For the last 20-plus years, Tijuana Cartel have been creating spellbinding music that allows the listener to travel the globe without needing a passport.
All you require is an open mind to get lost in the sounds of windy deserts, heart-beating jungles, soothing, wild oceans, volcanic erupting mountains and mother earth's geographical rhythms to fully grasp this tribalistic trance outfit.From the Gold Coast, the quartet are highly accomplished musicians playing acoustic flamenco guitar in perfect fusion with trumpet, lush keys, and hypnotic congas. Their take on world music is unique as they merge the ancient music of Mediterranean Europe and Latin America with contemporary club culture of the west.
With several albums under their belt including their 2023 LP 'Alectura', a national tour was on the itinerary for 2024 including Friday night's Sydney gig (23 February) at the intimate Lansdowne Hotel.
With the doors opening at 7pm, the early crowd were treated to the soulful, old-school R&B silky tunes of Moody – one half of the scintillating hip hop, Afrobeat Sydney trio True Vibenation. His versatile artistry was on display channelling soul greats Curtis Mayfield and Otis Redding through his original compositions.
With True Vibenation, Moody's MCing is commanding, but under the guise of Moody a cool voice and natural, easy-going singing comes through with some unruffled trumpet playing giving the audience a welcoming start.
To add to the intimate ambience, DJ Oroana mixed some eclectic Latin American, world music, electronica and tribal beats creating a steamy and chilled atmosphere while the stage was prepared for the headline act.
Tijuana Cartel came on at 9:15pm to cheers and applause as they got straight into their mesmerising guitar wizardry, with defused lights circling behind them creating the magical aura of a spiritual ritual taking place onstage.
This music airplane had emphatically taken off carrying the audience on a sonic journey to the mystical lands of the Middle East and the Mayan pyramids of Mexico with their psychedelic shamanic performance.
The entire concert was one, continuous flow without a single break between songs which is uncommon with modern touring outfits, yet they did so without any hesitation by constantly creating an energy exchange between them and the audience. The result was a psychedelic rave punctuated with fat beats and absorbing musicianship all while the crowd kept jumping enthusiastically.
In addition to the acoustic guitar, trumpet and bongo mix, there were synthesisers and synthetic beats utilised to great effect. Guitarist and frontman Paul A. George sung on various songs too, bringing another dimension to these already layered compositions and nicely balancing their organic songwriting with their highly conceived production values in a live setting.
Clearly their influences are vastly diverse and their sonic path feels never ending with many possible cultures to digest into their musical vocabulary. From the elegant gypsy flamenco guitar playing of Al Di Meola to the restless psychedelic rock of Kasabian and the tribal futuristic hip hop beats of DJ Shadow, it all dissolves into this delicious exotic cuisine which the audience are happy to validate and jump along to.
There was the promise of a hectic final song, which was delivered with aplomb and moved the crowd to call out for one more song! Their request was granted with an enchanting encore conclusion of a tune mixing all of their stylistic influences together and concluding this tantalising trip making everyone feel satisfied and elevated to what was an energised, fun and riveting Friday night.
