Camino de Fuego

Antonio Moreno and his band have been working under the radar in the Spanish underground for almost two decades since Eskorzo formed in Granada in 1996. Camino de Fuego (Path of Fire) is their fifth album and it's an incendiary mix of rock, salsa, mambo, cumbia, Afrobeat, punk, ska, reggae and drum’n’bass.

‘Mambo Zombi’ is a stonkingly infectious opener with a mix of African and Latin American sounds, like Mano Negra jamming with Santana. There's a touch of latter-day Manu Chao about several other tracks, too, including ‘Gilon’ and ‘Suave’, with infectious party rhythms led by tight guitars and given added heft by riffing horns. Amparanoia and Ojos de Brujo are other obvious reference points in Eskorzo's mestizo melting pot, but they create a potent gumbo that is all their own. This Spanish band is ripe for export and their global party skank would surely go down a storm at WOMAD festival.