Suburban Exotica

Suburban Exotica is the new album from the ‘Belgian-new-wave’ jazz collective Compro Oro. The group display a myriad of influences from a wide palette of musicians, regions and styles. On album opener ‘Miami New Wave’ they blend a mixture of synths and electronics à la LCD Soundsystem with Touareg-esque guitars in the vein of Bombino. ‘Mogadishu’ creates a dubbed-out atmosphere with processed electronics and percussion, with a nod to Mulatu Astatke provided by vibes and marimba. ‘Lalibela’ takes its triplet propulsion and Malian electric guitar stylings from Songhoy Blues with added synths and tuned percussion.

Presenting themselves as ‘a psychedelic underground road trip to Africa, the Middle East and the Americas via Belgium’ is at the expense of the artists and styles they draw from. Their press release states they are ‘deep into several ethnic music traditions’ with ‘dark grooves’ and ‘exotic rhythms.’ The ‘exoticism’ portrayed in the press release, album name and the music lead to the question: what exactly are they attempting to portray? Not only do the different styles create a convoluted aesthetic, but they also compromise on the chance to create something truly unique and original.