Los Amigos Invisibles

On Tuesday day I wrote about The Revolution, a project that blended the old and new, with musicians rooted in different scenes coming together to form something new. Today, I've got something completely different for you. While a lot of their music sounds like it owes a lot to 70's funk and disco and early 80's pop, Los Amigos Invisibles put together a crazy sound that stands out in my music library. I actually mentioned them last month (back here), when I wrote about Luaka Bop's (their label) latest release, a compilation of songs from their twenty one years in existence. The band owes a lot to David Byrne (the label's founder), as he helped them reach beyond the borders of Venezuela (their home country) with their music to a global audience.

The band just released their latest album, Commercial, earlier this month, and it's a ton of fun. As mentioned above, the band has a sound that feels like they were big fans of 80's music, with healthy doses of funk, disco, and Latin rhythms thrown in to get things a little crazy. It seems like it's got all the trappings of cheesy lounge dance music, but somehow the group is able to pull it off and make it really enjoyable. As with the last album, the majority of songs here are in Spanish, although there is a smidgen of English as well. From what I've heard (although I don't have any direct experience), they put on a killer show, so check the tour dates below to see if they're swinging by anywhere near you.

Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras : Commercial

and an older one:

Los Amigos Invisibles - Ultra-Funk : New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera

Visit their website, their label Nacional Records, and become their friend on Myspace.

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Upcoming tour dates

6/20: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6/23: New York, NY @ Nublu (CD Release Show)
7/10: Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park (LAMC/Celebrate Brooklyn)
7/12: Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
8/5: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
8/6: San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
8/7: Los Angeles, CA @ House Of Blues Sunset Strip
8/8: San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
10/2: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival