- Beginning with his Bo Jack EP in 2009 on Matias Aguayo's Cómeme imprint, Mexico's Mauricio Rebolledo's been at the forefront of the crew's muscular brand of midnight delirium. Though a well-heeled DJ who's been tight for several years with the Kompakt crew in both live and production settings—including his outings with Superpitcher as the Pachanga Boys—Rebolledo's forged a reputation as the most hedonistic cross-pollinator in the Cómeme set, fusing trance touchstones with jacking house, soundtrack mesmerism and cacophonous tribal drum assaults into a bewitching brand of what-the-fuck house music. Fitting then that Aguayo would tag him for the first Cómeme full-length. And even more telling is that Rebolledo uses the opportunity to up the ante on screwball glitz into one of the year's most body-bent debuts.
Recreating the Bumbumbox cement jungle block parties with which Cómeme's been associated in spirit, Super Vato seems to bubble forth with one brand of sweat-night audio intoxicant after the next, variously referencing the lithe tech house swagger of peak-era Kompakt, cumbia, Latin funk and a brawnier, more tongue-in-cheek take on the micro-finesse of mid-decade Cadenza. All made kind of grotesque and hyper self-aware (read: fun), taking those templates and emboldening them, crudely removing the cleaner, more cushioned textures and ending up with something more bewitching and overtly anthemic in its reach. With its propulsive jack and pinging synths slowly giving way to Rebolledo's own rhythmic vocal refrains, "Canivalon" sets the pace early, matched by the heady psychedelic trancescapes of "Steady Gear Rod Machine," which segues into an arpeggiated run that's almost bends-inducing, a rise too quickly from depths.
"Positivisimo" takes that astral funk and makes it jiggle without sacrificing muscularity, while "Aire Caliente" is creepy and unhinged, like John Carpenter trying to recreate a mid-'70s Mario Bava soundtrack with Jaki Liebezeit on the kit. Beginning with the adrenalized sound of a revving car engine, "Corvette Ninja" retreats again into that dank sci-fi gleam—Kurt Russell its muse—and fellow Pachanga Boy Superpitcher turns up for the acidic disco glam of "Meet Me At TOPAZdeluxe," which almost resembles the Juan Maclean's early singles.
But for all of its revelry in release, it's arguably the final two tracks where Rebolledo and co. really nail their take on the glass-eyed end of night. Matias Aguayo shows up for the greasy dead end funk of the title track, where a Bela Lugosi synth streaks over shakers, and Aguayo and Rebolledo chant out a tongue-tangling zombie thrall. Even given the record's physicality overall, it's a truly robust and enthralling moment—demanding repeat at home but sure to really boil live. The cut segues into the limber double-trap workout that closes the record, "Te Conozco Moscow," a throwback bit of rhythmic hypnotism that recalls the heyday of big stadium '70s drum solos. It's simple, almost unadorned by detail and still absolutely cathartic, as well as a fitting end to one of the year's more endearingly indulgent debuts.
Tracklist 01. Canivalon
02. Steady Gear Rod Maschine feat. Rodrigo Cano
03. Positivisimo feat. Raquel Wolff
04. Aire Caliente
05. Steady Gear Rebo Maschine
06. La Pena feat. Matias Aguayo & Diegors
07. Corvette Ninja
08. Meet me at TOPAZdeluxe feat. Superpitcher and Miriam Torres)
09. Super Vatos feat. Matias Aguayo
10. Te Conozco Moscow feat. Philipp Gorbachev