This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
If the thought of a Chilean lounge combo turning Smoke On The Water into a cha-cha doesn’t put a smile on yer mug, you are taking life (and music) way too seriously.
The same, it is clear, cannot be said of Santiago’s Señor Coconut, the musical alter-ego of German-born DJ and producer Uwe Schmidt. On his sophomore CD Fiesta Songs, Schmidt makes like Ricky Ricardo at Classic Rock Fest, revamping golden oldies like Riders On The Storm, Beat It and Smooth Operator into comically authentic merengues, boleros and mambos, complete with hip-swivelling grooves, ringing marimbas, peppy percussion and TV-sitcom accents (“Dere’s a keeler on de rode / Heez brain eez squirmin’ like a tode”). No, you won’t want to listen to it every day. But you will want to listen to it more than once — especially the bonus version of Smoke On The Water in Spanish (“Fuuu-mar en l’agua!”). Aye carumba.
