The third album from Croatia's premier modern salseras,
Cubismo is a huge jump ahead. Layering modern club rhythms inside their neo-traditional son and salsa attack,
Cubismo bridge the gap between European and Cuban musics ancient to future. Nine-players strong, with backing vocalists enlisted for this date,
Cubismo turn the burning sons of the past into punchy, street tough, dancefloor anthems not only for Latin discos, but for New York and Chicago club culture, too! Here are traditional melodies, such as "Iya Mi Ilé," layered with modern lyrics and stellar horn charts that. Add to this the dread beat, dub reggae in "Junglesalsa," with its spoken word narrative and guitarron solo. Or contrast the neo-trad cha cha with hip-hop and house, or the jazzed up rap/merengue of "Las Grinas," all played live in the studio. Funky basslines, layers upon layers of percussion, reckless choruses, folk instruments, big beats, and seductive guitars are all up in pure macho countenance here; it proves that the that the roots laid down by the Cuban masters have not been lost on a younger generation of innovators, nor have they been cast-off and burned. Instead,
Cubismo prove for the third time that real innovation in popular music is being made in the burning visionary heart of Eastern Europe as well. ~ Thom Jurek