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Rock to Risqué Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas sell a sexy sound By David Espinoza MILLIONS OF DOLLARS are spent each year on advertising, all based on the fact that the one thing that will always sell starts with the letter "s." Nothing gets the cash flowing or credit cards aswiping like sex. The record industry is no stranger to this concept, which partly explains the cover of Argentina's Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas' (a.k.a. IKV) latest release, Leche. Not really a part of the rock en español or Latin rock phenomenon, Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas fall somewhere between mainstream Latin pop and risqué adult-oriented music. For the duo (Dante Spinetta Zalazar and Emmanuel Horvilleur), sex really isn't so much a gimmick as it is something that comes with the territory of being freak nasty funksters. With some degree of success, sex is what Kuryaki and Valderramas attempt to exude in their music. Hailing from the land of the gaucho, where Western musical influences have been embraced for many years, the pair takes a large cue from '70s disco and '80s bass-heavy dance. It's stuff that folks in the U.S. outgrew a long time ago. Given the proper amount of nostalgia hype, however, Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas could be another crossover hit. Already in Latin America, the two enjoy a decent amount of fame as their sound is more accessible than, say, reggae thrashers Todos Tus Muertos. On Leche, IKV take the listener through a maze of sultry tunes that bring to mind everything from Parliament to the Bee Gees. To its credit, the duo enlisted Bootsy Collins to help out on the final song, "DJ Droga," on which the old P-Funk bassist backs up Horvilleur and Zalazar's rapping. As for the cover art, the C-rated surprise is available only to those who buy the album and remove the black slip. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]