Imagine a lost weekend in Tijuana. Tequila that burns the skin off the back of your throat, novelty sombrero’s that save you from the sun, and salsa to soothe or to make you stamp, depending on the tequila. And a soundtrack for this auspicious event, look no further than Mexican band, Kinky’s second album, ‘Atlas’. Perhaps the name was a premonition, as Kinky’s excessive touring (180 shows last year no less) and impending success see them emerge on both sides of the pond. So it comes as no surprise that Mexico, the U.S, Canada, and now Britain are swaggering to the same Kinky beat.
With so many styles fused together the possibility of it going spectacularly wrong was more probable than improbable, but fortunately for us, ‘Atlas’ is a cocktail spiked with funk, dance, rock and generous amounts of undeniable Latino smooth. It could be playing in a pokey Guadalajara jazz hut, teasing the barflys in any city club, or rallying stampeding throngs in any festival. At times it’s as if Madchester had been welcomed to the Latin quarter. ‘Airport Feelings’ is Bobby Gillespie and Mani donning maracas and shaking their groove thing in the Hacienda, ‘Salta Lenin El Atlas’ would be The Chemical Brothers if they ever did cum’bia and opener ‘Presidente’ is a mini funk battle between stabbing guitars, murky bass and playful percussion. Despite all the other influences, Kinky retain an unwavering sense of their Latin roots. ’Not afraid’ has the swaying sensuality and ‘Snapshot’ has the rhythms that N.E.R.D would kill for. Whether it be the switch between English and Spanish or the dominant percussion, it only emphasizes that you can’t beat the original, which is what Kinky are in abundance.
The beauty of ‘Atlas’ is its supreme power in making you want to move. It’s a floor filler in every sense of the word. It should come with a complimentary set of tango lessons so as to avoid the injustice of the room being devoid of movers and shakers. Luckily for us, Kinky have given us fresh new hope that after the debacle of Ricky Martins pop pap, things are moving forward once again the Latin music world has cause for celebration, now where’s that tequila?
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