Track of the Day: El Malito and the 33rd Century - "Safari"

A few weeks ago while hitting up the Philadelphia Fringe, I happened upon an after party with two pretty phenomenal Philly-based acts: Red 40 and the Last Groovement (a blue-eyed soul, big-wigged outfit that managed to make Hall & Oates's "Rich Girl" listenable) and El Malito and the 33rd Century.  Like any act that plays a late night fringe show should be, El Malito was appropriately high concept. Their motto -- traveling through wormholes to bring you dance music -- was accompanied by some space suits and then El Malito himself, a Puerto Rican rapper with a conscious who can mix Cubia and Radiohead's "Creep." The 33rd century, the band, was an incredibly tight three piece accented by two fly girls (when was the last time you saw those?) whose retro-futuristic style and dance moves were exactly what you need when you've only got that one person to get the crowd going. The standout track of the night was "Safari," a celebration of the cougar, taking a trope from a Courtney Cox sitcom to actually give respect back to women. It's not only a danceable and exciting track, it's also a reminder of the power that music actually have and how it can give back for positive forces not negative. After the show, I asked El Malito if his group was signed. He said no. Hopefully this post and you guys can change that. This is just the sort of thing that music needs--cross-cultural fiesta making music.