Una Mas Trio
Saturday, February 14th, 2009 by Julijaurban // equatorial 
Una Mas Trio define their irresistible upbeat harmonies as boogaloo, a fusion of Cuban salsa rhythms and American soul. The project was born when a member of the Juju Orchestra teamed up with composer/producer Christian Schilgen. Together with the enigmatic poetess/singer Bajka they fused dancefloor-friendly jazz and contemporary beats. In “Clear As Water”, due to be released in March 10th, Una Mas Trio blend urban grooves, catchy up-tempo energy and world music traditions. Bajka’s tone and phrasing provides perfect vocal flavor to the track.
Modern grooves mixed with world rhythms.
Una Mas Trio – Clear As Water (Mo’Horizons Restyle)
+ Purchase/Visit
The German-based producers and DJs of 
The retro feel of Kitty Hoff’s album Blick Ins Tal (2007) recalls the elegance of classic bossa nova and vintage swing. While it might be difficult to imagine a language like German playing well with the bossa tempo, “Toc-Toc-Toc” carries graceful vocal lines and laid-back grooves in a light, rhythmic and relaxed pace. The tasteful arrangements, lovely piano and solid bass of “Psychenswing” create a unique sense of nostalgia and style.
Lead by multi-talended producer Thomas Brenneck, The Menahan Street Band offers a solid blend of instrumental funk, late sixties sounding soul, latin grooves and afrobeat. Back in 2007, long before the group’s debut album, the Brooklyn based ensemble drew attention for their outstanding “Make The Road By Walking” track, which was sampled for the ubiquitous Jay-Z’s hit “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)”. “Home Again!”, a mid-tempo composition from the recently released Menahan album embodies warm guitar melodies and tightly structured horn arrangements.
Inspired by traditional African music and hypnotic tribal chants, Quebec natives Doriane Fabreg (Doba) and Carole Facal (Caracol) entwine the ethnic rhythms and modern grooves into a moving sound-journey. As the duo blends a variety of styles with a mixture of French, English and occasional African dialects, DobaCaracol delivers unique and organic arrangements. The standout percussion driven DobaCaracol’s tracks “Étrange” and “Baiser Salé” carry the earthy, warm vibe of afro-beat, dynamic Manu Chao-like nuances and a certain funky, relaxed attitude.
The essence of Brazilian Bossa nova is the subtle mixture of wistful melancholy, joy and yearning, often defined as 
The delightful and energetic rhythms of Brazil transform the listeners of Mariana Da Cruz far away from the clichéd carnivals, bikinis and samba-plumes to the urban and still romantic part of the tropical country. A choir and Bossa nova singer, Da Cruz has been performing at the clubs of São Paulo and Lisbon, Portugal, where she absorbed the influences of fashionable European electro and traditional 
Leaving her native Cuba to pursue her music career, Addys Mercedes has been recording in Barcelona, Duesseldorf and New York with her musician friends from around the globe. While Addys doesn’t bring anything innovative to the heyday of Afro-Cuban, it’s the energetic bouncing patterns that keep my hips gladly swaying to the rhythm. The spicy hot and pulsating afro-beat, solid production and a warm summery vibe of “Afro D’Mercedes” makes it the standout track of Nomad (2003).