Toward the end of their exuberant debut, Ozomatli pose the ultimate end-of-the-century urban question: "What is a DJ if he can't scratch, to a ranchera?" Referencing Eighties L.A. hip-hopper Egyptian Lover while putting their own spin on a traditional Mexican song style – one that actually includes a heel-kicking turntable solo – is just one of the many unexpected culture clashes that this eleven-piece Afro-Latino groove ensemble pulls off. A multiracial, neighborhood-spanning product of post-riot L.A., Ozomatli live up to their namesake (the Aztec god of dance) by lacing bubyant cumbias ("Cumbia") and taunting meringues ("Chango") with dub and hip-hop; tossing leadman Chali 2na's crisp, baritone rhyme spray into a makeshift Cuban Santeria session ("O Le Le"); and easing an early-morning Indian raga into horncooked hangover funk ("Superbowl Sundae"). Add some back-country-meets-the-barrio salsa chops and an ear for new-school musical activism, and you get everything anyone could hope for from a group of party-rocking Angelenos who find the world outside their door in a city on the brink. (RS 790-791)

JOSH KUN