Fiebre

Following quickly enough on the heels of the sparse and mysterious Continentes Perdidos EP under the tangential moniker DNGDNGDNG, and more recently Discos en 3/Cuartos, the polyrhythmic anthology they curated on their own new label Kebrada, the masked marauders of tropical electronics get back to their main thing. The Peruvian duo, now operating out of Berlin, are among the most intrepid musical explorers to emerge from Latin America’s digital cumbia movement, digging deeper into the complex roots of music in their region, and likewise into the possibilities of electronic production. In keeping with their startling shamanic costumes, the seven tracks on Fiebre are as sweaty, unsettling, and delirious as the title (“fever”) suggests. Where DDD distinguish themselves is in their capacity for creating deeply psychedelic music that isn’t predicated on ambiguous sonic murk and mush. The psychoactive principle is in fact the opposite. Every element, every detail, every metallic clang and mystical utterance, is revealed with an uncanny clarity – though no less wondrous and disturbing for it. The one track that’s an odd fit on Fiebre is the synth-soaked, almost Gothic “Alborada”. Among the abstract incantations of Amazonian brujeria, it’s a dark-hued dance of the damned in a crumbling Catholic cathedral.