Makossa & Megablast

Makossa and Megablast made waves a few years ago with their first release on Kruder & Dorfmeister's G-Stone records. You can hear the tastefulness of that label's approach in these grooves, but there's much more going on rhythmically than the café-ready sounds associated with the K&D experience. Case in point: Afrobeat hero Tony Allen kicking the balafon-infatuated "Wangu" into high gear with his constantly modulating funky drumming. Dub is so pervasive here that it becomes an essential part of the rhythmic organization ― each song resides in a happy cloud of post-Osunlade polyrhythms. This album isn't at all relaxing, yet it doesn't succumb to the air horns and gunfire tricks that some producers use to dirty up their tropical dance music. The kuduro groove of "Bailalo" is sweet, not jackhammering, while tracks with guest vocalist Hubert Tubbs (of Tower of Power) have that gutbucket vocal feel once synonymous with "progressive house." Soy Como Soy is a throwback, but also very contemporary. The bottom line is it's an immediate rump-shaker even when sitting down.