Jez Colin (The Soulsonics) and Matt Cooper (Outside), two men who are more than busy enough with their own individual projects, have teamed up to become The Latin Project. Cashing in on the success of the sizzling summer ’02 smash ‘En Fuego,’ Colin and Cooper have included that song along with nine others on the hot and rhythmic album Nueva Musica (Electric Monkey). Combining traditional Latin instrumentation, glorious guest vocalists and musicians with floor-rocking dance beats, The Latin Project projects a promising profile. Creste and Freddie Crespo share vocal duties on ‘Music De Amor,’ while Robbie (‘C’est La Vie’) Nevil’s guitar helps to guide the song in a loving direction. JoEl Virgel and Katia Moraes demonstrate music’s universal language on ‘Universal,’ while Peru meets dub on ‘Estoy,’ with vocals by Violetta Villacorta. A trio of vocalists (including Virgel, Moraes, and Anita Kelsey) let the sunshine through on ‘Clouds’ and Sananda (the artist formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby), opens up on ‘Windows,’ a song that he co-wrote with Cooper and Colin. The beat is still strong, if a touch slower on closing track ‘Rio Negro,’ with lead vocals by the song’s co-writer Junno Homrich.
On the eponymous full-length debut disc by Zongamin (XL/Flesh), near one-man-band Susumi Mukai incorporates some of the broadest influences possible to create a collection of songs that is part rave, part house party and part retro night at your favorite new wave club. The appropriately named ‘Serious Trouble’ recalls the French DJ sound of Daft Punk, while the spanking drum of ‘Spiral’ is reminiscent of Prince during his most slap-happy mid-’80s period. ‘Street Surgery’ made me want to do a belly dance in traffic as the bass and beat of ‘Painless’ put the groove back into my heart. At under two minutes, the punk fury of the fittingly titled ‘Whiplash,’ conjured the image of a dance floor crowded with neck brace wearing dancers. ‘J. Shivers Theme’ could be the theme song from your favorite obscure vintage TV show, especially because of the whistling. The bare bones ‘New Song To An Old Story’ could be subtitled, ‘naked electroclash’ and the reinvention of classic disc on ‘Tunnel Music’ would be perfect for the all-skate at your neighborhood roller rink.