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On the back of successful recent tours of the US and Europe and support from a host of international DJs, ZZK Sound Volume II marks the evolution of the sound since the foundation of the label some five years ago.

The compilation brings together 18 artists from Argentina and beyond with appearances by French-Canadian producer Ghislain Poirier and Brooklyn resident Uproot Andy alongside already established local producers such as Chancha Via Circuito and Axel Krygier. Though the label is all too easily pigeonholed as “electronic cumbia”, the artists showcased here are not contained by stlye or genre, fusing dub, dancehall, folklorica, cumbia and hip-hop whilst unwittingly creating their own styles in the process. This is no coffee table electronic tango compilation.

This fresh sound of many artists contributing tracks shows how artists are pushing the “Latin American” sound in new directions and it is beginning to gain recognition across the world. MeNeO’s Licuadora sums up the album as it slurs: “life is a blender, my president the blender, people in the blender, mixed in the blender,” the track’s style best described as a dancehall meets techno-cumbia breakdown complete with barking dog samples. Dubstep producer Daleduro offers a mutant-cumbia whose beat constantly threatens to break into drum ‘n’ bass over sirens and synths. The future of the scene is also demonstrated by tracks by relatively unknown artists such as Lulacruza’s seductive Soloina and the cumbia-step of Arcade’s Rastrishop.

Though not every track will be to every listeners liking, the diversity and freshness of the collection is exciting and rewarding, offering an insight into the rich scene thriving in the southern hemisphere.

ZZK 2 is available on Itunes and will be released on June 23rd by Nacional records.