Stirring a thrilling brew of funk, cumbia, merengue, psych-rock, Afrobeat, and hip-hop on debut Suelta, Superfónicos offers remarkable stylistic variety in six songs. The local octet peaks on “El Miedo,” painting traditional Colombian merengue with funky flourishes, frontman Jaime Ospina’s gaita flute front and center. The slinky, sax-fueled “Ethiopian Dust” nods at jazz giant Mulatu Astatke, while the ancient rhythms of cumbia in “Rio Negro” come peppered with a parade of percussion and searing organ. The title track skewers societal ills (racism, xenophobia, homophobia) in a rap-rock-funk fiesta, the kind of upbeat burner that carries a live show. (12:15pm, Tito’s stage)
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This article appears in October 12 • 2018.

