Alegranza

El Guincho – Alegranza!
Reviewed by Sadie O., 10/29/08
Afro-Latin grooves put through a sampler to create something quite unique. The effect is familiar but very strange – like what you might dream after going to Carneval in Rio or Venice and smoking some opium. Vocals are distanced somehow, and beats are complex and pronounced, but the whole thing is skewed in production for a healthy dose of strangeness and charm (and possibly quark).
FCCs? Can’t make nothing out! I like 2, 4, 5, 7…
1. 2:32 **starts with clapping and goofy spoken intro, then… surf party music? Not quite… But definitely good for twisting!
2. 5:31 ***part chugging Ranchero and part electronica. Repetitive, so it has a bit of club/trance feel, but still Latin at heart.
3. 3:37 **whooshy electronics, spoken and sung vocals, sound collage. Turns into a sort of merry go round with masked Carnival dancers…
4. 5:10 ***it’s kind of a salsa and more kind of electronic sound collage – builds after a while into quite an energetic and danceable shuffle.
5. 3:37 ****chanting – almost sounds like classical Indian… swingy midtempo shuffle, very thick sound, very infectious. Switches up to a bit of folk dance and ends with several seconds of fading echo. Odd!
6. 6:44 **starts with kids chanting, fades into a chugging midtempo groove. Changes tempo – becomes quite surreal.
7. 5:47 ***starts with electronic whistles, then becomes a high speed Latin percussion party groove, possibly taking place in the Deepest Jungle.
8. 3:56 **steel drums and chanting and possibly waves breaking. What the hell – grab a bottle of rum and don’t try too hard to understand it…
9. 3:40 *waltz and sound collage (not perky enough to be a polka, IMO) – sweet and a bit like a demented music box. Ends with kids in a playground, as far as I can tell.