The last project from Montreal-based artist Boogat, 2013's El Dorado Sunset, was a mash-up of Spanish language lyrics and electronic, dancehall and Latin music groove. The latest, Neo-Reconquista, expands on this sound right off the bat with the slow reggae dub of "Me Muero Por Ti." The sound that Boogat has fashioned has been an evolving one — a mix of cumbia, funk, salsa and hip-hop — with less reliance on straight-up rapping and more towards a smooth singing style; just don't think of him as the Pitbull of the North.
Fellow Montreal-based artist Pierre Kwenders lends a hand on "Londres," a Latin meets electro meets African groove that's a clear and catchy standout on the project. The steel percussive vibe of "Una Cita" featuring La Yegros is sonically strong, as is the horns-driven midtempo track "Wena." The Latin pop-minded "Los Amigos" is wonderfully produced, with a smooth keys and guitar sound that's both layered and commercially friendly. Neo-Reconquista is well produced, and presents Boogat as an artist who has long moved past being known simply as a "Spanish-language rapper from Quebec" and who has committed to a more textured artistic evolution and genre-agnostic growth.
(Maisonnette)Fellow Montreal-based artist Pierre Kwenders lends a hand on "Londres," a Latin meets electro meets African groove that's a clear and catchy standout on the project. The steel percussive vibe of "Una Cita" featuring La Yegros is sonically strong, as is the horns-driven midtempo track "Wena." The Latin pop-minded "Los Amigos" is wonderfully produced, with a smooth keys and guitar sound that's both layered and commercially friendly. Neo-Reconquista is well produced, and presents Boogat as an artist who has long moved past being known simply as a "Spanish-language rapper from Quebec" and who has committed to a more textured artistic evolution and genre-agnostic growth.