When Ozomatli played on the closing night of Fuji Rock Festival 2000, they emptied out the Red Marquee. The hundreds of safety-pin punks, rag-head ragamuffins, permanent-press mods and glow-stick ravers had disappeared -- last seen following the band. Like a soccer team of drum-toting Pied Pipers, Ozomatli had led them, over a hill and (eventually) back again. It was electrifying. And magical -- especially in genre-conscious Japan.
Ozomatli, named after the Aztec god of dance, is a 10-piece rhythm and rap band from West L.A. that cuts through genres by incorporating all of them into a Latin salsa, urban hip-hop and jazz-funk mix. And their live performances are guaranteed to make you pay homage to their god.
The band have a unique way of getting the party started: by setting off a dance bomb -- literally -- in the audience. While the stage lights are still low, the band's members, each toting a drum, will have drifted toward the center of the crowd, where they wait in a huddle for the signal -- a raised hand above a drum. Then "Boom!" down it comes, and suddenly 10 drums and sets of arms are launched in a riot of rhythms. And it's happening right next to you. By the time the band has formed a samba line bound for the stage, everyone has been infected with the irresistible urge to dance.