Cosmic. Karmic. Ghettotech house. These are a few of the words used by local duo Afrobeta to describe their sound. An ambient blend of disco, funk and house with underpinnings of various other electro styles ranging from breaks to trance and even bit of gabba, Tony "Smurphio" Laurencio and Cristina "Cuci Amador" Garcia's distinct flavor tastes kind of like old school Deee-Lite would if it were rolled in sugar and served by an old dude with a churro cart on Calle Ocho. Smurphio's funky beats and campy melodies caress Cuci's sweetly soothing bilingual vocals perfectly.
The group formed after the two met in the summer of 2006 at one of Smurphio's shows with one of his 19 other bands. That may be a slight exaggeration, but the man does work hard as a permanent member of local favorites Suenalo Sound System and frequently gigging with other nationally recognized bands, such as Bacilos. Meanwhile, Cuci came up from salsa proving grounds, singing with Son Con Clave back in college and since taking the stage with local groups like OrganicArma and Beat Machines.
Be sure to catch Afrobeta's live delivery of cosmic-karmic-ghettotech-house-funk-disco this Friday, February 20th at Transit Lounge.
Afrobeta performs at Transit Lounge (729 SW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33130) this Friday, February 20th at 12am. As always, no cover. Enjoy $6 Absolute Mango drink specials from 9-11pm.