Enseneda, Baja, California

Nino Astronauta - San Fernando Rd. (radio mix).

The cover art on the 12" of this is gorgeous. Family Tree Records have put out a fine product. Even the little sleeve of the CD Single is nice. I really respect the attention to detail.

At any rate, Nino Astronauta (what a great name, right?) is three guys: Tati on the bass, Nashio on the sampler, guitar, keys, etc, and Argel on the drums. They craft this really cool glitch stuff with their live instrumentation. There's actually a live version of San Fernando Rd. on the single that's pretty amazing. I love it when electronic acts are able to pull off a good live sound -- and having live drums really helps a lot. That smooth bass isn't hurting anything either.

So, San Fernando Rd is a beautiful little tune, winding its way along at a nice little pace. That rhythm section is right in the pocket. It reminds me of so many things, but it remains it's own entity entirely. There's remixes from John Tejada and Terrestre on the single, both of which are good. The full-length is also pretty amazing. It's kind of jazzy in some respects, which isn't a bad thing at all.

Nino Astronauta is definitely worth checking out. You can read more about them on their Site, and you can follow links to pick up their records there too. So far they have the single (on CD and 12") and the Self Titled full-length. Both are recommended.