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KEXP Documentaries: The New World – Buraka Som Sistema

Michele Myers — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:53:31 +0000

Hilary Harris

The latest KEXP Documentary spotlights a band from Portugal who are taking over the international dance scene with a little-known style of music called Kuduru.

Luanda, the capitol city of Angola, in the late 90’s had some of the world’s most progressive DJs and musical producers. Lots of them had hand-me-down computers and software. They were influenced by house music and techno and mixed these dance beats with samba and a native Angolan music called “Kizomba”.

This combination of styles was a new genre: Kuduru music (pronounced “Koo-doo-roo”).

Kuduru is similar to hip-hop, in that it’s not just about the music. It’s about people who have very little equipment making a lot of sound. Using just records and computers, these Kuduru artists created a whole culture of dancers, DJs, art and fashion.

The women dance very sensually in Kuduru. It’s all about shaking your groove thing. The men dance too, but it’s more like breakdancing. Both sexes do lots of gyrating and wear bright, colorful clothes.

Angola used to be a Portuguese colony. The official language of Angola, in fact, is Portuguese. And since the two countries share many cultural gifts, Kuduru spread quickly from the sun-baked streets of Luanda to the ancient cobblestone of Lisbon.

More than a decade later, long after the heyday of Kuduru in both Angola and Portugal, the band Buraka Som Sistema decided that they wanted to represent their cities by playing music from their homelands. The members of Buraka Som Systema (pronounced “Boo-rah-kah Sahm Siss-tehm-ah”) are from Portugal and Angola.

Listen now:

The band play Kuduru music, but up the technology. Using the latest in computers and software, and influenced by club artists like Diplo, M.I.A. and Spank Rock, the band have brought Kuduru into the worldwide club scene.

Last year, Buraka released their first record, Black Diamond, in Portugal, and this year it’s being released worldwide. With a track featuring guest singer M.I.A. and dance beats that are edgy and warm, this band has made Kuduru the latest sound in international electronic music. And the Kuduru culture has made the transition from the streets to the stage.

KEXP Documentaries are produced by Michele Myers, with assistance from John Felthous and Leah Pogwizd. You can hear all our KEXP Docs series including: Punk Evolution, Masters of Turntablism, The Heart of Soul, Pop Goes Electronic and more in the On-Demand section of kexp.org.

Interview with Buraka Som Sistema

RJ, KEXP — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:30:28 +0000

interview by RJ Cubarrubia
photos by Hilary Harris

After releasing one of 2008’s best music videos, gaining near universal critical praise with their debut album (including an MTV Europe award), and tearing apart the most talked about set of Coachella, Lisbon, Portugal’s Buraka Som Sistema is ready to take the US by storm. Unlike the majority of today’s electro-bangers lifted off of countless blog remix contests, producers, DJs, and multi-instrumentalists DJ Riot, Lil John, Conductor, and Kalaf cite the Angolan and Portuguese phenomenon of kuduro as their main influence, bringing the originally African street sounds to the club. After their KEXP in-studio, I met with DJ Riot and Conductor to discuss their home, becoming friends with Diplo and M.I.A., and the background of kuduro.

The big thing you guys are known for is this kuduro sound. Where did it originate and why is it so important to you as a group?

Conductor: We grew up in Lisbon and if you live near the suburbs, you can hear a lot of kuduro because there’re a lot of immigrants from Angola living around us. And we weren’t present or too much into the movement itself but the music was always around us, so we wanted to pick up that sound and try to mix it with things that we’ve listening to since forever.

DJ Riot: It’s kind of the same thing when you’re in Rio de Janeiro, with people passing by in cars playing baile funk. You may not live it 100 percent, but it’s always there.

So you took this type of African music and brought it to a club?

Conductor: Yeah, it’s not that traditional in Africa, you know? It’s more in the urban scene. It’s not even that old.

DJ Riot: It’s African kids making techno.

It’s reflected in your name, but how much does your suburb in Lisbon and your home as Portugal influence what you do?

DJ Riot: Like 150 percent! For many years, Portugal imported lots of music from other countries. We had some sort of lack of creativity or something, especially in the 90’s. That’s why we grew up on Seattle’s rock scene. I mean, everybody did, but it was quite big in Portugal. For example, in Spain, they would get their Pearl Jam and their Nirvana and their Mudhoney, but they would get that specific CD or that hip track. In Portugal, we couldn’t get that. People were always trying to look for it, like really hardcore crate digging. So I think now, Lisbon has evolved into its own scene, and with all the software and the new tools that a musician can use and kids trying to make music in their own places and in their rooms and stuff like that, it’s created a small Lisbon scene, a very interesting music scene, so now you can really feel like you’re surrounded by musicians and producers and singers from a “scene”. Now you can call it a scene, so you’re constantly inspired. It’s like a novelty to us; it’s like something we’ve only felt since around 2000, being surrounded by musicians that you can look up to or compare music with, so Lisbon inspires us like 150 percent.

Because you’re from a different area of the world that not as many musicians come from, is it different approaching the music scene in general? You guys made friends with Diplo and M.I.A. but is it different spreading the word because of where you’re from?

Conductor: Honestly, music works a lot in circles and as soon as you get into a circle of musicians, even when you don’t want to, you start spreading yourself and start spreading your word.

DJ Riot: You don’t get to choose that, I don’t think.

Conductor: You do your job, you do your music, and if the music is good and you really stand for it, people will understand and you’ll have a circle of people supporting you.

DJ Riot: The hard part about it is that there aren’t many examples of Portuguese musicians making it in pop or underground or bassline music or whatever. It’s always about world music and stuff like that. So the hard part is being the first ones, you know? You know how things work in Portugal; I’ve been a musician in Portugal for like 10 years so I know the bits and pieces of Portugal’s music scene. But the world’s music scene, I have some idea, but only when we travel or sign deals with distributors in the UK or Switzerland or something like that, when you get to see different stuff from the music scene.

You guys got into a good circle though. How’d you find your way into a good group of people like Diplo and M.I.A.?

Conductor: When we decided we needed to do something with kuduro we started DJing one night a month and started producing some tracks. We got a spot in Sonar [Music Festival, Barcelona] and we handed Diplo our CD. He liked our tracks and started communicating with us through the internet.

DJ Riot: It’s a mixture between the internet scene and the “gotta be there” scene. If the music sucks, the people won’t like it anyway, but if it’s good and you care… Kalaf gave it to Diplo and he never thought it would be such a big deal.

Conductor: You know, honestly, we didn’t think Diplo was going to listen to it.

[laughter]

DJ Riot: At the same time, we had a guy called Sinden who was very interested in getting some tracks as well, and you start to exchange beats and remixes and stuff like that and then you’re off.

There’re definitely two sides of it: there’s the internet “this is my track” produced side and then there’s the “we’re in the club, let’s spin a live set for these people,” but I’ve noticed a big difference with you is that live performance. When you guys are live, it’s like you guys are a full band. How have you incorporated that and was it a conscious choice to perform differently?

Conductor: Well, we also come from a DJ background, so what we wanted to do when we started making our live show is make different than the album. In an album, you’re thinking about making tracks and maybe having a proper story and introducing everything. When you’re doing a live gig, you have to be as energetic as possible. You need to show people the vibe they need to get into. So we make like little sets with a lot of things going on for 10 or 15 minutes and we do the whole show almost like a DJ set.

DJ Riot: Call me old-fashioned, but for me, a DJ and three MCs is not a live band. So we started feeling guilty and thought, “If we were going to take this to another level, we have to take this to the garage.” We all had our own different bands before too: a hip-hop group, I had a semi-grunge thing before and I’ve played in some rock bands. We’re used to playing something. I’m a drummer, so now playing electronic percussion, it’s not that hard for me. And if you know how to do it, you might as well do it in your project anyways. We put on a big show and a very tiresome show as well, very exhausting and very intense.

Thanks guys.

Conductor: Thank you.

DJ Riot: We appreciate it.

Buraka Som Sistema’s latest album, Black Diamond, is out now on Enchufada Records. For more information, visit their MySpace page.

Song of the Day: Buraka Som Sistema - Sound Of Kuduro

Eric, KEXP — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:10 +0000

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is Sound of Kuduro by Buraka Som Sistema from the 2009 album Black Diamond on Fabric.

Buraka Som Sistema - Sound of Kuduro (MP3)

Being a former Portuguese territory, Angola’s native music style known as Kuduro inevitably made its way to Lisbon. Once believed a fad, the genre has been reborn and is entering the world stage courtesy of Buraka Som Sistema. Consisting of members Lil Jon, Riot, Conductor, and Kalaf, this group was made for such a stage, gaining early notoriety by collaborating with M.I.A. (featured on this song, along with Dj Znobia, Saborosa, and Puto Prata) and getting the remix treatment from one of the biggest names in the business, Hot Chip. Currently on their first full US tour, the group stunned Coachella audiences with their intense, tribal brand of club music. With seven members in tow, this is the time and configuration in which to see their explosive set. There are still a few dates left before they leave these shores. Check their MySpace page for exact dates and locations. Before you rush off to buy tickets, check out this video for Black Diamond’s second single, Kalemba (Wegue Wegue):

Out This Week 4/7

Jim Beckmann — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:33:37 +0000

Score, indeed! Just check out this week’s unbelievable list of new releases, which includes the latest from Doves, Bob Mould, Telekinesis!, Crystal Antlers, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Bat for Lashes, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Veils, The Thermals, Neil Young, Gliss, Superchunk, Buraka Som Sistema, and a whole lot more!

Among this slew of other worthwhile releases to rack up is a great compilation from Merge Records, who are celebrating 20 years of putting out consistently great music. This week, they’ve made one disc of their larger SCORE! subscription-based box set available commercially. THE COVERS! is just that: a collection of covers by indie bands including Quasi, Les Savy Fav, The Shins, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, The New Pornographers, Okkervil River, Death Cab For Cutie, Times New Viking, and many more. Proceeds of this limited edition release (7,500 copies) go to charities chosen by the contributing artists, including Oxfam America, 826 Tutoring Centers, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Doctors Without Borders.

Les Savy Fav - Precision Auto (Superchunk cover) (MP3)
from SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: THE COVERS!

Mark your scorecard using Largehearted Boy’s list and head out to your favorite record store, where you can all be winners!

Bat for Lashes - Daniel
from Two Suns on Astralwerks

Black Dice - Glazin (MP3)
from Repo on Paw Tracks

Buraka Som Sistema - Sound of Kuduro
from Black Diamond on Fabric

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Optimist vs. The Silent Alarm (When The Saints Go Marching In) (MP3)
from Vs. Children on Tomlab

Chain and the Gang - Interview with the Chain Gang (MP3)
from Down With Liberty… Up With Chains on K Records

The Coathangers - Stop Stomp Stompin (MP3)
from Scramble on Suicide Squeeze

Crystal Antlers - Andrew (MP3)
from Tentacles on Touch & Go

Dananananaykroyd - Pink Sabbath
from Hey Everyone on Best Before

Doves - Kingdom of Rust
from Kingdom of Rust on Astralwerks

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - Soul of a Man (MP3)
from A Stranger Here on Anti Records

Eulogies - Bad Connection
from Here Anonymous on Dangerbird Records

The Felice Brothers - Run Chicken Run (MP3)
from Yonder Is the Clock on Team Love

William Fitzsimmons - If You Would Come Back Home
from The Sparrow And The Crow on Mercer Street

Gliss - Morning Light (MP3)
from Devotion Implosion on Cordless Recordings

Greater California - Disappearing (MP3)
from the self-released All the Colors

Hammer No More The Fingers - Shutterbug (MP3)
from Looking For Bruce on Churchkey Records

The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage
DVD trailer from Vagrant Records

I Was A King - Norman Bleik (MP3)
from I Was a King on The Control Group

Lady Sovereign - I Got You Dancing
from Jigsaw on Midget Records

Mexican Institute of Sound - Alocatel (MP3)
from Soy Sauce on Nacional Records

Micachu - Lips (MP3)
from Jewellery on Accidental Records

Paper Moon - Say It’s All Over (MP3)
from Only During Thunderstorms on Endearing Records

Bob Mould - I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Any More (MP3)
from Life and Times on Anti Records

Pele - Gas the Nutsy (MP3)
from A Scuttled Bender in a Watery Closet on Polyvinyl Records

Superchunk - Misfits & Mistakes (MP3)
from Leaves in the Gutter EP on Merge

Richard Swift - Lady Luck (MP3)
from The Atlantic Ocean on Secretly Canadian

Telekinesis! - Coast of Carolina (MP3)
from Telekinesis! on Merge Records

The Thermals - Now We Can See (MP3)
from Now We Can See on Kill Rock Stars

The Veils - Killed By the Boom (MP3)
from Sun Gangs on Rough Trade

David Wilcox - Red Eye (MP3)
from Open Hand on What Are Records

Neil Young - Johnny Magic
from Fork in the Road on Reprise Records

Youth Group - All This Will Pass (MP3)
from The Night Is Ours on Ivy League