mudd up!

(good reading over at That Veiled Gazelle, from which this photo was taken.)

So. Omega y Su Mambo Violento.

Over in the Dominican Republic, there’s a young man by the name of Omega, last letter in the Greek alphabet. It’s already a bit apocalyptic. And his band? Mambo Violento. And their deal!? Deft, catchy street merengue (‘meregue de la calle’ aka mambo)that surges over 200bpm+, coolly guided by his slo-mo baritone.

Does the song below have Amen breaks? I think so. “Tu No Ta Pa Mi”: this contains the best doubletime riddim shift I’ve heard in a long time, starts off smooth and just launches. Shout to dutty bredren Geko Jones for the digging assistance. Note that I found it on Domincantube.com — i like the ‘eastafricantubeization‘ of streaming media sites.

anyhow, here’s Omega Mambo Violento. Don’t let the mismatched video fool you — it’s for “Alante Alante”. The audio belongs to “Tu No Ta Pa Mi,” and he’s singing about finding himself alone with the TV on, crying over impossible love, etc. It’s downright Morrisey :

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OK, back 2 our regular deprogramming.

Bachata Roja: Acoustic Bachatas from the Cabaret Era is a solid comp of the Dominican guitar music that you now hear in its slicked-up contemporary form all over NYC’s Latino barrios. There aren’t any female vocalists on it, and this assortment of love (& lust) songs would unequivocally benefit from a female perspective (ok, maybe it’s not so solid) but if you’re feeling this tune, then the album is worth looking for:

Felix Quintana - Ladrona

I for one am digging (for) Latin Caribbean guitar music. Bachata Roja showcases the old school’s dude romantics and spry unplugged elegance.

Contemporary bachata swirls around the streets & pulses up through the floorboards of where I live, and one of the best moments is when the sound coming from a neighboring window or passing car switches from bachata (which i don’t know at all) to reggae classics (which I know and consider ‘my own’). These wonderful Antillean geographies displaced and collapsed — condensed — into Brooklyn, where like and unlike across at least two languages join hands to bump.