Switched On

Puerto Rican dubmeister Pachyman left San Juan for Los Angeles a while back, took his Latin Caribbean roots with him and seems to be on a non-stop tour of the US bringing his smooth dub to small theatre and club venues from Dallas to NYC. His multi-instrumental skills, his earworm catchy melodies and his dub-conscious minimalism create a sound that could be a perfect soundtrack for JG Ballard’s novel Cocaine Nights or for the resident band at Wham!’s ‘Club Tropicana’. Yes, somehow it seems to come from a fictional dimension.

On some tracks, his musical expertise and extreme dub effect facility seem to get neutralised by some melody lines that, for me, veer into easy listening territory. But there are tougher cuts, like ‘Trago Coqueto’, a classic which features his fine lead vocal, a bittersweet meditation on romance, as he stares at life through his cocktail glass. It’s the only track which puts his vocals out front, making the whole project fire on all fronts. There’s also ‘Mi Sala’, a refreshing dream-like dub-soaked reverie and ‘You Looked at Me’, laced with mesmerisingly repetitive minimalist swooning backing vocals. I recommend a track a day at a holiday venue of your choice, to convince yourself you were really there having a good time.