Ricardo Villalobos, “1º Encuentro Latinoamericano de la Soledad” [none]

We’ve all heard someone described as “the life of the party” or the guy/gal who “brings the party.” Ricardo Villalobos, my beloved Chilean techno muppet, is definitely one of those people when he’s behind the turntables (and probably in general, but I’ve never met the man). A mysterious new track unearthed by Oh My Gosh literally brings the party to your speakers. Celebratory crowd noise acts as shifting texture under a skinny, snappy percussion arrangement and two note piano riff, a steadily modulating bass pulse stopping in occasionally to check if you need another tequila shot. But the real pay off is a sung chant of the song’s title which bubbles up and becomes the track’s main melody — a sample of famous Chilean group Los Jaivas, according to the Spanish blog, Sufmart. Rousing almost to a fault, it has the potential to get clubbers arm in arm, chanting along with unintentional but no less heartfelt South American pride. In true Villalobos style, “Encuentro” is nearly 21 minutes long; to me, it sounds like a set-closer, the kind of track the DJ puts on then leaves the booth to sweat it out with the crowd. I hope this sees proper release soon so I can test out my theory.

Pär Grindvik, “Do Us Apart” [Drumcode]

Super Flu, “Tripple Mapple” [Traum Schallplatten]