Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

It was only last week we were getting into the cut up loop sounds of Spain’s El Guincho and his new album Alegranza so MIS (aka Camilo Lara) is an expert in the same area but and it seems a great time for this re-issue.

I won’t says he’s more dancefloor friendly than El Guincho, but it’s definitely a more upbeat approach; particularly the opener “Bienvenidos A Mi Disco” that’s exactly what it says on the tin.

Fans of 60’s Brasilia and T.V. theme tunes and Guinness Adverts should immediately tune into ‘Mirando A Las Muchachas’ and for the big tune sing-a-long, ‘Hey Tia!’.

The whole feel of this album is like it should have been on Afro Art (at Paul Murphy’s quirky best (I bet he’d love ‘La La La’ and ‘Cha Cha Cha’, too Benny Hill?) with some of Daedelus’ magic from the leftfield hip hop and the sounds of a Biggabush DJ session. And if just to enforce the point, ‘Buena Idea’ has a movie tune backing to simple beats and ‘Drume Negrita’ uses the drum machine, a gentle piano riff with the odd bit of scratchin’. It’s a shame that he’s just full of idea’s (like Shawn ‘Miles Of Styles’ Lee?) as some of these tracks are little gems like ‘Cyber Mambo’ and ‘Juan Ruifo’ - it seems like he’s hit on a bright idea, runs with it for 90 seconds and moves on. ‘Jaja Pipi’ and ‘Samba…Y Mola’ are particularly good examples of his bad habit.

Thankfully there are enough tracks in the 3 to 4 minute range to make up for this slight irritation. Space ship synth and a bouncey beat feature in ‘Cancion De Amor Para Mi Futura Novia’ and it’s the one I love most at the moment even if it’s at a slower pace; along with the freak-out dub version of ‘A El Tiempo Es Muy Largo’ (twist those knobs baby!)

The last track is another quasi Daedelus with as it’s a slow build up of synthy noises to a repeated but again it’s not long enough. And when I say last track, as this is a re-issue his album first out on Nacional Records, there’s a massive seven ‘Bonus Tracks’. Now 9 times out of 10, bonus tracks are nothing of the sort on CDs and I feared the worst with the first one but things quickly get back to normal with some dub, samba, banghra, d’n’b and cha cha cha influences.

Impressive stuff and worth catching up with last years’ album Piñata and the ‘Escribeme Pronto’ remixes (both on Cooking Vinyl). MIS might be an underground cult champion but if you are after some happy Latin inspired boogie beats for head and feat, he’s got the maxico.

Hectic Mix nominations: Canico De Amour’, ‘Dub A El Tampe, ‘Sauve!’, ‘La La La’, ‘Cha Cha Cha’, M.F.P.D.A. (MIS remix)

Reviewed: Mexican Institute Of Sound - Méjico Máxico (Cooking Vinyl) Cat No: cookcd414 Release date: October 2008
Tracklisting
1. Bienvenidos A Mi Disco.
2. OK!
3. Mirando A Las Muchachas
4. Jaja Pipi
5. Buena Idea
6. Drume Negrita
7. Cyber Mambo
8. Juan Rulfo
9. Corasound
10. Cancion De Amor Para Mi Futura Novia
11. Sabrosa
12. Hey Tia!
13. Que Rico
14. Dub-A El Tiempo Es Muy Largo
15. No Hay Masa ya
Bonus Tracks
16. Lennin Y McCarthur
17. Tristeza Hawaiana
18. Yo No Estaba, Me Contaron
19. Samba….y Mola
20. La La La
21. Suave!
22. Cha Cha Cha
23. M.F.P.D.A (remixed by M.I.S)

Links
www.myspace.com/mexicaninstituteofsound
www.cookingvinyl.com
www.nacionalrecords.com
Murcof with BCN 216 & Flicker- The Wire sponsers the Mexican electronic composer’s CMN tour of a new suite accompanied by Spanish string ensemble BCN 216 and Flicker’s light show - support Oren Marshall Various 14-22 November 2008