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Review by Gary C.W. Chun
Star-Bulletin

"Escena Alterlatina: The Future Sound in Español"
Various Artists (Ark 21)

This great compilation has been on store shelves for a couple of months now. Search for it, ask for it, whatever -- just get it, this fine sampler of some of the best contemporary Latin alternative rock and hip-hop.

It's an exciting hybrid of music from Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, as well as the United States. While it would help if you could understand the native languages, there's no need for translation for the basic musical oomph of these well-chosen tracks.

Some of the more ear-grabbing songs throw caution to the wind to create jarring sounds and rhythms that work because of their audacity. Argentina's Arbol combines an acoustic country fiddle with riffing metal rock on "Es Lo Que Hay." Kinky from Monterrey, Mexico, contributes a groovy little dance number, "El Pato," that appends a scratch sample of a bit of homeland norteño.

L.A.'s Delinquent Habits' follow-up to their '96 breakout hit "Tres Delinquentes," "Return of the Tres," adeptly mixes up rolling hip-hop bass with DJ O.G. Style scratching in mariachi horns over Kemo and Ives' English and Spanish raps. An English-language version of "My Commanding Wife" ("--she want to destroy my life!") is some hearty Latin pop/punk from Panama's Los Rabanes.

More "alternative rock" is featured on two tracks; the self-described "melancholic Space Rock" of Miami's Volumen Cero with a slick but pleasant number, "Mas," and a taste of the very popular Mexican singer Julieta Venegas with "Me Van A Matar."

California's Bay area seems to be a tremendous breakout area for new Latin sounds. Orixa, recent winners of the California Music Award for Outstanding Latin Album, are bilingual members of what the band calls "Latin ruckus culture," part of the area's "rock en Español" scene. The band gets two tracks on the comp, the energizing ska of "No Importa" and a rousing hip-hop/rocker called "2-0-1-2."

And from San Francisco's Mission barrio, a district that spawned such bands as Santana and Malo, comes Los Mocosos. "Caliente" is a party song with a strong vocal by singer/percussionist Piero El Malo, with punctuating piano and horns that show off the band's immigrant Latino roots.

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