Arepa 3000
This divertingly arch, multi-kulti hodge-podge plays like a soundtrack for an imaginary Latin nightclub with a selectively demented door policy. The essence ofSergio Mendestrips in first, trailed by a rap that emerges from under a '70s disco conceit swathed in silky choirs and cheesy synths. Brazilian Tropicalismo viaCaetano Velosobumps butts with a naive pop organ riff that London hipsters circa 1968 would recognize, until the congas lash out and the whole thing turns into vintageSantana. Later, a "Super Freak" funk recollection retreats in the face of "Cool Jerk" and then morphs into drum & bass before a Tuvan throat singer clone makes the scene andAlvin the Chipmunksusher in a high-octane merengue. Meanwhile, muttered asides and electronic crackles intrude like a berserk broadband radio. A Spanish-language P-Funk silliness is in play throughout, but refracted through a lounge sensibility.--Christina Roden