CD Reviews

Maga Bo

Confusion of Tongues | Soot

By SUSANNA BOLLE | October 8, 2007

3.0 Stars

Brazil-based DJ and producer Maga Bo (a/k/a Bo Anderson) is a sound recordist by profession and a traveler by inclination. And his music and mixes reflect this peripatetic nature. On this his debut full-length, Bo serves up a kaleidoscopic mix of bhangra breaks, Jamaican bounce, North African hip-hop, jungle rhythms, Gypsy melodies, loads of Brazilian funk, and more. Released on DJ /rupture’s Soot imprint, the album boasts a number of tracks by labelmates — Timeblind, Nettle, Filastine — who share his border-crossing æsthetic and love of the intricate rhythms of the street. But the high points are Bo’s original productions, which spotlight his collaborations with the likes of Sengalese rapper Xuman and frenetic Brazilian MCs K-Libre and B Ngao. Even at its most out-there adventurous, Confusion of Tongues is an exhilarating and at times downright dance-worthy cross-cultural concoction.

Maga Bo | Enormous Room, 569 Mass Ave, Cambridge | October 15 | 617.491.5550

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Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music

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