Arepa 3000 [Original recording reissued]

Los Amigos Invisibles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Luaka Bop
• ASIN: B0000CC836
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,376 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #43 in Music > World Music > South & Central America > Venezuela

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Los Amigos De Todo El Mundo, October 14, 2000

By 

Armando M. Mesa (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arepa 3000 (Audio CD)

Los Amigos did it again ! This group makes a Latino proud to be a Latino. I would love to find out what their secret is or inspiration for writing and performing music with so much high energy and zest for life. This music appeals to the global partying masses. You do not have to understand or speak Spanish to appreciate their craftsmanship (though it helps).Some critics have tried to dismiss this group as another international novelty/kitsch act; THEY'RE NOT.Their lyrics border on tongue and cheek humor about partying,romance,sex and life with a slight hint of social commentary. Their sounds are a combination of retro 70's funk and disco with a strong Latin, pop-rock edge. Another highly recommended c.d. by this group is their previous release titled New Sounds of the Venezuelan Gozadera.Check 'em out;I promise you no regrets (just a lot of guilty partying pleasure) !

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth, funky, goofy, subtle., October 19, 2003

By 

Idiosyncrat (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arepa 3000 (Audio CD)

Musically speaking, Los Amigos Invisibles are an extremely smooth and funky band, seamlessly mixing Anglo and Caribbean Hispanic elements into their music, in a way that's accessible to many audiences. Yet in their eclecticism, their regional specificity never gets watered down-- their humor, which pervades the whole album in particular, is very specifically Hispanic Caribbean. And this is not just in the lyrics of the songs (hilarious though they are). The musical and stylistic allusions are up to it, too; for example, "El Barro", a song about a boy with a pimple in his nose, will send anybody familiar with Latin teeny-bopper boy bands reeling with laughter; "El Baile del Sobón" is a hilarious cartoonish parody of everything that's wacky about your random disposable roots Merengue song. The way they sing in general also often sounds "off-hand" in a way that I'm not sure translates across their cultural context, adding to the effect. A work of genius.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Funky Good Time!, September 11, 2005

By 

Mark A. Carter (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arepa 3000 (Audio CD)

This CD is I believe the only record I own by a Venezuelan artist. I have no grasp of the language or culture from this area but going from previous reviews of this album I was intrigued to give this album a listen. It's a great funky ride with these Los Amigos Invisibles, which I'm guessing means `The Invisible Men' - Hey maybe I do grasp Venezuenalenese?! It's a great upbeat bunch of songs. Happy & uplifting for most of its course, it always puts me in the right frame of mind after a hard days work. For example `Cuchi-Cuchi' which I think is a slightly naughty number and even though I'm not conversant with the language I can still tell that there's a lot of humor to be found here. Check out `Masturbation Session' - What could that be about I wonder. Anyway the music is wonderfully realized rhythmically using nice percussion & quite subtle guitar work at times. Ranging from slushily romantic to high spirited sing-alongs some of the tracks could have come from the 60's and some from the 90's. There's even a 30 second techno track `No Le Metas Mano' + a corny boy band track `Amor' (sung in English no-less) & there's a nice interesting mix on show here. My favorite tracks are `Mujer Policia' & the horrificaly catchy `Pipi'. Get that out of your head if you can. I found this CD to be very inventive and original with a wide range of musical style's which makes for an interesting listen & variety is the spice of life. So come and have some fun in the sun with these invisible men. You'll be all the better for it believe me.