Love or Fusion

But anchored with the relentless bounce of tejana-sporting bassist Cesar Pliego, Kinky‘s take-no-prisoners-but-be-sexy-about-it method soon had hulking men shrieking ’n‘ shaking like prepubescents. What allows the quintet to trump their hype is a sonic style approaching the orgasmic, escalating toward climax with samba-type percussion and dreamy programmed swirls, relaxing by means of mysterious record scratches, then starting anew via strummed ecstasy. Even in tonight’s at-least-sixth show, Kinky didn‘t deviate from this fabulous formula. Lead singerguitarist Gilberto Cerezo’s synthesized wisp commanded the crowd and his mates to want mas y mas fun on -- what else? -- “Mas y Mas,” so each did; Pliego‘s furious keep-the-beat stomp revved the crowd into convulsions while he and Cerezo do-si-doed around each other’s bodies and notes. And when scruffy keyboardist Ulises Lozano left his post for the closing “Cornman,” strapped on an accordion, and slid and squeezed across the stage with a perfect marriage of James Brown and Ramon Ayala . . . well, thank God KCRW keeps giving L.A. mas y mas Kinky. (Gustavo Arellano) Post-NAMM: paxe.l.m. conceptions soundblasters at Plastic Factory, January 18