N.A.S.A. - The Spirit Of Apollo

Rating:

* * * *

Not a tribute to the US space programme, nor to the astronauts of the missions to the moon during the 60s and early 70s. No, N.A.S.A. stands for North America/South America and is the guise of musical collaborators Squeak E. Clean from Los Angeles and Brazilian DJ Zegon (real names Sam Spiegel and Ze Gonzales respectively).

On this debut the pair lay down the beats and the music, very much influenced by beautifully saucy Brazilian funk and soul, with a host of famous guests joining in, including everyone from former Talking Head David Byrne and Tom Waits, to rappers as diverse as Public Enemy's Chuck D, Wu Tang Clan members, and chicks like M.I.A. and Santogold.

Spiegel's biggest claim to fame so far is producing sonic New York art rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeah's second album,

Show Your Bones

, in 2006. The band's singer Karen O features here alongside the late Wu Tang rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard on

Strange Enough

and it's seemingly bizarre collaborations like this that are the hallmark of the album.

The stand out is the slinky haze of

Way Down

, with Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante offering up psychedelic noodlings as the breathy Barbie Hatch faces off against ruff neck Wu Tang rapper RZA; but then there are brilliantly odd collaborations like grumbling Tom Waits and Bronx rapper Kool Keith on the seriously spacey

Spacious Thoughts

, and P-funk crazy George Clinton and Jurassic 5's Charli 2Na on

There's A Party

coming off like TV On the Radio meets Cab Calloway.

The more traditional Brazilian beats and arse-shaking delights of

O Pato

and

Samba Soul

are where the two brains behind the project shine rather than the stars.

There are some waffly head nodders, like

Hip Hop

with KRS-One and the dancehall attempt

A Volta

(featuring Sizzla and Lovefoxxx from CSS) is throwaway. But

The Spirit of Apollo

is an achievement in that these two N.A.S.A. producers have successfully pulled this star power together to create something weird and wonderful.

Scott Kara