Thursday, January 15, 2015

Peliroja on Chulo/Peace & Rhythm Records


The thing I find myself appreciating about the latin funk singles like this one from Peliroja from Peace & Rhythm is the number of players it takes to end up with this naturally layered sound. The subtle building up and subtracting of elements that are all carving out their own tiny niche somewhere in this rhythm. It's the opposite of rock with a communal sound, a natural jam session allowing for the ranges and variety of percussions to all have their own unique place. I think a score of this stuff would be pretty overwhelming - it's almost meant to not be broken up into that kind of math. You have to gently nudge this in the right direction but not try to dissect it like that.

A-Side's "Situaciones" weaves a guitar line around gentle stabs from an electric piano slowly working the up to tempo. The jerky see saw sway starts making sense as the horn section starts working this up to speed. I love this glitchy solo from a warbled keyboard that juts in with no context. If these guys are willing to experiment with that sort of ugly than they're going to end up in a new place. The live choir sound calls back to the vocals and end up joining them as this becomes a full on street party. They seem to be playing with convention like the deep woodwind that picks up the bass part, flipping the roles that traditionally these instruments play. Peliroja is making room for new sounds and putting old ones in new places.
B-Side's "Cuidad de nadie" introduces the wah guitar and an even more live room sound with instruments coming from different directions. Conga is captured on this side while that stacato guitar heads in from the left. Horns bursting in on the whole thing sticking themselves into any available opening - every pause is filled by those shiny blasts. You notice their absence but start to appreciate the organ and catch a background YEA from someone caught up in this rhythm. The call and response returns from a sweeter, more refined background chorus and a sultry baritone sax solo which may have been that woodwind sound from the first side now that I think about it. But there I go thinking to hard about this stuff, Peliroja has that all covered.

Get it from Chulo Records or Peace & Rhythm Records.

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