Desorden Social

Here's a quick treat for you. Taking me right back to my roots, Desorden Social are a ska-punk band from Bogota who have been on the go since 1996. Things get a bit confusing if you Google them, as there is also a Colombian rap band by the exact same name, and they've just released an album, so it must be hell working in the local record shops and dealing with cross, confused Desorden Social customers. Not that the ska-punkers can complain much - their moniker is a Spanish translation of Social Disorder, and yes, you guessed it, there was a Social Disorder playing growly metally hardcore in the Agnostic Front mould, round New York in the early nineties. If the Myspace stats are anything to go by, Desorden Social are definitely the most popular incarnation of this pair of words.


They've just released a new album (well in April), and apart from the fact that it is pretty stonking, it is available for free download from their Bandcamp page. If you're nervous about how to navigate Bandcamp in Spanish, relax. Just look for the button that says "Free Download". You know the score - you give them your email address, they give you a freee album and a lifetime's supply of promotional emails in Colombian Spanish that you will have no compunction about instantly binning.

The production is excellent, the songs are a full on mix of ska and harcore, with some really crisp horn sections and a layer of turntablism that lifts it up out of the ordinary. Their music makes me misty-eyed for the days when the late, great Shootin' Goon played anti-war benefit gigs in Cardiff, that's the sort of vibe they turn out. The opening track has a shouty chorus that makes you forget being an old git and takes you right back to "moshing" around in the Belfast Art College in the late 80's:



I recommend them to you. Check the album out, and if you're feeling generous, let me know what you think. And repost them to let the rest of the world know.