Afropop Worldwide

We admit that we're a little bit late on this one, but we just couldn't stop ourselves from talking up an album this good. Pernett has long been one of the most innovative musicians in Colombia, a country that hasn't exactly been slacking when it comes to releasing music of startling originality. Since his first release in 2003, Pernett has found a way to blend the synthesized timbres and computerized possibilities of electronic music with the fokloric sounds of traditional Colombia, creating a hybrid that is superbly both, capable of bridging these worlds without diminishing either. The Caribbean Computer, his latest album, is no exception to this track record of excellence. If anything, his brand of trans-temporal psychedelia has only become broader and more organic, developing into a strange and magical world all of its own. Granted, given the internet mediated experience of music shared by so much of the world, hearing artists throw together elements originally disparate in time and space is hardly news. What's far rarer- and what makes The Caribbean Computer stand out- is the ability to fuse these elements into a whole that makes real musical sense. Judging from this album, Pernett has more than mastered this challenge. On tracks like the standout "Circulos," a reverb laden saxophone intro bubbles into warm bed of synths and hand percussion. As a brilliant vocal performance by Andrea Echeverri unfolds on top, skins and circuits refuse stasis, trading rhythmic intricacies over the echoing soundscape before dissolving into another wash of horns. It's a fantastic track, and by no means a fluke; the album is full of similarly excellent material. The style varies tremendously, encompassing everything from Primitivo's intergalactic electro-cumbia to the tropical steel-pan vibes of Al Caribe Volvere. Yet through it all, the music is set apart by its subtle complexity, the programming and playing fusing into a deep, warm groove capable of rocking a dance floor while still soundly resolutely human. If this is the sound of the future, be sure to count us all the way in. Listen to the music! [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/2528545" height="200" iframe="true" /]