El Nino Y El Sol is one of those albums that creates vivid images. It’s crisp like a dry wind across the prairie of a Mexican border state in late-afternoon sunshine?with deliciously light water-and-seaside-breeze interludes. It conjures up dreams of the desert and the ocean at once. Rarely has laidback funk felt so vibrant, so alive, with an exquisite organic feel-good vibe that brings a smile to the lips of the listener. To set El Nino Y El Sol in a downbeat context is perhaps misleading. It’s barely electronic and the electronics are succintly woven into the fabric of each song. It is also so far beyond what the genre has provided that bland downbeat labelling would never do it justice. Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada take their place as an Afro-Cuban Gotan Project?or perhaps a Breakestra for beach relaxation?with an album that is exceptional and essential.