Y Se Fue en la Bolita

Led by two Chilean brothers based in Belgium, Xamanek make a fusion of Latin rock that incorporates elements of hip-hop, reggae, Latin folk music and Gypsy swing. Their intentions are laudable: this is music to have a good time and dance to, and live they are probably a great night out. Yet on record, they suffer the fate of so many other Latin fusion bands in that there is no subtlety in the production. They are simply too eager to please, shouting at you when they should be serenading, each instrument battling it out for space when they should be complementing each other. It's best exemplified by the folk-rock of ‘Melodía’, which has the hyperactivity of a video game soundtrack. A compromise is found on the final track, ‘Ça Va La Vie’, a swooning swing track featuring members of Chilean group Juana Fe. But it's too little too late. Interesting ideas like the violin-augmented, pseudo-reggae ‘Tu Vida’ and flute-bolstered folk of ‘Libro Abierto’ show that the group have plenty of good ideas, but they need to find a better way of transmitting them.