Boeing Beta CD

Throughout the ten songs that fill the 70-plus minutes of Beta, Latin rhythms merge with glossy, techno-style synth melodies as Boeing offers seven-minute chunks of house music at a time. Despite these evident Latin and techno elements, Boeing's music never veers too far from the essentials of good old-fashioned house. It's straight-ahead, feel-good dance music that never succumbs to experimentation or innovation despite its unique sound and warm, sensual qualities. Loenel Castillo, the Argentinean producer responsible for the album, focuses his efforts on making his songs shimmer and groove. He adds extra layers of gloss that other house producers never think to apply. The subtle textures he works into every song, such as the crackling silence that fills the spare seconds of quietness on "Pool," don't really stand out, and neither do the perfectly hollow percussive sounds omnipresent throughout "Fiesta," but they make an incredible difference between Castillo's style of house and the typical style you associate with Chicago, New York, or London. More than anything, Castillo's style disregards standards. You can't lump it into the New York scene nor can you attach easy descriptors like "tech-house" or "Latin house." Castillo may offer an age-old style of dance music, but he's undoubtedly original in his approach, perhaps in a way that only a South American artist can be -- removed from generic influence and trend, insularly focused on his own craft. Because of this approach to house, Castillo has crafted an album under the Boeing guise that belongs in its own category, one based upon originality rather than convention. ~ Jason Birchmeier

House Music From Buenos Aries

Boeing: Leonel Castillo.

DJ: Grand Slam.