Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Omar Sosa: Mulatos Remix

170

Omar Sosa: Mulatos Remix

By

View read count
Given the source material for this remix project, expectations will no doubt be running high. Mulatos (Ota, 2004) brought Cuban pianist Omar Sosa's multilateral vision to his broadest international audience to date, earning Grammy and BBC Radio 3 nominations for its warm, flowing sound (as well as a spot on my own short list).

Be prepared to scale back those expectations when you hit play on Mulatos Remix. It's only fair, really. These ten beat-heavy, loopy electronic remixes do a great job at the mix and match thing, bringing colorful instrumental splashes into unexpected juxtaposition, but for the most part they fail to come to life.

That said, I'm sure that people who hear this music in Paris nightclubs and lounges will have no problem enjoying it all night long. But to me, the inorganic and sometimes formulaic approach just seems to be antithetical to the whole spirit of Omar Sosa, who has defined himself as a living, breathing musician who invents his own formula. It's all relative, and you have to be aware of the dangers of expectation, which is part of the lesson here: electronic music is a many-headed beast.

Five mostly Paris-based alternative remixers are responsible for these ten tracks: DJ Basephunk, Doctor L, DJ Spinna, Marque Gilmore, and Steve Argüelles—who also produced both this collection and the original Mulatos. The overall sound falls toward the relaxed, loungey side, but some parts lean more toward hip-hop (like Spinna's boom-bap round on the turntables) or drum-n-bass (Marque Gilmore's two tracks at the end).

You'll want to listen closely to Argüelles' two tracks, which are the hippest and loosest on the disc. They also include outtakes from the original record. These "plush vocal mixes" are the most song-like, not just due to the odd vocal antics on top, but especially because they emphasize melody and return.

Personnel

Omar Sosa
piano

Album information

Title: Mulatos Remix | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Ota Records


About Omar Sosa

Tags


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Become a Sustaining Member

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.

More

Mas Alto
Todd DelGiudice
Odyssey
Denny Zeitlin
Airborn
Eddie Parker's Airborn With Rob Luft

Popular

Desolation Row
David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado
2014 NYC
King Crimson
Beneath Lifted Skies
Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana
Talamanti
Patricia Brennan and Sylvie Courvoisier

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletters highlight our top stories, top album reviews, website news, free songs, radio & podcast shows, news, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.