Frenétiko

They Say...

Review by Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Brazil's Edu K's no spring chicken when it comes to music, having been at it off and on for 20 years as part of De Falla as well as solo. He's got a good ear for what's going on around him, though, and after De Falla released "Popozuda Rock N' Roll" back in 2000, it was clear he had cannily realized not merely the power of hip-hop but specifically its rough and ready Brazilian equivalent in baile funk. Some years later the wider world started taking notice as well, thanks in part to the overwhelming attention MIA and Diplo scored with their openly inspired-by-baile-funk work, leaving Edu K well placed to release his Frenétiko album. With his brother/De Falla bandmate Chilli Willi handling further MC duties as well throughout, along with a sharp guest turn from Deize Tigrona on "Sex-O-Matic," Edu K whips up a lives-up-to-the-title collection with Frenétiko, a bit one note in the end but what a note, and thankfully one that doesn't overstay its welcome. It's not quite as extremely over the top as work from the scene itself can produce -- Edu K's a crisp performer but not as crazily leering as other MCs are -- but as a loving enough embrace of what's going around him, clearly he's out to have fun in the playground. The brutal, stripped-down Miami bass influences throughout are patently clear, not merely in the beats and bass but the other elements -- the grinding keyboard growl of "Faz Que Eu Gosto" and the synth horns of "Hot Mama" being but two instances. Then there's the song titles as well, as "Quero Ser Ator Pornô" and "Sexxxy" make clear enough. "Popozuda" takes a bow at the end, while the CD further adds reggaeton mixes of both that and "Sex-O-Matic" -- if it's a bit of open scene-hopping, it's not a bad one in the slightest.