Los Amigos Invisibles -everyone's favorite Venezuelan disco love-funk ensemble-
have spent the last two years elevating their status as global scenesters and
dance music afficianados by remixing Beastie Boys, Basement Jaxx and Fantastic
Plastic Machine, and collaborating with Dimitri fron Paris. Now they kick off
the summer of '03 with a brand new album, Venezuelan Zinga Son, a hot slice of
new Latin dance produced by house music legends Masters at Work.
"We had admired Masters at Work since the Nuyorican album (Nuyorican Soul,
Giant Step, 1997) and they had been to some shows of ours," explains keyboard
player Armando Figueredo. "So the fit seemed right."
In working with Masters at Work, the Amigos have taken their carnival of sexed
up lyrics, wah-wah guitar riffs, and hot conga rhythms and refined it with a
dancefloor sensibility, crafting an album that combines the booty shaking of
disco, the deep rhythms of house, the sass of salsa, and the plush-sofa vibe
of electronic lounge.
The result is Venezuelan Zinga Son - a title which the band says loosely translates
as ' the largest fuck session in Venezuela.' Zinga Son is the ultimate summer
mix tape, the perfect soundtrack to a long day at the beach and an even longer
night at the club, an uptempo dance mix that still sounds laid back, an album
that honors its Latin roots but is not tied to them.
"This album is what we live for," says lead singer Julio Briceño.
"It's a dance album, but it's also a great album to chill out to on the
beach."
The album's extensive jams and reprises are the result of the studio techniques
of Masters at Work.
"They would just have us play the same song again and again but each time
a little differently. And they would stand there, kind of directing or conducting
as we played."
The results can be heard in the airy vocals of Una Disco Llena, the effortless
jam of Venezuelan Zinga Son, the smoking percussion of Calne, the extended Bacchinalian
dance groove of Bruja and on the album's tribute to rare disco - a cover of
Touchdown's '82 dance hit: Ease Your Mind.
Infused with the albums warm summery beats and early '80s keyboard sounds are
the street sounds of Caracas, and a bit of nostalgia for the warm weather and
easy life of the Caracas that the Amigos once knew.
As Briceño croons: "Listen princess, I'm the one who wants to have
fun. And what I bring is a long summertime."
Venezuelan Zinga Son. Bringing the long summertime..
Praise for Arepa 3000
"Ass shaking, disco balls bouncing . . . make Arepa 3000 the party album
of the year." CMJ
"The pan-global joyride of the year." - Time Out New York
"Los Amigos Invisibles have taken the rhythmic sass in salsa, the bass-heavy
fun in funk, and even the note-bending bile in acid-jazz, and mixed it all up
to produce an infectious beat. They've put the joy back into dancing, sending
a warm current into the cold alienating waters of industrial strength techno."
- LA Weekly
