Descarga: “Maestro” by Ritmo Machine

Although the sounds of Latin America can come off as stereotypical, trite and recycled, especially in their displaced regathering for meaning, Eric Bobo and Latin Bitman have created in Ritmo Machine, a nuanced and flexing collection of butterflies, timeless and irreplaceable. These tracks will take you back to those 90’s depictions of Latinos on sunny beaches and overflowing ranches. Where all your youthful years were spent watching telenovelas, each song on this album transports you into some memory of those boring summers listening to your mom’s music. Just throw some Sheryl Crow in there and you’ll be dancing around in your backyard lawn chair sunbath session in no time. The best tracks on the album by far, however difficult it may have been to narrow down, are assured to be La Calle, featuring Sick Jacken & Ana Tijoux as well as the masterful mixing of the Mix Master Mike & P-Nut on a safari ride through a congo riffing roller coaster excursion.

I don’t want to spoil too much of this album for you, so I’ll just let you take your time with it and dream of the summer sun that’s not too far along. Tonight, when the cool winds start knocking on your door, just sit back and enjoy that piña colada and soak in the rays of your tele. All I have to say is that Ritmo Machine’s expert fading of genres and histories works well on this special download of “Maestro,” of these duel master producers.