Coati Mundi – Dancing For The Cabana Code In The Land Of Boo Hoo review

The enigmatic boutique of NYC disco refinery known as Rong have been quiet for far far too long, and they return with something typically special in the form of a brand new album from the finest zoot suit wearer in the business, Coati Mundi. A founding member of Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band and Kid Creole & The Coconuts, this legendary Puerto Rican producer has his place in the disco hall of fame, no doubt.

If you want to read more about his glorious career we heartily recommend you indulge in the latest Faith magazine which has  an in-depth and truly interesting interview with the man. Dancing for the Cabana Code in the Land of Boo-Hoo, Mundi’s first in some two decades, is quite the epic too,  spanning funk, salsa, samba and disco. It’s the sheen of contemporary production thanks to the input of UK producer E-Love and some additional knob twiddling from Rong stalwart Lee Douglas (The Stallions/TBD) that makes this album standout. Every track here is rich with densely packed rhythms.

Listening to the album as a whole is a rewarding and enjoyable experience thanks to the simple yet infectious lyrical input from Mundi, but typically for a Rong release the majority of tracks here are equally ripe for club play. The intricate polyrhythmic chug of “He Wants To Make To Himself” and the rasping Diwali Latin techno shudder of “Bundas Bom” in particular stand out as tracks that would demand your attention on the dancefloor, as does the previously released brilliance of “Dancing Disco 101”. Arriving in distinctive artwork courtesy of Lee Douglas himself, this is an album that deserves closer attention.

Tony Poland