Pura Maldad

Amsterdam-based tropical psych merchants Lola's Dice deliver a brain-bending blend of synth-infused cumbia, merengue, dub and fuzzy funk on this album-length release. Aided by the production skills of Portuguese-Venezuelan DJ and rhythm section specialist Alex Figueira (aka ‘the hardest working man in the tropical music business’), whose percussive genius helps to shape the sound so well, they take their previous explorations into funky tropicália to new heights.

Legend has it that Lola's Dice started out as a punk/hardcore outfit; this comes through a bit in the essential minimalism of the music: stripping back the layers of their ‘big sound’ reveals an engaging simplicity of form. However they came into being, they have certainly come to embrace the psychedelic melting pot aesthetic which has characterised Figueira's previous work and continues to pervade his other projects. The Venezuelan influence is strong, courtesy of the ubiquitous Figueira and due to the appearance of La Gallera Social Club on two of the eight tracks. There is a warmth and playfulness in both tone and content and there's a nostalgia too, expressed in unapologetic terms by means of the squelching synths of sticky dance floors past, and sun-drenched funk guitar licks.