Premiere: Buraka Som Sistema, “Restless” Stream
This is a one-off new jam from the Portugal-based crew responsible for one of the best NYC nights of ‘09—their unforgettable live show + vast afterparty swaths—streamable in advance of its purchasable iTunes debut tomorrow (yo, preorder!). “Restless” slots Buraka’s signature kuduro rave into a subtler, smoldering house burner with a classic “Should I dump you or what?” vocal prepped for blood on the dancefloor. If you missed their North American tour dates earlier this year, A) we’re sorry and B) you’re in luck, because they’re coming back for a few select dates in late October/early November. Check the dates after the jump and do us a favor, would you, prepare to dance your ass off.
Stream: Buraka Som Sistema, “Restless”
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posted on Oct 12, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags Buraka Som Sistema, electroni, electronic/dance, kuduro, premiere
Gelu Six, “In the Building” MP3 + Kuduro Remix Contest
- story Matthew Schnipper
Back in May, we posted a stream of this Gelu Six track and noted that we only had half of the nine minute monster of raw Angolan kuduro. Since then, Akwaaba Sem Transporte has been released, including the full nine minutes and we have the entire track for you to download below. Listening all at once is like being at a grime freestyle session in Luanda. You know there were a bunch of dudes hanging out alternately bumping fists and looking completely blank-faced while someone spits standing against a wall. Undoubtedly, that was a really stuffy room, just like whatever club that bumps this will be. Another track from the album, “Ze Bula” by DJ MJ with Figura, is also now up for remix. Grab the acapella of the track and find out the details of how to remix over at Akwaaba’s site and hear the original after the jump (and check out the rules, too). The winning remix will be officially released on an upcoming compilation.
Download: Gelu Six, “In the Building”
Ghetto Palms 65: Kuduro pt. 3 / Akwaaba Sem Transporte / Broadcasting Live From Angola (actually)
- story Eddie "Stats" Houghton
Last year I did two kuduro columns and subtitled the second Broadcasting Live from Angola, but in truth it was more like downloaded live (and DJ Znobia interviewed via complicated email and phone translations). I should have held back on the hyperbolic title because now Ben Lebrave, proprietor of the digital label Akwaaba music, factually went to actual Angola and filed the following Ghetto Palms report. He also laced me with a heap of kuduro selections from the brand new Akwaaba Sem Transporte compilation—in Ben’s words “the very first legitimate Angolan kuduro release outside of Angola”—for this week’s blend.
Buraka Som Sistema, “Blood Diamond Mixtape” MP3
- story Peter Macia
- photo Guy Martin (F52)
Every Monday morning we find ourselves wondering how it is that Snap!’s “Rhythm Is A Dancer” has managed to maintain its status as our weekly jumpoff for so long. Seriously, every Monday at 10AM for at least three years. The answer is usually stunned silence or Schnipper saying “Alpha omega, dog” or something like that. No reason to question the unquestionable. Which is why we’re surprised to enjoy Buraka Som Sistema’s remix of the song on their new Blood Diamond mixtape along with 17 other songs, some dubstep remixes, Jamie Foxx samples and an interlude by some band called The Kiss. Highly enjoyable and will only cost you your email address. Tracklist after the jump.
Download: Buraka Som Sistema, “Blood Diamond Mixtape”
More Live Audio From Angola
- story THE FADER
Benjamin Lebrave, of Akwaaba, drops us another note with an update about his trip to Angola (which included the above appearance on national television to discuss the country’s music and potential for export. It’s all in Portuguese). He also included two new kuduro tracks, the first, “In the Building,” by unknown (even in Angola) Gelú-Six. Apparently this track is actually nine minutes long, but he halved it for the time being because he knew we would open this email just before 10AM and that’s kind of intense. The second pretty astonishing track, “Suga,” is by the much more well known (in Angola) Os Vagabanda. This song sounds like a fight.
Stream: Gelu Six, “In the Building
Stream: Os Vagabanda, “Suga”
Video: Os Mais Potentes, “Vem Ca”
- story THE FADER
More wild kuduro live from Angola via Akwaaba. Benjamin Lebrave writes from Luanda about Os Mais Potentes’ song “Vem Ca,” which he says is hugely popular there at the moment. It also has a video with rubber-legged dancers, one with no shirt but with a helmet. We want this on Hot 97. Anyone work for Clear Channel, can you can get this added? MP3 of the track released on Akwaaba soon, Lebrave’s notes about the song after the jump.
FADER TV: Buraka Som Sistema Interview
- story THE FADER
Let it be known that Saturday, May 2, 2009, was officially the first truly epic late-night rave of the year, for that was the evening we dragged Lisbon’s amazing Buraka Som Sistema to Freeman’s Alley so we could talk to them about their Euro kuduro, culinary excellence and Kalaf’s side career as a famous Portuguese columnist. Then we went to their crazy live show, the last on their US tour, and sweated a lot while shaking it, because kuduro translates roughly to “ass.” Then we attended like 40 afterparties where Andro was DJing, but sorry, we don’t have footage from that, it was past our video cam’s bedtime. At about four minutes into this video, you will see what we mean by “epic” and “rave.” Gracias to Kalaf for shouting out FADER.com’s consistent livefeed of crazy American hip-hop, we will keep filtering the weirdos your way!
Freeload: Vince the Prince, March ‘09 Kuduro Mix
- story THE FADER
We like the idea of this Dutch dude Vince the Prince flipping through his hard drive and just “finding” a bunch of Angolan and Portuguese kuduro on there like he did with this mix. The internet is one big Smurf yurt. Vince makes aces cumbia jams as Sonido del Principe you can grab over at Bersa Discos, and his DJ alter ego kinda killed this mix of kuduro, which essentially is/sounds like hybrid techno-booty-soca with Portuguese rapping, which in turn sounds like every party we ever wanted to go to ever. Get the tracklist, which includes a variety of kuduro practicioners from godhead Bruno M to a couple songs from this to extra-hot newish jacks Buraka Som Sistema, after the jump.
Download: Vince the Prince, March ‘09 Kuduro Mix
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posted on Mar 24, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags Bersa Discos, cumbia, dance/electronic, freeload, kuduro, Sonido del Principe, Vince the Prince
Ghetto Palms: Broadcasting Live From Angola / Kuduro pt. II The Electric Boogaloo
- story THE FADER
Every week resident FADER selector Eddie STATS runs through dancehall riddims and other artifacts from the ghetto archipelago.
If you reside in the blogosphere, you would not be totally crazy to think that kuduro’s 15 seconds of fame were pretty much over before the countdown even started, the alpha/omega being DJ Znobia’s infamous non-appearance on M.I.A’s sophomore LP Kala. By the time Buraka Som Sistema started to get some vibes in the dance world, kuduro’s online representatives were limited to 1) BSS, 2) DJ Znobia and 3) BSS ft MIA and DJ Znobia, and you might have reasonably wondered if anybody in Angola was still making this shit or if it was just a figment of Frederic Galliano’s worldbeat fantasies. I experienced something similar with coupe decale after Radioclit put out a 12” from the single best dude in Cote D’Ivoire. Based on a random survey of downloadable coupe decale songs it appeared for a second like lightning struck exactly once and nobody else happened to be standing close enough to Bablee to get shocked.
Ghetto Palms: DJ Znobia / Angolan Kuduro
- story THE FADER
Every week resident FADER selector Eddie STATS runs through dancehall riddims and other artifacts from the ghetto archipelago.
Angola is one of those words that resonates with meaning way beyond the little square inch on the map it designates. For Namibians and South Africans, Angola was a second home to the ANC in exile back in the days of Apartheid and a source of Radio Freedom broadcasts—a place across the border to get to and join the freedom struggle. For Brazilians, Angola is the ultimate birthplace of much of their African culture. The oceanic depths of pride and suffering that Angolares conveys there and throughout the Portuguese-speaking world probably can’t be translated into English, but you can taste it a little in the sodade that Cape Verdean diva Cesaria Evora puts on it when she sings.
