Tumi Music News
To'Mezclao UK Tour
The Latest Cuban sensational music group, To'Mezclao, coming on its first UK tour from June 15th 2010 to July 15th 2010.
Review of To'Mezclao by Jane Cornwell in Songlines (March 2009):
The best thing to come out of Cuba in recent times? So asserts Tumi label boss Mo Fini, who waxes long and rapturous about this indisputably vibrant collective in the accompanying DVD. And the Havana-based To’Mezclao are indeed very good: a seven-strong crew of music enthusiasts whose versatility (and danceability) knows no bounds. Cubans, of course, have music in their DNA, and to stand out in a country which currently boasts the likes of Guantanamo rappers Madera Limpia and Havana’s jazz-leaning Interactivo collective is really saying something. Fronted by the doe-eyed and taut-of-torso singer Yoandri “El Conejo” Castro, with project founder DJ Lyng Chang on decks and sisters Yusi and Yonaiky González on flute and keyboards respectively, To’Mezclao spark mass hysteria wherever they perform – as the DVD, which features El Conejo and guest singer Crema pelvic-thrusting in unison – testifies. They’ve also collaborated with symphony orchestras and the likes of Brazilian piano legend João Donato.
As their name – meaning “all mixed up” – suggests, To’Mezclao cast their net over a wide variety of musical styles from Cuba and elsewhere in the Latin diaspora and combine it with influences from the contemporary West. You’ll hear everything from cumbia, meringue and salsa to hip-hop, funk and reggaeton. It never loses sight of the band’s Cuban roots, although it is delivered with a pop sensibility that keeps things catchy and punchy without ever being formulaic. The opening merengue “Aqui Todo Ya Esta Inventao” is a perfectly formed three-minute hit. “Quiero Olividarla” should do for salsa sessions what the beats-heavy “Cuando Pasa El Tiempo” does for club dance floors. Someone get them an international tour, quick.
For tour dates and other information, please visit: www.tomezclao.com
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