Afronaut serves up 14 tunes with a distinct Puerto Rican flavor, via West London ideals of deep funky house and broken beat science. It has been a long time since I have been excited by this sound, but all the boxes are ticked here, dancefloor friendly tunes, a latin flavor that is steeped in history, feel good lyrics that you can chant, even if you don’t understand the language! This has a subtlety that is missing in much dance music, especially dance music that borrows heavily from Latin roots, managing to not veer too far from tradition, the modern production and additional instrumentation not overpowering the finished product. This is music subjected to the melting pot that works very well, its more about restraint than anything, knowing when to draw the line.
Hecho En Casa is a fine example of how modern production techniques can really add to the tradition of Latin roots, how it can compliment the sheer musicianship, and produce something for today’s dance floor. This is highly charged, percussive, emotive and uplifting, loosely sequenced, not quite a mixtape, but flowing as if one, music to uplift the soul. There are even moments where the rhythm and bass come close to dubstep, retaining the uplifting qualities of Latin music, steering clear of the darkness, and this is where the genius lays. Most good dubstep is daaark, there is no doubt about it, but this manages to avoid the darkness, accommodating the steppers delight, but uplifting rather than plunging the listener into a void…
If you want to be uplifted, charged with a Latin energy, and dance the night away with a smile securely planted on your face, I cannot recommend this album enough, the feel good factor is through the roof.
Wayne Stronell
