Whilst often lovingly, and perhaps ad nauseam, compared to Panda Bear's Person Pitch, El Guincho's debut Alegranza! is a more extroverted affair than its most cited point of musical reference. Joyous and celebratory from start to finish, Alegranza! mixes repetitive chanting with looped tropical rhythms to create the best summer pop record anyone could hope to release right in the middle of winter. It's that rare album that makes you feel a bit wrong for listening to it alone on headphones, as it begs you to come out and dance in the street (in a good 1964 Martha and the Vandellas way, not in that really naff 1985 Mick Jagger and David Bowie way).

Fresh from appearances at Austin's SXSW festival as well as a few New York dates, El Guincho comes to London (and Brighton and Dublin) for a few gigs next week before returning to his native Barcelona. All performances do, thankfully, occur indoors, but his psychedelic samplemania should leave you with enough inner warmth to last until the weather catches up.

Dates and places to see El Guincho in London in the days ahead:

24 March - Durrr at The End
27 March - Moshi Moshi Night at Hoxton Square Bar
28 March - The Old Blue Last
1 April - White Heat at Madame JoJo's

Image courtesy of elchicodelaleche's Flickr photostream.