Javi Carabalí’s latest EP is an absolute trip of multifaceted and complicated latin music structures that are very engaging, bustling, typically melodic and chic for the genre, as well as gorgeously distinctive for this one-of-a-kind composer.
Colombian musician and composer Javi Carabalí is based in the capital Bogota, and his sound is nothing short of infectious on his latest 3-song EP Tripletazo #2 Con Tu Amor. It has been a great joy experiencing Javi Carabalí as he handles seemingly simple melodic and harmonic ideas, growing them into hypnotizingly complicated sonic soundscapes with a healthy blend of latin beats, rapping, vocal harmonies, and an array of synth lines and various other sound effects. On each of the EP’s 3 songs we witness Carabalí execute this with 3 wholly different results.
The EP starts with ‘Con Tu Amor’, a fusion of latin pop, calypso, and reggae. A stunning progression that is topped by a very dynamic arrangement of characterful handpans, ethereal pads, colorful singing by Laoma Chavaco, sparkling guitar lines, and a superbly tight production job that is keeping together a borderline overwhelming amount of detail streamlined, sweet, and even smooth. ‘Primavera’ follows and at 5 minutes in length, it is the album’s centerpiece. Also, in its grandiosity and addictive, dark latin vibes ‘Primavera’ manages to present itself as the album’s most serious and noteworthy effort, even if not necessarily “the best”.
Dominated by Carabalí’s charismatic, howling blues guitars, the bluesy undertones are further explored in the song’s slow beat and melancholic, minor progression synonymous with the blues, making this cut sound very similar to something Santana would totally pull off. The cacophonous percussion, peppered with various clicks and bangs alongside the drum kit, and with the intense distortion and roomy reverb on the guitars make this cut sound also very much like a polished cover of a Tom Waits cover. The album then concludes with ‘Gris’, the most playful and arguably most characterful of the 3 cuts. ‘Gris’ is streamlined, chic, and melodic, with a polished mix that’s not as bustling as the starter, or as vaudeville as the second, making it the album’s most accessible and easygoing offering.
Javi Carabalí’s Tripletazo #2 is a sonic feast of character and color that is wholly entertaining and easy to digest, yet full of nuance and detail that makes it a truly engaging listen.