disco Llena
4. Venezuelan Zingason
5. Playa Azul
6. Ease Your Mind
7. Isyormain
8. Gerundio
9. Ojos Cerrando
10. Esto Es Lo Que Hay
11. Majunche
12. Mambo Chimbo
13. Diablo
14. Calne
15. Superfucker
16. Bruja
17. Las Gorditas De Mario

To download Los Amigos Invisibles MP3 tracks click here:

To buy the CD "The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1" click here:


To buy the new CD "Commercial" click here:



More videos of Los Amigos Invisibles:

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Diablo

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Cuchi Cuchi

Video: Los Amigos Invisibles - Playa Azul

Video: Max and Jason have lunch with Los Amigos Invisibles

CD Review: Arepa 3000 - Los Amigos Invisibles

Luisito Quintero - Percussion Maddness

Li'l Louie Vega introduces Luisito Quintero's 2006 album Percussion Maddness on this video that features tracks from the album and clips of some of the stars who helped out.

How cute is Luisito playing timbales at the age of five?

And how cool is Louie Vega?

CD Review: Percussion Maddness - Luisito Quintero

To buy the album click here:

CD Review - Percussion Maddness - Luisito Quintero

Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero might not be a household name, but in the small world of New York's Latin music fraternity he's regarded as one of the hottest timbaleros in town.

After starting out in the Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela and a stint with salsa singer La India, Quintero learnt the finer points of Afro-Cuban drumming by playing alongside a string of Latin music legends, including Oscar D'Leon and Eddie Palmieri.

But while Quintero pays homage to his mentors on some banging tracks dedicated to the late Tito Puente and Ray Barreto, the CD as a whole carries the stamp of house DJ and producer "Li'l" Louie Vega, one half of New York duo Masters at Work.

The deep-house, acid jazz and silky bossa grooves are very much in the vein of Louie Vega's albums Nuyorican Soul and Elements of Life, both of which Quintero played on.

Vega is sometimes accused of over-producing tracks to the point of emasculation and the breathy vocal on "Our Love" by Cape Verdian singer Anane - Lil' Louie's latest squeeze - is so smooth it comes close to muzak.

But lightweight? I don't think so. A Fela Kuti number with Cameroonian singer-guitarist Francis Mbappe hits all the right Afrobeat buttons and a faithful reproduction of Ray Barreto's seminal track "Acid" is a fitting tribute.

Overall, the sheer quality of the guest turns by pianist Hilton Ruiz, flautist Nestor Torres and Venezuelan guitarist Aquiles Baez make this a treat for music fans seeking more than the typical salsa descargas on offer from many Latin combos at the moment.

Track listing:
1. Percussion Maddness
2. Tumbao
3. M'Bongi
4. Gbagada, Gbagada, Gbogodo, Gbogodo (feat. Francis Mbappe)
5. Aquilas Coisas Todas
6. Our Love (feat. Anane)
7. Quintero's Jam (feat. Hilton Ruiz)
8. EOL Intro (Clap Your Hands)
9. Acid
10. Four Beat Mambo
11. Son Montuno
12. Oshagriña (feat. Milton Cardona and The Aranla Chorus)
13. Love Remains The Same

To buy the album click here:



Video: Percussion Maddness - Luisito Quintero