ANALOG DRIFT by CHICO MANN

The sounds of Africa have taken multi-instrumentalist Chico Mann�aka Marcos Garc�a�all over the world. So it�s fitting that on Analog Drift, his second album and first for Wax Poetics Records, he�s returning the favor. Over the course of twelve thumping, impossibly soulful songs, including a cover of Talking Heads� �Once in a Lifetime,� Chico Mann introduces the rhythms and guitarisms of Afrobeat to the music of Cuba, the Latin freestyle flavors of 1980s New York and Miami, and the synth-heavy electro beats of dance floors across the globe.�I�ve spent years learning to speak Afrobeat, albeit with a Cuban accent,� Garc�a says. �What I do is engage Afrobeat in conversation with Afro-Cuban funk, while electro and freestyle set the stage. I�m employing several dialects to make a larger musical statement. They�re all branches of the same tree.� And that�s exactly what Analog Drift is: a statement. It�s saying something. At a time when most artists are blowing smoke in your face, Garc�a is blowing soul in your face. Not to mention truth and feeling. Songs like the searching �Mentirosos� and the reflective �Hay Que Correr� are guaranteed to get right to the heart of your matter; plus, synthy rumpshakers like �Anima� and �All That Is Rising� have been proven to get you movin�. So Garc�a�s music is good for your mind and behind. And it�s always real. The total package. But Garc�a says it best himself, on �Go to that Place�: �If you want it you can have it / If you want it, you can take it, you can grab it.� So go out and get what you want, and let Chico Mann provide the soundtrack!