So I was fading away at the tail end of an all-nighter. It was that time of the morning when the entire pot of coffee I just consumed wasn't helping me stay awake. That was a problem because I had a full day of work waiting for me. That's when I noticed a single from Matenlo sitting in front of me. I've been picking up on nothing but love for the Resense label, and no more than 30 seconds later, I understood why. The music I heard knocked me out but I was too jumped up to hit the floor. This is better than coffee.

1. Chiguagua
2. Chic
3. Da Really
4. Woho

It's an odd thing when you live somewhere for so long. You often don't develop the right appreciation for its culture. I grew up in San Diego, California, just 30 minutes south of the Mexican border. Despite growing up there I've never been much of a sun lover, but since moving to the nether side of the US I've developed an insatiable appetite for funky, Latin breaks, and I mean those gritty, soulful, rock it like a spicy quesadilla at 3 A.M. kind. It has to have that sound you just feel down to the very core of your being. Imitations just won't do.

Considering how I enthusiastically began this review, do you really need to keep reading to know if this Matenlo single is worth getting your hands on. No. But I'll still tell you a little about it. On the A-side you'll find "Chiguagau" and "Chic". On the B-side you've got "Da Really" and "Woho".

The A-side is where you want to go for those gritty, Latin breaks I was talking about. These two songs bring more heat than a sidewalk vendor in Tijuana who tells you "no, this chile is not hot". Know this; with a bite it will burn your cheeks off. The nice thing about Matenlo's sound is that they mash-up (and I mean that literally) raucous Latin rhythms and beats with funk organ. It's like the big beat funkiness of Jalapeno or Fort Knox Recordings mixed with the deep flavor of Los Hermanos Latinos and/or Quantic.

"Da Really" plays with some Afro-Latin spice but keeps it all cooking down south. On the last track, "Woho", Matenlo ditch most of the South American vibes for full on funk and some strong mid-tempo beats. Every track just breaks it down.

Based on what I've heard here, the starling mashup label called Resense deserves all the praise it's been getting. You cannot, I repeat, cannot go wrong here.

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