He Hecho Mucho Por Ti is the Spanish title of the new ‘Palov meets A Angelides’ mini-album – or as it runs in English, “I’ve Done Plenty Of Things For You,” almost as if in answer to the question, ‘What have the Greeks ever done for us?’ And if that sounds a bit like a Monty Python sketch, consider the absurdity of its having been Greeks who’ve been behind a significant amount of quality Latin and Caribbean-flavoured breakbeat music in the last half decade as opposed to say – er – Latins and Caribbeans. One label, in particular that has played its part is Carnibal Records – the brainchild of Panama Cardoon and Palov. But where you’d be in with a more than even chance of finding samples on your typical Carnibal release, the aim here is all about the OG sounds. And so it is that Palov hooks up once again with erstwhile musical homie, guitarist A Angelides, for another round of Latin and Caribbean numbers on which they seek additional instrumental and vocal talent by sedulously avoiding anyone who lives outside of Athens – although cunningly, that does allow them to employ Dominica-to-Greece transplant MC BnC, Mexican singer Daniela Bolano, and Greek-Australian saxophonist Jim Staridas, among others.
The nine-tracker manages to evoke both lazy sun-soaked afternoons as well as those evenings when you can still feel the heat rising from the ground after midnight. Palov’s beats and Angelides jazz-influenced guitar are omnipresent and provide the bedrock for all the tunes from the lively shuffle of opener Omkar to the equally lively shuffle of closer Joder. The centrepiece (and also the mellowest tune) is the North-African-sounding instro Afrika Revisited which conjures nothing so much as pleasant times lazing around smoking – well – something amid shady alcoves and water fountains covered in Moorish tiling. Two of the biggest highlights are also instros: the insistent skank of Matt Blanco and the rolling latin funky groove of Lokums And Matches on which verses alternate between being led by Angelides’ guitar and being led by a kanoon player. Three of the vocal cuts also stand out – the rapid drum shuffle and jazz guitar picking of Joder which features (eventually) a verse from Bolano, the dubby Jammaroots-featuring reggae groove of Inner Melody and, best of all, the rolling cumbia breaks of Killer Diller which showcases both BnC and Lady Faye.
(Out now on Spang Recordings)