It takes a lot of nerve to start out with such an ambitiously experimental 'I'm Afraid (of almost anything that kills)' when just the next song, 'Ellos Quisieran Ser Tu Madre', is much more in the popular form. Imagine a band scene in a club from a 70s Latin movie, and you'll have an ear open to the possibilities given by this 2nd track. The guitar (or synth?) spreads itself like wire mesh all around the perimeters, while the Spanish words spit out like a Japanese horror soundtrack. Of course the last 20 seconds of the song resort back to the weirdness that Afraid begins. Likening it to a more forthright David Bowie, ATU's 50+ minutes and 14 tracks are trying to discover new lands from the marshes that come between already known territories. ATU (Andres Tapia-Urzua) does nearly everything here, helped on a few tracks by the odd bass, voice, electric guitar, but it's all ATU otherwise, which is why it has that singular quality of being able to be nearly all things to all people. Not all tracks are experimental; not all songs are Latin rock. Defies labeling really. One of the best tracks is the longest, the 10 minute 'Strange Money Blisters' which is not-busy techno, lifting that Lennon line from the Let It Be album, 'I've got blistas on my fingas!' Amazingly, it's a fast 10 minutes, especially after the 'I feel strange line' comes in. Could that be from Wizard of Oz? Sounds so familiar. You'll have to watch the clock to slow it down. After the weird short film 'I'm Eating My Lover' comes another chance at Latin rock, with notable guitar work, scratchy and bold. ATU is one of the few artists I've heard who isn't afraid to show both Jekyl and Hyde. He'll alienate you at the start, and then ram some mock hard rock down your throat, maybe finishing up with a little pop in the matrix. Where to put this guy in the cd store, now there's a category problem.

ATU - TRANSCULTURAL Dividing his loyalties between the US & Latin America, ATU has a very diverse & experimental sound which crosses a number of divides in music, often bringing them crashing together, pulling beat poetry, rock, electronica & driving rhythms together. The opening track is one of those hypnotic sorts of effects with a very insistent bassline that'll keep you trained on the central sound with a poetry reading throughout, reminding me a little of the sound of Soul Coughing. Other tracks like "Ellos Quiserian Ser Tu Madre" & "Rascacielos" are more in the tradition of pop rock, yet others such as the epic "Strange Money Blisters" moving into the electronic fields. Here's an artist doing some very interesting things - take a listen.

ATU. Transcultural. Plan Z Media. 1000. I don't think I've ever had an album that suited its title as much as this! There's just so many influences and styles here. Get this - the album kicks off with I'm Afraid (of almost anything that kills) that starts like Rhondo by The Nice, with guitar slide straight off The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu. The track is perhaps a little too long. Four minutes would have made a better point. Ellos Quisieran Ser Tu Madre is more like REM, but with Spanish lyrics! A cheesy drum machine kicks off Todo Cae, again, Spanish lyrics, and I'd be the first to say the only bit of Spanish I know is Ibiza, so, sadly, the whole point of the song is lost on me. Strange Money Blisters is an intriguing title, as is the song. Pretty well structured, smooth, with some effective sampling. There's a menace behind the music that lurks in the same manner as in one of Carpenter's films (like The Fog) - has to be the best track - again, maybe a little too long because there's only so much development that a song like this can have before it becomes samey. If nothing else, the album helps one to look into the influences and styles that effect and affect different cultures. ATU is obviously Spanish (the album came from the States), but there's so much stuff from the outside that's pervaded onto the inside, and has made for a very diverse and strangely listenable collection of songs. Must get a Spanish phrase book.....

ATU is an artist that composes "electronic ethnic" music with many references at Latin scene and also progressive rock , punk, etc. There are songs both in Spanish and English but they are in the same music philosophy, electronic but not dance - just experimental tunes and a Latin figure.