USA: Los Angeles-based band Ozomatli mixes musical genres and political messages in their latest album

The culturally diverse Los Angeles-based band Ozomatli mixes messages of social justice into its unique blend of urban music. This month the fusion group just released a new album called "Don't Mess With The Dragon." The culturally diverse Los Angeles-based band Ozomatli mixes messages of social justice loud and clear into its unique blend of urban music. The fusion group just released a new album, "Don't Mess With The Dragon," this month just two weeks after taking part in an anti-war march in Hollywood. Ozomatli made a name for itself by stirring up a melting pot of sounds, and has become known for masterfully weaving together funk, jazz, hip-hop and Latin styles. This latest CD also includes pop-punk and reggaeton offerings. On its the first studio album since 2004's "Street Signs," the nine-member act delivers the expected political activism in a lively package. The band has been together for a dozen years. The result is twelve years of collaborative song-writing, twelve years of touring the globe, twelve years of supporting anti-war and global human rights movements, and twelve years of pioneering Spanish-English mash-ups of hip hop, salsa, cumbia, dub, and Middle Eastern funk. The name Ozomatli comes from a word that represents the symbol of the which is also a god of dance, fire, the new harvest, and music. For their fourth album, Ozomatli began writing and experimenting with songs in informal sessions in the fall of 2005 at a local Los Angeles Latino art gallery owned by a friend called Tropico de Nopal. "People always ask us, 'How do you make music? How do you guys get together and do it?'" says Ozomatli guitar player Raul "El Bully" Pacheco. "And for us, you know, we really rely upon everybody's individualness. And I think that is something that we actually try to keep in the songs rather than make the songs sound like all one similar thing. So we actually made (art) installations, the bass player had one, I had one, Uli, Azu, Justin, Gio. And we had art associated with it, with a graffiti crew that some of those guys have become real famous now. And we put, on the art pieces we put up how we make music, and then on the opening, we just brought a bunch of people, we kind of demonstrated to them how we bring our individuality to the songs, and to the band." Band members say the final result pays tribute to their having worked together for so many years, and maturing throughout the process. After a dozen years, the music they collaborate to create is more cohesive than ever. Ozomatli members say their musical influences are rooted in Los Angeles, but say their signature sound now reflects the exposure to extensive world travel. "Most of us grew up here," says Ozomatli saxophone player Ulises Bella. "Most of us attended all the schools here. And we got to feel that energy of being around a lot of different people, you know, from a lot of different places. And I think it really reflects in our music, you know. Some people always say that like you want to hear the sound of Ozomatli, you drive down Sunset on a weekend, roll down your windows, turn off your radio and you hear reggae coming out of one window, ranchera, Mexican music coming out of another one, Hip Hop, or whatever. You know, uh, with that philosophy of inclusion, I think we, we take it out another level, too, with using the sounds and influences we have gained through our travels, whether it be India, Nepal, New Orleans, whatever, you know." For "Don't Mess With The Dragon," Ozomatli enlisted the guidance of Grammy-award winning producer and Latin music veteran KC Porter, best known for ushering Ricky Martin and Carlos Santana to the top of the charts. Yet presenting bilingual music still remains a double-edged sword for the band in the place it calls home, explains charismatic lead singer Asdru Sierra. "When we bring out our music, we do it in English and Spanish at the same time. When we brought out our first disc in 1997, the problem has always been that when we take it to Spanish radio stations, they say it's okay but it's more suitable in English, it's like rap. On the other hand, when we take it to English radio stations, they say that it's better in Spanish, or change it. We are what we are, we're Mexican-Americans, we're nothing more than this but we're bilingual Spanish-English speakers. We have all types of race in this group. We represent a very small percentage of what Los Angeles is but artistically, musically, we have in this very big circle of what we have made as music." But the band is not one to shy away from challenges, instead embracing and continuing to champion what some may believe to be a controversial cause in these turbulent times of international conflict. Bella says Ozomatli has no plans to back away from talking and singing about politically sensitive subjects. "And we just finished playing a huge demonstration March 17th in Hollywood, and those kind of events, it's kind of for us, it's like one of those things where we're there to serve the people who are actually in the trenches of the anti-war movement, and trying to do the work to make that positive change. And if anything, we want to be there for, you know, artistic support, in that kind of situation." More information about Ozomatli can be found at www.ozomatli.com.

ITN Source | April 19, 2007

Tags:. .symbol. .circle. .charts. .activism. .experimenting