Utopía

Album Review

Tijuana electronic music continues to excel over all expectations of what most listeners would pragmatically assume to be an obvious fusion scene of cliché Hispanic sounds and techno techniques. But while it's mostly Europeans who shamelessly graft every conceivable genre of regional music on to computer grooves, true Hispanic artists like Fernando Díaz Corona are pushing forward the electronic template, presumably thrilled with the separation of cultural hegemony and true experimentation. For his part as Murcof, Corona achieved his own alchemy of sorts, bringing together classical music and muted electronics in perfect harmony on his 2002 release, Martes. This tie-over release does more than pacify; it fully satisfies. Remixes from Aeroc, Icarus, and Coleen create breathless vistas while Sutekh and Fax create punchy dubs. But most impressive are the two new Murcof tracks, previously released only on 12" singles, with "Ulysses" growing into an epic of symphonic shoegazing perfection that is made all the more impressive when it's noted that Corona abandoned his string-filled sampler in favor of his own classical composition. Someone get this gent into a studio with a full orchestra and let the next recordings begin.