What made Kali Mutsa's breakthrough Tunupa such an exciting double-take, sonically, was that it wasn't trying to fit into current pop genres. At first ear-glance, it was hard to pinpoint where the sounds came from. The label said "Chile," but had you inadvertently put on a Bollywood soundtrack? No, not Bollywood. Was it a gypsy band? No. There in the background was a frenzied sense of Latinoamericano: whistles, Carnival, tropical, a hibiscus and a tuba. All the while refusing to be boxed neatly into (shudder) "world music." "El Jardín," the new single from her upcoming LP, features call backs, folk fiddling, and the same oversized found-object embroidery of her EP's "Tunupa" (and, to a lesser extent, "Jauja"). However, "El Jardín" goes one further and chucks in another genre finding its resurgent home in Chile: the video game synth.
In the video, the character of Kali, obscuring her uber-femme lingerie-dressed self with eye-patch and gold tooth, like a Kill Bill assassin, invites you into the titular garden, where, swimwear clad women dance the seven veils, whilst swimwear clad men run from a praying mantis, whose penchant is for devouring loved ones post-coital acts as the game's Pac-Woman. This is Roisin Murphy from the Andes, though a volcanic fire replaces the Irish artist's dour, steel-grey delivery. Both are just as unhinged as the other, just as fun to tangle with, and irresistibly dangerous. Level up!