Oasis

Daniel Melingo has travelled far from the pared-down dub beats of his 1998 debut Tangos Bajos. Over two decades, folky turns, theatricality and wider world music ideas have been tossed into the mix. With Oasis, he shifts even further away from the rhythms and rubric of traditional tango. Explicitly Greek, vaguely Asian and rock-leaning compositions dominate the track list, with bandoneón riffs on ‘La Búsqueda’ adrift amid programming, and the snatches of tango surfacing in ‘Caminito Rebetiko’ having to jostle for space with baglamas and bouzouki. Melingo's vocals are mere voice overs on most songs, and when he does sing he sounds hoarse, even non-committal. We have to wait till the 11th track, ‘¡Esta Vivo!’ for a tango song proper, with dancing accordion, lilting strings and staccato piano.

As ever, Melingo's schtick is in major part posing and posturing, but he can still deliver a lyrical experience. Across the album, you get the feeling he's a bit bored of tango. Yet for all that, the music is never boring and, after a few plays, the eclecticism and collective spirit – among the 29 backing musicians are family members and old friends – grow on the listener. A cool, contemporary collage of 21st-century Buenos Aires, Oasis has the globetrotting spirit of tango, if not the tempo.