La Estrella

Argentina's Chancha Vía Circuito transitioned from being a pioneer of digital cumbia in all its raw, urban, bone-shaking glory to ushering in a calmer electronic era with Andean instrumentalists and vocalists, best exemplified by his previous, Bienaventuranza. This latest album marks out a new chapter.

There are sparse flutes and a cumbia that harks back to his early years (‘La Rosa China’) but other than that, there are very few Latin American references. At least that is in the production work, with Chancha adding strings and xylophones to his usual mix of icy synths, field recordings and bold beats, to leave a masterfully-crafted sense of futurity. It's a modern formula that would be geographically-afloat were it not for the guest vocalists, who give this record its pan-Latin character. Lido Pimienta is an old hand at supplying tropical bass producers with choice vocals and she does not disappoint here, giving ‘Amor en Silencio’ a mellifluous melody to add to its glimmering synths, and it's great hearing Meridian Brothers’ Eblis Álvarez lending his sarcastic tones to a driving, intricate beat. Chancha Vía Circuito seemed to be looking to the past and its traditions in order to find inspiration. La Estrella proves that there is beauty to be found in the future too.