Search - Up Bustle & Out :: Master Sessions 2 Calle 23 Havana

Master Sessions continued!

joakim247 | Trondheim, Norway | 09/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The first volume in this series took me by a storm. UBO combined mellow beats and the trademarks of Bristol with the spirit of Cuba, lending some of the best cubans to put down their work. The second volume in the series follows up where their first one left off. It all starts really tasteful with "Coffee Contamination", featuring laidback trumpetplay combined with those beats we all love UBO for. From there on and in to the final, UBO mixes up traditional Cuban music with the grooviest beats, and the most pleasant, laidback samples this side of the Atlantic. Definitive highlights include: "Desoarga Caramelo", "Sane Men Surround", "Dominoe Boys", "Barrio Beats" and "Rough Plough, Diamond Needle". "Barrio Beats" sounds like the follow-up to their notorious "Hip-Hop Barrio" from volume one. All in all, another excellent effort from UBO. If you like them, and love their first Master Session, be sure to grab this one as well! UBO haven't changed their winning formula from vol. 1 to this new one, but what the heck - we luv 'em! Stars: 4,75."

Cuba remixed . . . and then some

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 11/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite the long title, "Master Sessions, Vol. 2: Calle 23, Havana, Cuba" can be summarized with one word: fantastic. This Up Bustle & Out project hits another home run. One of the surprising aspects of this disc is the balance between those musical ideas that would described as having a distinctively Cuban sound versus those that might simply be thought of as straight techno or dance. Only about 2/3 to 1/2 of the music has a recognizably Latin flavor. If you were expected the Buena Vista Social Club trance remix, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, the project avoids becoming a cliché as "Volume 2" doesn't force the theme. Regardless of genre, all of the music is outstanding. 'Coffee Contamination' is infused with Jazz. The electric bass improvisation is stellar. Not to be improvisationally outdone, 'Descarga Caramelo' plays Latin Jazz while 'Siempre me levanto' is Salsa. Finishing with mysterious dialogue, 'Sane Men Surround' is a tricked out tune featuring melodica. As a return to Jazz, 'Dominoe Boys' is high on the funk factor. Dropping some heavy psychedelia, 'Rough Plough, Diamond Needle' shows off some heavy beats. One of the remarkable elements of this album is the way that it balances digital modernity with live action improvisation. This blends the hipness of turntablism with the energy of real-time musicians. Since "volume 2" is a blend of Cuban and trans-Cuban ideas, it is hard to compare it with musical projects that exclusively focus on a post-modern blending, translating and remixing of Cuban music. That written, this Up Bustle & Out release blows Bill Laswell's "Imaginary Cuba" out of the water. "Master Sessions, Vol. 2: Calle 23, Havana, Cuba" stands as a fantastic journey to Cuba and beyond."