Magnetica

Photographer: Brian Cross.
British DJ/producer/musician Will Holland, aka Quantic, has a sprawling discography with plenty of "Quantic Presents" releases, collaborative albums, and mix CDs in the pile, but Magnetica marks his first solo studio album in more than seven years, so consider this a centerpiece release and an excellent place to jump on the man's groove train. Having lived in Columbia since 2007, his 2014 album is unsurprisingly filled with Latin sounds as cumbia beats and Portuguese lyrics come together like some kind of diaspora jigsaw puzzle but back together with only the groove in mind. "Descarga Cuantica" shuffles along with vocalist Fruko delivering the salsa as the DJ shifts the backing track toward African high life music for a jam both Joe Arroyo and Fela Kuti fans can endorse. Singer Pongolove mixes with popping marimbas as key track "Duvido" becomes a whirling dervish drenched in sunlight, and then there's the deep, robotic bassline Quantic inserts underneath, coming off as a bass-drop without the garishness of dubstep, or in other words, a bass-drop from the kind of tasteful party people that sign to labels like Tru Thoughts. Tasteful or not, the album still crackles with life, roughing it up old-school style with a primitive drum machine and MC Shinehead on "Spark It," or bubbling to boil as Colombian folk-meets-Quantic techno on "Muevelo Negro," featuring Combo Bárbaro vocalist Nidia Góngora. Even if purists with cold hearts might bristle at all the futuristic fun, there's little doubt that Holland has much love and respect for the genres from which he borrows. Magnetica is both a joyful noise and an excellent album. ~ David Jeffries