With the release of their critically acclaimed full-length debut La Allianza Profana and its follow-up, Serpiente Dorada, Peruvian electronic duo Dengue Dengue Dengue quickly received international attention for a sound that possessed elements of traditional cumbia, dub, dancehall and techno — and for being at the forefront of an expanding electro cumbia movement.
Siete Raices, the duo’s long-awaited sophomore, full-length effort is slated for release later this month through Enchufada Records, and the effort takes its name from a traditional Peruvian liquor — a potent beverage brewed from several jungle plants with mystical, aphrodisiac properties. Now, if you stumbled upon this page over the past couple of weeks, you may recall that I wrote about “Guarida,” a single that had the renowned Peruvian duo collaborating with vocalist Sarah Van. And the single revealed an act that has expanded upon the sound that first captured attention as the Peruvian duo paired hauntingly ambient production consisting of gentle layers of shimmering and undulating synths and skittering drum programming — nodding at the fact that the Peruvian duo methodically carefully craft and shape their work to evoke particular moods while drawing equally from ancient traditions and contemporary production; in fact, it shouldn’t be surprising that their material doesn’t sound like anything you’ve heard on contemporary radio — or anyplace else really.
Siete Raices‘ second and latest single “The Enemy” consists of a production that subtly hints at El Dusty’s nu-cumbia as the song consists of a glitchy and distorted vocal sample paired with a cowbell-led percussion, a languid, looped keyboard sample that twists and turns around the song’s hook while being subtly danceable. But just under the surface, there’s something that feels subtly menacing and uneasy.
