Mis is so south of the border that you’d initially assume it’s a playful pastiche, a cheeky electronic update of the Tijuana Brass, where the joke lies in the fact that the gringo’ had never even set eyes on Mexico. Yet it turns out that it’s all the imagination of one Mexican, Camilo Lara, who takes the mariachi trumpets and the Latin grooves and re imagines them via hip hop breaks and electro beats. Lara is the musical director and A&R man for Emi in Mexico, though his passion for music far exceeds pop tastes. He refers to his music as “cyber mambo lounge dance,’ and whilst there are plenty of samples, coming across as a south of the border Mr Scruff, he also utilises live instrumentation, bass tuba, organ, guitars and drums. It’s definitely montage music, yet it’s also full of life with a mischievous energy. It’s party music, yet the kind that continues to draw attention to the skills of the producer; such is the diversity of ingredients and the cheeky way in which they are integrated. Pat C also lays down some Spanish rhymes over the top of a few of the pieces here, though the real star is Lara, his sexy fat electro bass, playful beats and his ability to integrate elements of traditional music, which not only works musically, but also gives the music a somewhat kitsch sense of place.
Bob Baker Fish
