LAGARTIJEANDO Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Lagartijeando is a key figure in the alt-Latin electronic scene alongside the likes of Nicola Cruz and Chancha Via Circuito. He makes an essential return here with 7 Caminos, a fourth career long player with Wonderwheel. Recorded between Cholula, Mexico and Tarapoto in Peru, it transports you in double quick time to the South American jungle and Mexican Altiplano volcanoes. Sunny melodies take flight over shuffling rhythms, dubby basslines unfurl like flowers at dawn and intimate vocal whispers bring a human touch to the rhythms. A gorgeous soundtrack to a perfect afternoon of escapism.

Review: Mati Zundel aka. Lagartijeando has been releasing cumbia-esque, Andean influenced dance music since 2010, though it's only in more recent years that the artist has rerouted his craft to LPs, of which this latest record is the fourth. With "camino" translating from Spanish to mean "path" or "way" - the word often carries a spiritual meaning - Zundel here aims to emphasise the many sprouting, vicissitudinous paths down which life may thrust us, despite the ever-present illusion of choice. After moving to Chula, Mexico, the artist drew inspiration from the landscapes and cultures of the northern tip of Latin America, reflecting local intrigues and mountainous mysteries. Armed with regional instruments, such as Andean winds and charango, Lagartijeando produces such danceable dazzlements as 'Cholula' and 'Que Lindo Sale La Luna', which stand out as the most heated songs here, their stylistic range offering a sense of the many choices that remain open to us.