El Sonido Bastardo

Madrid’s Danzón El Gato occupy a similar sonic space to US band Khruangbin, melding psychedelic rock influences with a plethora of global sounds, both vintage and contemporary. Their debut album is a largely instrumental affair driven by the interplay between the group’s two key players, guitarist Javier Adán and drummer/percussionist Santiago Rapallo. ‘Ronda’ – a song inspired by legendary Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum – is a case in point, with Adán’s twangy, Arabesque guitar lines offset by the steady pulse of Rapallo’s hip-hop influenced drum work. ‘Twangy Morocco’ delves further into North African sounds with hypnotic, Touareg rock-style rhythms melded to deep bass grooves. Elsewhere, Afro-Latin influences predominate, ‘Amambay’’s vibraphone-led grooves recall the work of Latin jazz kingpin Cal Tjader. Other winning diversions see them take on taut funk (‘Aktimo Tu Se’) and ska-influenced exotica (the otherworldly ‘La Tarara’). A winning debut album from a band with plenty of ideas.