ILL Padre: Certified Latin Breaks Vol. 1
Inner Current

Classic Latin samples from the works of Carlos Gardel, Mercedes Sosa, Hector Cabrera, and others + blunted hip-hop beats = severely smoked grooves: ILL Padre's (RD Granados and Inoel Miranda) formula may be simple on Certified Latin Breaks Vol. 1 (Inner Current) but there's no denying its potency, especially when Spanish guitar strums and voice samples cast entrancing spells in “Thief of Tranquility” and “Cielo.” Admittedly some tracks are so fleeting they're mere sketches, but the sincerity of Ill Padre's tribute pours forth from the music's every pore, its half-hour suggestive of what might come from a faded Piano Overlord-Savath & Savalas-Prefuse 73 blend. The best thing about this captivating set? The title's implicit promise of another volume.

February 2006