Worldly disco funksters extract acid from jazz
As suggested by their sixth album’s title, the members of this Venezuela-born, New York City-based dance band bridge language barriers by making their music relentlessly accessible. Focusing on faster and tighter live grooves, the fun-loving fusionists (led by primary songwriter and guitarist Jose Luis Pardo) limit studio experimentation to jingle-size interludes. Their restless eclecticism dodges the nostalgia that limits purist peers like Jamiroquai, and their vigorous Latin chops give even the kitschiest exotica an integrity lacking in lesser lounge lizards. Nonstop propulsion makes this summer party disc (and especially the single “Mentiras,” in which a lothario blames his indiscretions on the “lies” of others) soar like a nonstop flight to Caracas. Barry Walters
“Superpop Venezuela [is] the richest thing to come from Caracas since oil” ¬- New York Daily News
“a sublime live band, an organic force that can move a crowd” – Washington Post
“[Superpop Venezuela has] first-class hooks and unstoppable dance rhythms.”- Newark Star-Ledger
“a hilarious, booty-shaking journey into the group's seductive, inventive brand of lunatic genius”- Amazon
“a new type of dance music. Los Amigos Invisibles [are] on the road to international stardom”- NPR
“[Superpop Venezuela provides] starry-eyed dreamscapes and pure dance-floor heaven”- Austin Chronicle
“a new album, but the same old crazy fun… energy, passion and love of [LAI’s] adoring fans” – Wash. Times
“ (4 ½ stars)…[SPV is] energetic and amusing… I’m really quite impressed.. Well done panas!” – Batanga
“[A] sublime band... With unmistakable style… an album with many hits… the band overflows with talent” -HOY
“house, african beats, bossanova, tropical & electronic rhythms… songs to dance to and enjoy” – El Diario
“a world-music party with Latin flavor; [LAI] is the band that's filling the dance floor.”- San Antonio Express
“disco-funk jams accented by Latin dance & house… playfulness just oozes from Superpop Venezuela”-AMG
“Boogie Nights are expecting you… a little something for everyone…from searing disco to funky house”– Viva NY
“a diversity of styles, musicality, impeccable recording quality and seamless sequencing, making [LAI’s] fifth album an exceptional one…the music of Los Amigos Invisibles is universal” – San Francisco Chronicle
“Super Pop Venezuela” is a supercharged pop album dominated by electronic beats and organic sounds that make the legs shake while making the mind feel gnarly and groovy” – San Diego Union Tribune
“[Superpop Venezuela is] an otherworldly time capsule, albeit with several ironic twists and turns... Los Amigos has given new life to a musical legacy that Latin music fans can learn a lot from.” – Newsday
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“In the early 1990’s, a group of young musicians set out to revitalize [Venezuela’s] deserted club scene with a new type of dance music. Los Amigos Invisibles borrowed heavily from the disco and funk music of the 1970’s, but they also mixed in a modern dance beat… and the group has been on the road to international stardom ever since” – National Public Radio’s “Latino USA” – Aug ‘06
“While Los Amigos Invisibles now lives in New York, they pay tribute to songs from their true home on the new CD "Superpop Venezuela." So get ready for Latin rhythms, disco beats, funk grooves, & even a little acid jazz”
– NPR/WFUV
“Reworking some of their favorite Latin pop oldies, Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles pay dues to their adolescence on "Superpop Venezuela." Produced by DJ Dimitri of Paris, the CD features a diversity of styles, musicality, impeccable recording quality and seamless sequencing, making the band's fifth album an exceptional one. Heavily influenced by disco, the album is laced with retro sonic layers of wah-wah guitars and Moog riffs as the Latin alternative kingpins rock through calypso, bossa nova, salsa and funk. Lead singer Julio Briceño displays chameleon versatility: Check him out on "No Es Facil Amar Una Mujer," a salsa-disco lover's lament; and the Parliament-inspired "Yo Soy Así." Don't sweat it if you don't speak Spanish;
the music of Los Amigos Invisibles is universal” – San Francisco Chronicle
“Super Pop Venezuela” is a supercharged pop album dominated by electronic beats and organic sounds that make the legs shake while making the mind feel gnarly and groovy. This is the band's fifth album and it's packed with famous Venezuelan hits, making it the country's hottest export item even if oil was at $100 or more per barrel. All 17 tracks offer a diversity of styles worthy of the country that is smack in the middle of the hemisphere, sandwiched by the Amazonian sounds of Brazil and the electrifying disco of the north.”
- San Diego Union-Tribune
“Superpop Venezuela has a high-gloss sheen to it that makes it an otherworldly time capsule, albeit with several ironic twists and turns... even though it's ostensibly living in the past, there's an undeniable feeling that the band is looking forward…it's clear that Los Amigos has given new life to a musical legacy that Latin music fans can learn a lot from.” – Newsday
“**** ½ (4 ½) stars – These energetic and amusing chicos collected [Venezuelan hits from the ‘60’s, ‘70’s and 80’s] and added their catchy dance/tropical acid jazz sound to them. I’m not a big fan of remakes, but these are so well done that I’m really quite impressed. I can smell several singles popping out of this album.
Well done panas! Really” – Batanga
“Venezuela's resident musical maniacs and former Latin Grammy nominees are back with covers of seventeen tunes they knew and loved during their teen years… Their rampant satirical stance and penchant for studio wizardry still firmly in place, they wallow in neo-nostalgia, running amok in Caracas Oldieville, abetted by producer DJ Dimitri of Paris and their own polymorphous tendencies… The contexts shift so rapidly that if the listener weren't so busy boogying, vertigo might well set in. By the third track, the flagrantly over-ripe, increasingly bizarre sets of cross-pollinations begin to seem almost normal, as a kind of sonic Stockholm Syndrome sets in. Going with the flow becomes not only a matter of self-preservation, but a hilarious, booty-shaking journey into the group's seductive, endlessly inventive brand of lunatic genius.” - Amazon
“As always, los Amigos Invisibles careen wildly and freely through a fairly seamless set of sprawling disco-funk jams accented by Latin dance and house. They do so with a wink and a nod, exhibiting a gleeful sense of camp... … it's easy to tell that los Amigos Invisibles had a field day interpreting these personal favorites of theirs... It's easy to feel party to the playfulness that just oozes from Superpop Venezuela, thanks in part to Dimitri from Paris… Superpop Venezuela is intended for uninterrupted listening, an album you play while you're partying or getting prepared to go party.” – All Music Guide
“…Boogie Nights are expecting you. Pachanga may well be life’s sweetest reward, and Superpop Venezula lets it flow with songs that conjure up Farah Fawcett feather do’s and wide flairs. The New York based venezolanos have a little something for everyone here, setting a course for adventure in a range of styles-from searing disco to funky housewith an undercurrent of South American rhythm-based tunes that make this disc a wide-open smile on a friendly shore.” – New York Daily News “Viva NY”
“With their fifth CD [Super Pop Venezuela], Los Amigos Invisibles debut their new label Gozadera Records… rhythms such as house, african beats, bossanova, tropical and electronic sounds. A CD filled with songs to dance to and enjoy” – El Diario La Prensa (translated)
“The sublime band that started in the streets of Caracas and reside today in New York arrive again with Super Pop Venezuela. With their unmistakable and very particular style…the band yields tribute to various Venezuelan musicians… with many hits that make up this album. As always, the last song is a capella in which the band overflows with talent when it comes to improvisation.”- HOY (translated)
“Originally from Venezuela, now based in New York, Los Amigos Invisibles devote this album, to covers of songs by artists who influenced them… The band mixes traditional sounds with modern kitsch, and proves adept at recognizing first-class hooks and generating unstoppable dance rhythms.”- Newark Star-Ledger
“a new album, but the same old crazy fun when the Venezuelan electrofunk group Los Amigos Invisibles celebrated the release of its new album "SuperPop Venezuela" with a three-hour Latin dancing, booty-shaking performance Friday night… Now in their 15th year together, the group has come a long way from its much darker grunge rock roots in native Caracas…. It's had its fair share of accolades -- including a Latin Grammy nomination… [lead singer Julio Briceno’s] energy, passion for his craft and love of his adoring fans was apparent from the start… Neither longtime Amigos aficionados nor that evening's converts were disappointed, as evidenced by the many calls for "otra, otra, otra" and the band's quadruple encore” – Washington Times
“Speaking of standing apart from the pack, along comes Los Amigos Invisibles with its latest installment, "Superpop Venezuela." The band actually is based in New York, but it's from Caracas, Venezuela. It plays a hard-to-describe blend of rock, pop, funk and even acid jazz. I described the band's 2004 CD "The Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1" as Kinky meets Weather Report meets Santana. That's very close, but it doesn't quite do it. Los Amigos comprises excellent musicians who obviously love to jam and improvise. But the essential driving force is dance rhythms. Be it the Brazilian techno "Curda y Pain," Afro-jazz-flavored pop "No Es Facil Amar," the soul-samba "A Una Mujer" or the tropical disco "Yo Soy Así," it's all about hip-shaking beats. Imagine a world-music party with a Latin flavor; Los Amigos Invisibles is the band that's filling the dance floor.”
- San Antonio Express News
“LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES, Venezuelan-Nuyorica dance band extraordinaire, wowed 'em during Carlotan Rock 2006…the disco house outfit set out to conquer Caracas' club scene at the dawn of the '90s and sought to expand the parameters of dance music beyond the same old salsa and merengue templates... The lilting, heart-constricting take on Afrobeat should deliver any potential mate into your clutches. LAI's latest CD, Super Pop Venezuela (Gozadera), is not merely Venezuelan music redux stretching back to the 1960s but also a fount of similar sultry luxuries” – Creative Loafing
“Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles should keep you baila-ing 'til dawn with their eclectic Latin-dance sound on Superpop Venezuela” – Las Vegas Weekly
“Super Pop Venezuela [captures LAI] hot off the stage at Bumbershoot, Coachella and Lollapalooza.”
– River City Reader
“the Amigos lose no speed on their fantastical disco-funk trek. [With] their fifth album Super Pop Venezuela they cover eighties Venezuelan pop songs, inflecting them with French-style house,
loungey downtempo and Afrobeat.” – New City Chicago
“Super Pop Venezuela is probably the most ambitious project the Venezuelan super group, Los Amigos Invisibles, have embarked on. What they accomplish on the new album is making hits that inspired the band their own. Listening to the interesting selection of tracks, it's clearly evident that it is a diverse selection of music that comes from all spectrums of Venezuelan music. Everything from the indigenous music of the Native Venezuelans, to merengue and of course, pop! Los Amigos have always been a band the can truly be define as having no boundaries, no classification, no clear genre. But what it lacks in identity, it makes up for it with super cool music. Super Pop Venezuelan is a must have not for the hardcore Los Amigos Invisibles fans, but for anyone who wants to experience where Los Amigos’ sound is inspired from! Enlisting the guidance of DJ Dimitri, and now as heads of their own record label, Los Amigos Invisibles have the creative freedom to record the album they have always wanted to make. Super Pop Venezuela is an homage to all the artists that have inspired Los Amigos, the undisputed musical ambassadors of Venezuela. The fifth Amigos album adds the band's distinctive sound, and their own interpretations of these Venezuelan hits, many of which will be heard for the first time outside of South America. Giving these songs an exciting hook and a dance-y, fun feel, Super Pop Venezuela is a classic that shouldn't be overlooked!” - Nochelatina
“Los Amigos Invisibles have been spreading their Latin dance band grooves around the world ever since they roared out of Venezuela in 1995 with their debut album. Four albums down the line--all favorites with the Latin and dance club crowds--brings us to CD number five, Superpop Venezuela. A collection of Latin pop oldies, Superpop Venezuela pays tribute to the group’s musical youth in a variety of styles; everything from funk to disco to salsa and bossa nova. All this stylistic overload would be overwhelming were it not for the seamless production by DJ Dimitri of Paris… a fun and frothy collection of sunny dance music and creamy ballads… No doubt about it, Superpop Venezuela is another dance floor classic by an exceptional band that will haunt the discos and dance clubs from New York to London to San Francisco, and deservedly so.”- Evolution of Media
“They are a sublime live band, an organic force
that can move a crowd.”
THE WASHINGTON POST
“Blending original roots with big-city beats...
The boys do groove.”
ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“Combining their love of disco and funk with
their reverence for old-fashioned Latin dances
like the mambo and bossa-nova, the sextet
took the lounge genre to a new level of tongue-
in-cheek enjoyment through their expertly
executed jams and sexually fixated lyrics.”
NEW YORK POST