Plastilina Mosh might hail from south of the border, but they have much more in common with French disco mavens Daft Punk or big beat guru Fatboy Slim than they do with any of the dozen or so currently hip Latin-pop superstar types. With Juan Manuel, keyboardist Alejandro Rosso and guitarist Jonàz display an impressive mastery of a cosmopolitan electronic dance idiom.
"Nordic Laser" almost comes across like something from the Beta Band, whose Chris Allison had a hand in Juan Manuel's production. Its discordant, rumbling piano recalls "Rocky Raccoon" but its quick tempo and crashing cymbals make allusions to surf music. This track seems like such an odd way to start off a dance music album, and that's precisely why it works -- it annihilates preconceptions and allows the listener to partake of what follows without prejudice. "Boombox Baby" clearly owes a debt to Parliament for its ultra-funky groove and repeated mantra, "Disco solitaire, Boombox baby, Boom boombox baby!" "Human Disco Ball" is dominated by big, phat bass drum beats and robotic voices. It is the closest to true house music that Plastilina Mosh gets. "Arpoador" reminds me of either a mellow Dubtribe Sound System or perhaps Talvin Singh. It just grooves along with jazzy keyboards and tribal-type drumming. "Let the Speaker Speak" is a quirky track worthy of the quirkiest '80s bands (Devo? The Residents?) crossed with Nine Inch Nails. It alternates between vocoded vocals backed by melodic bloops and blips and thick, industrial noise with jackhammer beats.
Plastilina Mosh should get plenty of points for creating such a polished, well-rounded and diverse musical offering. It's a true sign of cultural globalization that two guys from Montery, Mexico could pump out sophisticated electronic music like the most hoity-toity of Americans or Europeans. Hail the new world order!
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