- Eccentric Miami producer Greg Beato has always crafted his ramshackle house tracks to be obtuse, whether it's jokingly or causticly. But for all their noisy obscurities, his best work was still fun, dripping with energy and dance floor dexterity. It's something When Monkeys Attack could have used more of. Only "El Dinero Falla" is well-suited for DJing, and it's a proper jam of the punch-drunk, spacey garage variety. This is where all of Beato's on-the-fly sequencing, rough-cut samples and druggy aloofness come together as charming dance music.
The other two, not so much. "Sadati," with its drum machine stuck in the tightest reverb chamber, never quite reconciles its rigid, rudimentary beat with the dopey bassline. Some could find it wrong in a playful way, but after Beato mixes in synths, hi-hats and claps it's only readable as a mess. The title track has a lot more going for it: groovy, gelatinous synths, solid drums and rhythmic structure, and a meaty sub. But it's all mixed and EQ'd to shit, and the music gains nothing from the lopsided sound. Call it stylistic choices or raw creativity, but these quirks too easily overshadow Beato's best qualities.
TracklistA1 When Monkeys Attack
B1 El Dinero Falla
B2 Sadatai