- country:Colombia
- style(s):Latin, Salsa
- label:Fuentes
- artist posted by:Productions Bros. Inc.
With only five albums to its credit and
less than eight years of existence,
Colombia's Sonora Carruseles has
already perfected a trademark sound
that is cherished by salsa lovers all
over the world. There's some
seriously powerful stuff to be found in
this album: spidery piano lines, tight
poly rhythms, explosive brass riffs,
staccato cowbell patterns and
impossibly nasal choruses that are
just hard to resist. Carruseles pays
a moving tribute to the spirit of old,
hardcore salsa, while at the same
renewing this all but-forgotten style
with the benefits of digital technology.
It's a fitting continuation to the legacy
of Discos Fuentes, the label
responsible for the development of
Colombian tropical music through
seminal acts such as Fruko Y Sus
Tesos, Latin Brothers, Los
Corraleros de Majagual and Sonora
Dinamita. It was the company's
veteran musical director, the
legendary Mario 'Pachanga' Rincon,
who dreamed up the concept of
Carruseles, a band whose mission
would be to re record classic sides
from the salsa heyday of the '70s,
thus preserving them for a new
generation of devoted fans.
Mr. Pachanga's dream became a
reality, and Carruseles turned out to
be the most exciting band to come
out of Colombia in decades. Led by
the rhythmically gifted talent of Diego
Gale, and boasting an illustrious
gallery of guest singers that includes
Gabino Pampini, Harold Pelaez and
Macondo, Carruseles is a terrifying
machinery of non-stop swing. Not
content with exploring the golden age
of salsa, it has also revamped the
sweetly nostalgic dance craze known
as the boogaloo, and even found
time to delve into bouncy cumbia
territory through a series of
delectable medleys.
Now, Carruseles has assembled all
of its greatest hits in one single
album. A luxurious affair, really. The
ideal party disc. Listening to the
rollicking "Arranca en Fa" and the
infectious "Micaela," you find yourself
wishing for more Carruseles
albums, more resurrected nuggets
from the past, more bewitching
tumbaos and lightning speed solos.
The party has finally begun. It's too
late to stop now.