Eric Bobo and Latin Bitman
At no other time in history have musical genres been so skewed. Just a cursory listen to FM radio could confirm such an opinion, as mainstream R&B feels more like pop music in disguise. And while hip-hop suffers through the same pop merger, its explicitness keeps the music more grounded than other artistic works. Sure, certain MCs have a flair for the gloss, but there’s still a restless underground looking for new ways to manipulate sound.
Welcome To The Ritmo Machine, the collaborative album by Cypress Hill percussionist Eric Bobo and DJ Latin Bitman, lies somewhere in-between. It stands out as an ambitious recording of breezy Caribbean rhythms and classic hip-hop soul, held together by recognizable vocal samples and swift record scratches. But while this album isn’t quite a knockout, it packs just enough thump to sustain an energetic mood. The combination of hip-hop, Afrobeat, and Latin percussion never fails, even if some of the themes are somewhat repetitive.
That’s not to say Ritmo Machine doesn’t have certain highlights: “Save My World,” featuring bassist P-Nut and legendary DJ Mix Master Mike, is a methodical concoction of strong reggae dub rhythms over an insistent bass line. “Sangre,” carried by a depressed acoustic guitar and thumping drums, injects a brief moment of despondence into the otherwise upbeat project. Elsewhere, the album maintains a steady pace, as Bobo and Bitman merge seemingly divergent sounds into the mix, resulting in a raucous tropical mixture. “Sigueme,” for instance, finds the melody drifting from traditional funk to a more settled break beat groove.
Occasionally, Welcome To The Ritmo Machine feels somewhat staid, as the musicians tend to rely heavily on the sounds that carry this recording. There’s something nostalgic about crackling records and scratches, but they begin to feel redundant toward the album’s mid-point. In other places, the album would’ve benefitted from a stronger guest appearance from rapper Chali 2NA, whose monotone flow threatens to derail the promising “Witness This Heat.” All told, however, Welcome To The Ritmo Machine is a decent collaboration from two multifaceted artists and a respectable foundation on which they can cultivate their sound. While there are few dim spots here, there’s very little “wow” factor as well.
- Marcus J. Moore