The Spam Allstars' latest funky little gem of an album -- number six if you've been counting --serves as an introductory crash course into the ways of DJ Le Spam and his motley crew of sonic dreamweavers for those who are oblivious. For those who aren't Introducing Spam Allstars is another delightful trip aboard Miami's funkiest indie outfit. The term descarga takes on a whole new dimension when filtered through the band's sultry mix of improvisational electronica, turntablism, Afro-Cuban music, Latin rhythms, funk, hip-hop, and dub. Le Spam (aka Andrew Yeomanson) is a Canadian-born musician who once played guitar for Cuban-American alt-rocker Nil Lara. He also cut his teeth DJ-ing on a pirate radio station in Miami where he gained a devoted listnership for his deftly executed mixes. The underground radio gig soon translated into a mainstream club gig at Miami's Hoy Como Ayer where musicians of all backgrounds fell under DJ Le Spam's spell. With Adam Zimmon (formerly of Shakira) on guitar, Tomas Diaz on timbales and vocals, AJ Hill (who played with everyone from Sly and the Family Stone to Herbie Hancock) on saxes and vocals, Steve Welsh on saxes, Mercedes Abal from Havana (formerly with Albita) on flute, Chad Bernstein on trombone and vocals and the great Afro-Cuban percussionist Lazaro Alfonso (formerly of Irakere) on congas, DJ Le Spam has assembled a super-charged, A-list posse that has successfully melded what may seem like opposite poles in music -- the organic with the mechanical. "Gallo Pinto," for instance is a retro groove with a backbeat, hustling horns, Afro-Cuban percussion, chekeré, an insistent funk guitar riff, and flute. "Ochimini" is a trance-inducing chant sung in Yoruba and anchored in a rubbery bass line that has the power to suck you in the very potent brew bubbling at the band's core. Another highlight is the more melodious, light-on-your-feet "Afrika," with folkloric call and response embellishments for added exoticism. "Descarga Gusano" starts as an old-school descarga from Cuba's golden age in music but is updated with layers of samples, Latin jazz horn improvisations, drumming, and hand claps. If you haven't fallen under the spell of Spam, now is the time.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Introducing Spam Allstars
The Spam Allstars' latest funky little gem of an album -- number six if you've been counting --serves as an introductory crash course into the ways of DJ Le Spam and his motley crew of sonic dreamweavers for those who are oblivious. For those who aren't Introducing Spam Allstars is another delightful trip aboard Miami's funkiest indie outfit. The term descarga takes on a whole new dimension when filtered through the band's sultry mix of improvisational electronica, turntablism, Afro-Cuban music, Latin rhythms, funk, hip-hop, and dub. Le Spam (aka Andrew Yeomanson) is a Canadian-born musician who once played guitar for Cuban-American alt-rocker Nil Lara. He also cut his teeth DJ-ing on a pirate radio station in Miami where he gained a devoted listnership for his deftly executed mixes. The underground radio gig soon translated into a mainstream club gig at Miami's Hoy Como Ayer where musicians of all backgrounds fell under DJ Le Spam's spell. With Adam Zimmon (formerly of Shakira) on guitar, Tomas Diaz on timbales and vocals, AJ Hill (who played with everyone from Sly and the Family Stone to Herbie Hancock) on saxes and vocals, Steve Welsh on saxes, Mercedes Abal from Havana (formerly with Albita) on flute, Chad Bernstein on trombone and vocals and the great Afro-Cuban percussionist Lazaro Alfonso (formerly of Irakere) on congas, DJ Le Spam has assembled a super-charged, A-list posse that has successfully melded what may seem like opposite poles in music -- the organic with the mechanical. "Gallo Pinto," for instance is a retro groove with a backbeat, hustling horns, Afro-Cuban percussion, chekeré, an insistent funk guitar riff, and flute. "Ochimini" is a trance-inducing chant sung in Yoruba and anchored in a rubbery bass line that has the power to suck you in the very potent brew bubbling at the band's core. Another highlight is the more melodious, light-on-your-feet "Afrika," with folkloric call and response embellishments for added exoticism. "Descarga Gusano" starts as an old-school descarga from Cuba's golden age in music but is updated with layers of samples, Latin jazz horn improvisations, drumming, and hand claps. If you haven't fallen under the spell of Spam, now is the time.
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