Tales of High Fever marks the new installment in the ongoing collaboration between Brazilian vocalist Lilian Vieira, Dutch drummer Stefan Kruger and German keyboardist Stefan Schmid. It is the band's second full-length release. The trio's boundary-blurring tendencies have only intensified with their latest outing; each of the fourteen tracks comprising Tales of High Fever possess a unique character, yet all contain elements of dance, romance and street appeal in varying proportions. Defining Zuco 103 - at any point in the group's evolution - as "eclectic" would be something of an understatement.

Tales of High Fever encompasses a diverse array of influences: soul, jazz and numerous strains of 'world music,' in addition to the electronic textures and rhythms of club culture. The opening song on Tales of High Fever, "Treasure," has proven to be one of the catchiest and most radio-friendly songs Zuco 103 has ever recorded and before the album's release already began charting at radio stations across Europe.

Many of the songs on Tales of High Fever draw from hip hop, classic '70s Philly soul orchestrations and breakbeat in addition to the amalgam of house, funk and samba that forms the group's core sound. Take "Curso de Reclamaçao - Lição 1" as an example. The track marries rootsy guitar riffs with Lilian's rapid-fire hybrid of rap and Northeast Brazilian folk-singing and pits rustic fiddle loops against abstract synthesizer passages. To this improbable hybrid, distorted violin is gradually added, helping the rhythm to reach critical mass. Simply describing the song's components does it disservice, as this is no academic exercise in sample triggering. Zuco 103 know their influences, all the better to transcend them and create new, more sensual forms of dance music. Additionally, their musicianship is more than equal to such challenges.