ELECTRONICA

The latest releases reviewed

SAO PAULO UNDERGROUND Sauna: Um, Dois, Tres Aesthetics ***

When Chicago experimentalist Rob Mazurek decamped to Manaus, in the middle of Brazil's Amazonian rainforest, it naturally proved to be the starting point for yet another musical journey for the highly regarded musician and producer. Given the rep the former bebopper had earned alongside such Windy City luminaries as Tortoise and Jim O'Rourke, Mazurek's hook-up with São Paulo player Mauricio Takara was always destined to produce sparks. What's interesting is just how intensely melodic this meeting of the minds proves to be. There's a hugely attractive and richly textured jazzy hue to much of the playing, which is not disguised or discoloured by the duo's wash of electronics and effects. Instead, the mix is vibrant enough throughout to produce a mystical, rhythmic wig-out that never loses sight of its roots. www.aesthetics-usa.com

Jim Carroll