Amor

Madrid de los Austrias | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 15, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• ASIN: B00006L85D
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,081 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars spicy sounds of flamenco and fused to bass heavy rhythms, November 21, 2002

By 

Richard Diaz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amor (Audio CD)

Not only a startling discovery, but a refreshing splash in the sometimes shallow pool of dance music, Vienna duo Madrid de los Austrias have crafted one of 2002's finest albums by showcasing their deep-rooted appreciation for the beauty of Spain. Grounded in the spicy sounds of flamenco and fused to bass heavy rhythms, Amor forms that rare combination equally suited for home appreciation and dance floor damage - literally even, on the floor stomping "Ole."

Binding the cuts are layers of percussion backed to thick drum breaks that invoke names like Kruder & Dorfmeister or Dzihan & Kamien, accentuated with Spanish vocals, guitar, and lively bass playing central to each piece. "Sportscabaret" shows an ideal mix as such, excitable Milagros Pinera Ibaceta working around stereo-bouncing bongo beats, while cooing "Los Canos De Meca" and more subdued "Belle de Jour" aim straight for the percussion fiends and just screams "license me." Continual variations abound over the thirteen tracks, with flute-filled "Cleo in Madrid," vocals by Carol C, the other highlight. Complaints are few; the invariable track with annoying sounds marring an otherwise fine effort ("Ponta Rosa's" perpetual ping) and fast scat ("Brazileiros") that isn't for everyone.

More than just this year's Gotan Project, Madrid offer innovation to a scene already crowded with nu-jazz, nu-bossa, nu-global-samples-over-my-drum-beat-to-sell-on-Budda/Karma-compilations. Amor may not be on the radar of cool-hunters yet, but it's just a matter of time. And the fortunes of chillout CD exploitation will surely follow.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album breathes sexy, October 17, 2002

By 

"stereototal" (Ventura, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amor (Audio CD)

Although Madrid De Los Austrias is from the same region as Kruder and Dorfmeister and Jazzanova (they've even collaborated with Dorfmeister on more than a few 12's), there is a reason why they put Madrid in the group name. With tunes that are a bit more uptempo than the aforementioned acts, but still not quite at a house music tempo, this album really stands on its own as a unique and quality album. Definately the kind of music that makes you want to grab your parner, down some Sangria, and build up a sweat on the dancefloor. Very organic, highly sexy music with a Latin twist. Highly recommended.

3.0 out of 5 stars Madrid De Los Austrias - Amor, February 24, 2011

By 

scoundrel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amor (Audio CD)

Frequent Richard Dorfmeister (of Kruder & Dorfmeister fame) collaborators Madrid de Los Austrias strike out on their own with this debut, AMOR. Though the easygoing downtempo vibe is still in full-effect, they keep things lively. "Ole" grounds the acoustic guitar and twinkly synths with a strong bass and flamenco percussion (especially towards the end there), while "Dove Estuta" is almost all low dub tones with a sultry spoken word by Rebeca Jimenez. "Sportscabaret" picks up the pace some, but like other tracks on the album (like the prototypical Latin jam "Viva La Evolution" or the oddly dull "Sport in Lissabon"), it falls into the "nicey-nice" category - it's nice, but so what? The house kick of "Belle De Jour" spices things up, but the heat runs out quickly. "Brazileiros" sounds like a watered-down Nuyorican Soul. Their mix of a Nickodemus track (renamed "Cleo in Madrid") shows a bit more personality with the plaintive wails, and "Afi" delves into straight-up jazz to throw things for a loop. While by no means a bad album, AMOR might slip by your ears without really catching them.