Sumo: The Danceband

Hey! It’s still summer! What do you know! Sometimes it’s easy to forget the season when you’re trapped in an overly air conditioned office building doing the exact same work as any other season, but Sumo’s debut The Danceband is a perfect reminder of the tropical heat outside. And, oddly, it also inspires the desire for copious mojito consumption. Sumo manages an electronic dance sound with its roots in house that also happens to incorporate a whole pile of Latin elements, especially as the disc winds to a close. Of particular note is the fantastic “Sudden Samba”, with tuneful, dueling vocals from Anders Von Hofstren and Simone Moreno, which has more energy flowing through it than just about any house track I’ve heard all year… which may have something to do with the fact that it’s hardly house music at all, leaning far closer to honest-to-god samba. House purists put off by all the extra tropical rhythmic elements will find some solace in the eight-minute remix of “Nini” that appears as a bonus MP3, and Latin music purists won’t find the album traditional enough for their liking. For those who just want something fun and summery to dance to, however, The Danceband fits the bill perfectly.