Puro Carnaval

From the opening track and throughout this album there is an electronic energy and vibrancy that makes you want to engage, bob your head, shake a leg and smile. Yes, it is cumbia and of a Latin American rhythm and flavour, but not as we know it. The singing is Spanish and the beats born of Gypsy punk and feral funk with a top slice of hi-NRG spirit, but this alien pop is from Lithuania.

Planeta Polar combine cumbia, funk bass and synth-heavy 70s jazz fusion to bring you a festival from another planet. It comes as no surprise to discover that frontman Adomas Koreniukas once appeared dressed as a clown, playing the accordion on a unicycle on Peru’s Got Talent. Starting life as Parranda Polar, the group craved more presence and a distinct identity and, following a manifesto for change, Planeta Polar was born. A synth was fitted to the Koreniukas’ accordion, Paulius Vaškas’ basslines became funkier and Jonas Narbutas’ kit received a digital makeover. It’s like Pigeon Street met Devo at an 8-bit bazaar somewhere in Latin America. This album is a collection of kaleidoscopic, joyful, out-of-this-world, cosmic beauty.