**1/2 Los Amigos Invisibles

THE NEW SOUND OF THE VENEZUELAN GOZADERA

(Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.)

Rock en español? More like Spanish-language disco/funk/house, or a soundtrack to a yet-to-be-produced Pedro Almodóvar película centered on the grooves of this catchy Caracas-based sextet. Making music to watch girls by, Los Amigos serve up a smart, bright pastiche of tradition subverted to celebrate dance-floor hedonism.

On the disc's intro, a narrator describes Los Amigos' sound as "a fusion of different elements of Latin dance and sex culture." The group embrace both on the manic opening track, "Ultra-Funk," and a host of others devoted to women, including "Mi Linda," "Sexy," and "Quiero Desintegrar a Tu Novio" (loose translation: "I Want To Kill Your Boyfriend"). Frank sexual content (the trip-hoppy "Otra Vez," with guests Arto Lindsay and Bill Ware, and "El Disco Anal") will certainly keep Los Amigos invisible even on Latin radio stations, and some of the tunes suffer from a retro vibe -- the Esquivel swipes are so three years ago -- that's too ironic for this group of rowdies. Keep a tongue firmly in cheek, find a mirror ball, and let the cultures clash.

-- Mark Woodlief