Sulle Rive del Tango

Tango has been described as the oldest world music: its dance rhythm colonised half the world before 1920. This double album lifts tracks from four earlier compilations produced by the Sulle Rive collective, which styles itself as a ‘production lab,’ and whose mysterious members are based in Naples, Milan and Barcelona. The accent is firmly on explorations away from the River Plate and while this is not an electro tango project, much of the music is lounge-oriented and pared-down. The influence of Astor Piazzolla – who lived in Italy for years and produced some of his best-known works there – is all over the songs. But the tango beat is a versatile prop on which to drape a huge variety of moods and musical styles. Many of the 25 tracks are excellent, from Carmen Paris’ upbeat, swinging ‘25 Años’ to Ascanio Celestini's witty, world-weary ‘L’Amore Stupisce’ to the wonderful surprise of Louis Armstrong's ‘Kiss of Fire’. But there are many riches here, and choosing only one or two is unfair. The Sulle Rive concept is sexy, scintillating and smart; on this evidence, the first world music has still got a lot of mileage.