Review: Matias Aguayo – Ay Ay Ay

Artist: Matias Aguayo
Title: Ay Ay Ay
Label: Kompakt
Genre: Minimal/Tech House
Format: Digital, CD, LP
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download

Chilean born, German based producer Matias Aguayo often talks of his extensive pool of musical influences, and this ambiguity is clearly a definitive factor in his second album Ay Ay Ay, where he leads the listener on an epic journey which encompasses everything from Africana to electronica.

Opener ”Menta Latte” is a synecdoche of the album’s breadth; countless vocal layers float over a dreamy beat and simple xylophone chord. The albums first single “Rollerskate” is an unpretentiously upbeat and ridiculously catchy groove, while his respect for traditional African music is evident on the haunting warble of “Koro Koro”.

The Latin-beats of “Me Vuelvo Loca” and “Juanita” allow an embrace of his South American roots while gently coaxing his listener to the dance floor. In Ay Ay Ay Aguayo has created an undeniably unique and highly-accomplished world music album, a trick that I suspect is unlikely to be repeated by his contemporaries anytime soon.

Review: Peter Carroll