Argentine weirdos Frikstailers return to the international dancefloors with a new dose of tropical goodness, in the form of a new EP called Crop Circles. Now based in Mexico City, Rafa Caivano and Lisandro Sona expand their range in terms of genre and sound, but their heart is still in the digital cumbia movement they helped arise, as part of the ZZK label and collective.
On the follow-up release to their debut album, En Son de Paz (2013, ZZK,) the duo sounds much more subtle and more synthetic, but totally effective. We had already covered the great 80s synth pop-inspired “Crop Circles,” and the oh-so-acid “Omeprazol,” and the rest of the EP follows a similar pattern. Arpeggiated synths and chopped vocals move on top of some Latin percussion, adorned occasionally by precise keyboard licks. This is all about dancing, and they grab from techno, reggaeton, electro, and their beloved cumbia to make that happen. And! Don’t sleep on the accompanying mixtape they just put out, with tracks from fellow producers Chancha Via Circuito, Camanchaca, Dengue Dengue Dengue, and more.
The neon aliens are here, and they really want to party with us. Listen here, or head over to the ZZK page for a free download.