Karimba

iTunes Review

Many artists layer traditional music over contemporary electronics and beats. On Novalima’s 2012 release Karimba, this strategy succeeds wonderfully. Novalima, a Lima-based collective that's been around since 2001, combines Afro-Peruvian music with 21st-century elements to create an intense and entrancing sound. Karimba is a focused effort; there isn’t a great deal of variation from track to track, but the group finds ways to subtly change things up. The album starts strongly with “Festejo,” which rattles with percussion and synth squelches as an impressive female vocalist lets loose. “Revolucion” rides a strikingly syncopated Cuban groove, and “Zarambe” moves at a brisk pace while incorporating dub effects. “Luna Ciega” features martial drumming and other driving rhythms, and the funky “Hotel BCN” uses tumbling drums, guitar riffs, echoing voices, and horns to create a sonic panoply. The spare title track—an adaptation of a traditional song—closes the album with a drum-and-vocal workout ornamented with scrappy keyboard baubles.