TKA, George Lamond, Judy Torres, C+C Music Factory, Lisette Melendez, Black Sheep, y Planet Patrol

American Latin freestyle dance group TKA (Total Knowledge Action), rose to popularity in the 80’s. Originally formed of Tony, Kayel and Aby who were discovered by record producer Joey Gardner when he saw them perform at a sweet sixteen party. With the help of Gardner, TKA signed with Tommy Boy Records with whom they released their debut album ‘Scars of Love’ with in 1987.

The first single to come off the record ‘One Way Love’ may not have been a major commercial success but garnered incredible popularity within the clubs in Latin communities residing in Miami and New York. Releasing their follow up album ‘Louder Than Love’ in 1990 saw them diversify by adopting slick contemporary R&B grooves.

By the mid-nineties, freestyling was almost a thing of the past and TKA felt the blow as they disbanded to pursue solo projects. Reuniting in 2001, TKA released the album ‘Forever’ and revived their legendary live shows. Even twenty years on TKA are still infinitely cool, causing hysteria as soon as they hit the stage with their explosive energy.

In matching slick suits, the lads slide onto stage with their synchronised dance routines as they entice the already excitable crowd to clap along. Playing tracks such as ‘I Won’t Give Up On You’ and ‘Crash (Have Some Fun)’ are welcomed additions to the set. The band’s chemistry is incredibly tight and despite all the energetic exercises on stage, their vocals are on point. Both visually and audibly entertaining, TKA will have you up on your feet grooving along.

Not to sound derogatory to either artist, but George Lamond is the Michael Jackson of Latino pop. He has taken the breakbeat pulses, dream house synth swashes and high pitched coos heard on classic albums like “Dangerous” and “Rhythm Nation 1814” and has milked it for all its worth. He is not at all a rip off artist, rather he has greatly expanded on this 90s tinged R&B pop style and has introduced new Latin flavors and other sonic variations into the mix.

His concerts are overtly stimulating, in both audio and visual contexts. Loud blasts of electronics blare from the speakers and flashes of light shoot on and off the stage. Lamond also adds elements of choreography to his concerts and is almost always accompanied by a group of back up dancers. The movement of the dancers is fierce and seemingly unwieldy; however they always prove to strictly match up with the spectacular light displays and rhythm of the music.

Lamond is still pumping up the volume and churning out pop gems. His current shows are met with just as much enthusiasm from the audience as they did when he first played the “Bad of the Heart” at the Apollo. These days it is even possible to catch him at much more personable venues. You might even see him performing Latin freestyle on a cruise to the Bahamas.

Pop diva Judy Torres garnered attention for her powerhouse vocals and dance/ R&B albums during the late 80’s and early 90’s. Besides having songs like “Love Story” and “Come Into My Arms” land in the Billboard top 40s during her peak years, Torres also had her own freestyle show on New York’s radio station WKTU 103.5 until 2009. Judy grew up in the Bronx, New York into a Puerto Rican family. Her music has influences from her background as the danceable tracks distinctively feature Latino-inspired rhythms.
To appreciate Torres’s music in its entirety it makes sense to see her live. Most of her recordings are based on the “freestyle” she is most known for. She engages with her audience with her charismatic smile, talking to them as if addressing her best friend. Torres is multi-talented because not only is she a singer, but also a comedienne, storyteller, and hype girl during her performances. She encourages everyone around her to copy her cha-cha-cha moves across the stage and join her in belting out the lyrics to her songs. One of my favorite tracks is Torres’s 2005 cover of Journey’s “Faithfully,” which is a disco female-sung version of the original.

C+C music factory was an American Dance and HipHip group, which was pretty popular in 1989 and the early 90's. They released three studio albums, which were titled, Gonna make you sweat, anything goes, C+C music factory. They were a highly successful group, and their songs really made you get into their performances. In "Everybody Dance Now" their clothes are pretty cool looking, and they look cool. They get really into the songs, their voices sound very upbeat, and they are dancing all over the stage. The song really does make everybody wanna dance now. The raps added into the songs also really help to pump up the audience. There are parts in the song that prompt you to dance, such as "you better move it now", which really helps to get you into the music. It is just a very feel good music. The men in the performance typically have their shirts off to attract the women, and the beats just keep people wanting to move to the music. The songs are great, and it is not surprising that this group was so popular during their day! I think that these songs would even be popular today because they are so good.

The hip hop dup of Black Sheep made my year when they confirmed their reformation after their hiatus back in 2000. It’s mad that I’ve only just had the chance to see them live when I’ve been following them for so many years, but it was totally worth the wait. I originally became hooked on their music because of their catchy and clever lyrics, their intelligence is beyond that of a generic hip hop group, and they demonstrate their education elegantly through their music.
The duo are extremely enthusiastic in their performance, and it was great the degree that they got the audience involved to. From the moment they walked out on stage and shouted ‘put your hand in the air’, they completely won over the audience, and there was no going back. They opened with Similak Child from their debut album back in 1991, and had everyone singing along straight away. It was really cool how they played a lot of their older more famous material, as well as tracks from the newer albums. When they played Come Back Home from From The Black Pool of Genius, they made it really interactive, and taught us in the audience sections of the song to sing back in dialogue with them.
Seeing the way that the two of them interact together shows that they’ve been working together for such a long time, as their performance is clean and tight. They really showcased their talent, and what it means to be a hip hop performer. I was really impressed, and advise anyone to see them live if you get the chance.