King Changó "The Return of El Santo" Luaka Bop – Washington Times

by Geoffrey Himes – Friday, November 17, 2000

Rock 'n' roll has always thrived on its ability to scramble musical ingredients from different races, classes and regions into something unprecedented. By adding the smorgasbord of Latin musics to the menu, the rock en espanol movement has exponentially expanded the possible combinations. No band has taken better advantage of this opportunity than King Chango, the New York group named after the Afro-Cuban god of war.

This ensemble of Venezuelan, Asian, Dominican and Puerto Rican immigrants grew up in the punk-ska movement, but on their second album, "The Return of El Santo," King chanog extends its reach to include everything from rap-metal to dub reggae and trip-hop. It's a breathtakingly ambitious recording, and it works because the band doesn't jump from style to style but fuses them into a fresh, coherent sound.

The various pieces are cemented by a strange mix of political outrage and cartoonish humor. The album, after all, is named after a silver-masked legend of Mexican wrestling, and the title track suggests that "El Santo" is coming back to free the peasants of Chiapas, even the music goes from Tex-Mex accordion to Rage Against the Machine like guitar.

That song's in Spanish, but "I Don't Care" is an English-language song that marries an infectious pop melody to a bubbly ska groove. It all comes together on the bilingual "Finalmente," which urges a dance-happy rebellion against the discrimination faced by Latin immigrants in North America. This tune's hip-hop breaks, clave rhythms and punk energy suggest that King Chango could at least defeat the musical prejudice faced by alternative-Latin bands.

Read More about King Chango:

Sonic Net
CMJ Review
King Chango Interview - loquesea.com