All roads must not lead to Rome.
Occasionally, the path being tread leads elsewhere; a lesson so simple even a compass can comprehend. Unfortunately, much like roads, not all lessons are the same. A sad reality, but any road traveled, regardless of frequency, must conclude. Destiny is a cruel mistress. Whether by round-trip or sudden lack of pavement, all travel eventually comes to a halt.
Or as Hector Lavoe sang, "Todo Tiene suuuu finaaaaal"
Inevitability aside, the road most relevant to this post is the IC2. The subject, after all, is the creative partnership between Nunex & Famifox; two beat-makers both named Miguel. Located in the city of Sacavém, just eight miles north-east of Lisbon, these two DJs form Alto Nivel Produções. Here, in a community called Quinta do Mocho, A.N makes its music of choice: afro-house (good rhythm that does not rely on "ghetto" digital drums amidst a clear preference for melody). The sound is generally mid-tempo and the instruments are traditional; though by no means does the crew avoid synth. Rhythm-wise, batuco often appear on A.N tracks as does kuduro as well.
Despite the allusion to salsa, in addition to the very good "AfroLatin Guitar 2014," what follows are not Latin flavors; heard on these pages time and time again. Instead, what follows is another mid-tempo afro-house track. The introduction is sparse; made up of only bass, kick-drum, and flute. Quickly, however, the rhythm is elaborated upon by a hybrid digital/analogue percussion. The same applies for the layered melody of flutes and MIDI counterparts. A tune that progresses consistently, the moment of elation arrives not a minute too late: in the third section with percussion solos and the unanticipated peripheral tabla.
Nothing at all can be said about the song below that is negative. Listeners and the authors can only hope that this is in fact not the end of Alto Nivel's estrada
- John Noggle
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