Future Sounds Of Buenos Aires

Cumbia digital compilation from ZZK (the same underground electronic collective who brought us the great Chancha via Circuito album and 2009’s ZZK Sound Vol. 2). Traditional South American cumbia instrumentation zapped with synth and heavy-hitting bass. Exactly what you would expect from digital cumbia’s most forward thinking collective—this album is probably as close to a "who’s who" as you could get.

RIYL: Matt Shadetek, Uproot Andy, Atropolis, El Hijo De La Cumbia

*1. Stutterstep rhythm, chopped up vocal samples, heavy bass. Sooooo good.
*2. Uptempo, metallic with great acoustic guitar accents and heavy drums.
*3. Mati Zundel, also known as Lagartijeando, has put out the strongest digital cumbia mixes of the past few years. This track is all chipper accordion, dreamy synths, and grinding bass.
4. Slow plodding dubbed-out riddem with a monstrous bassline on par with the most organ-jarring tracks in the Digital Mystikz back catalogue.
5. Chipper cumbia with speedy vocals in Spanish. One of the more “traditional” tracks on the album.
*6. Slow-strummed guitar with thudding, implacable drumming. Gorgeous.
7. 8-bit glitch digital cumbia. Pretty wacky but also awesome at the same time.
8. Midtempo cumbia with sassy female vocals.
9. Slow, gyrating, pulsing, with about a million samples. The headiest and most atmospheric by far but also definitively erudite and oddly bookish at times.
10. Dancehall cumbia with guest vocals from Lido Pimienta.
*11. Bouncy, blippy, with a brave selection of chimes.
12. Abstract buzzy digital cumbia with otherworldly effects and distorted vocals.