What sort of group writes songs a couple of Kafkaesque metamorphosis from human to robotic? The reply is the imaginary outfit El Grupo Renacimiento, an allegedly “legendary” salsa band from the Nineteen Seventies, although in actuality the modern-day creation of Colombia’s Meridian Brothers. The Meridians themselves are however one id of Bogotá’s Eblis Alvarez, a prolific, shape-shifting musician who over 20 years has championed each the avant garde and custom, mixing psychedelia, electronica and rock with Latin kinds, particularly Colombia’s personal cumbia.
Right here, Alvarez and his sidekicks take pleasure in themselves with a fantasy playlist from El Grupo Renacimiento, its numbers starting from anti-police protest to habit to damaged love, the lyrics given a surreal twist and every minimize paying tribute to one in all salsa’s many subgenres. For instance, Triste Son sends up Cuban son, complaining of “gray fateful melancholy” to a cha-cha beat. Poema del Salsero Resentido warns: “The rhythmic apocalypse is coming”, whereas Metamorfosis sings of changing into “transhuman” to a percussive overdrive. Though the album is an affectionate Latin Spinal Faucet – there’s a brief, cartoon mockumentary to go together with it – the rhythms are taut, the music playful. Appropriately, it’s out on the revived iconic Ansonia label, its first new launch in 30 years. Salud!