Grupo Fantasma

William Michael Smith February 2, 2006 4:00AM

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An instant party wherever they set up, Austin's Grupo Fantasma is to Latin funk what our own supergroup Los Skarnales is to Latino punk. Their Movimiento Popular has all the deep funk grooves of a New Orleans outfit, and each rhythm is trumped by swinging in-your-face hypersyncopated brass arrangements. Always keeping the dance floor firmly in mind, Grupo ranges easily across all the popular Latin dance styles. Their singularity comes from the muscle in their approach; the attitude is more rock than jazz, more smoky, dangerous nightclub than supper club or tourist trap. The band's instrumental prowess and facility with arrangements imply study in the best music schools, but the chops, lyrics and attitude trumpet an immediate grasp of what's happening on the street.