AAM
Kraut Slut
(Static Discos)
Release date: May 8, 2007
Curb Your Cynicism is a recurring blogtastic feature in which the music editor pithily enthuses about new releases and reissues he thinks will enhance your life and erode your cynicism about the state of music, circa now.
Ah, Mexican techno. Huh? You don't know about the thriving techno scene south of the border? ¡Escucha, amigos! Tijuana in particular is booming with electronic musicians, and that fine city is the home base of Static Discos, Mexico's premier label for such adventurous sounds. I've yet to hear a weak release on Static, yet it hasn't really racked up the acclaim it should, perhaps due to its patchy distribution and relative isolation in Central America (though it has an office in San Diego, too).
AAM (Antiguo Autómata Mexicano, a.k.a. Angel Sánchez Borges) formerly played in Mex underground rock bands Superdrogas and Slow Motion Love, and also currently records as Seekers Who Are Lovers. None of which I've heard, but no matter, because AAM is the business. Similar to Jan Jelinek's recent work, Kraut Slut is not at all as crass as that title would lead you to believe (it's not a concept album about a Teutonic tart). Rather, it is an incredibly deep and cerebral exploration of minimal glitchy techno and early-'70s experimental German rock (two of my favorite styles, whaddaya know?). Sure, you're thinking, with dripping sarcasm: party central. But seriously, tracks like “All Styl,” “Mitte,” and “Co-opt (I.A. Bericochea Mix)” burble, bounce, throb, and percolate with pizazz; I can imagine them warming up a club crowd during a Ricardo Villalobos or Luciano DJ set—and you know how hard those hombres like to party.
Like the nachos most U.S.-based Mexican restaurants place on your table, Static Discos' releases entice you to consume them with obsessive gusto. I humbly suggest you start with Kraut Slut and make your way through the entire zesty back catalog.
