Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/426101
One of the best scenes in one of the best episodes of Breaking Bad—Walter White burying giant containers of loot—featured a soundtrack I immediately knew: a remix of Argentine folk singer José Larralde's "Quimey Neuquén" by Chancha Via Cir- cuito. It was a wonderful breakthrough for this talented young Buenos Aires native also known as Pedro Canale. For nearly a decade he's been creating dubby electronic cumbia textures with organic layers of guitars and harps, each album becoming more nuanced and gorgeous. Lido Pimienta's delicate voice fl oats above the bass-heavy "Jardines" in one of Amansara's dancier tracks, while "Sueno en Paraguay" evokes a quick trance—not surprising, given the ayahuasca ritual painted on the album's cover. The gritty tones of Miriam Garcia work bril- liantly overtop the roving bass line on "Coplita," while Canales can't resist a good hip-hop number on "Camino de Posguer- ra," featuring a wicked vocal drop by Sara Hebe. An exquisite record by one of today's most exciting South American pro- ducers. —Derek Beres Amansara (Wonderwheel) CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO MUSIC I n 2007 I produced a remix album of Malian guitarist Vieux Far- ka Toure's debut. While most remixers were commissioned, I received an exciting submission by a (at the time) fellow New Yorker named Charlie Wilder, aka Captain Planet. We included it on the record, and I've since watched his career fl ourish, both of us Angelenos now. Besides having a huge Soundcloud following for his funky remix ear and global palette of sounds, his albums have been fi erce. No different is Esperanto Slang, a headnod to the many countries and languages he employs on these dozen tracks. Sudanese ethnomusicologist and singer Alsarah shines on the dance fl oor banger, "Safaru." The record's fi rst single, "In the Gray," is a midtempo reg- gae gem featuring Brit Lauren on vocals. Latin ayahuasca vibes, deep percussive grooves and elec- tro-samba help defi ne this son- ic shapeshifter's marvelous efforts. —DB CAPTAIN PLANET Esperanto Slang (Bastard Jazz) We see Petrini and his friends visiting farms, walking among vineyards drink- ing wine, and singing and dancing 'til dawn. Why not promote this way of life to other communities? he thought. Be- fore long his Slow Food Movement went viral in an age before we knew what that meant. Now it boasts a network of more than 170 chapters in 150 countries, with advocates like Prince Charles and San Francisco restaurateur Alice Waters em- bracing the concept. For this reviewer, the takeaway of Slow Food Story is that eating con- sciously doesn't have to be an arduous, sacrifi cial chore; it can be fun. Let's get excited about the food we eat! As Al- ice Waters says at the end of the fi lm, "Carlin has the words, the metaphors for this... and he can help us to imagine something amazing." —Jane Louise Boursaw —Jane Boursaw is the fi lm critic and ed- itor-in-chief of Reel Life With Jane, an entertainment site covering movies, TV, celebrities and pop culture. Slow Food Story continued december/january 2014-'15 33