Black Diamond, the exhilarating debut full-length from Lisbon's Buraka Som Sistema, will mark many listeners' first exposure to Kuduro, an Angolan style of dance music that's attracted international attention only recently despite roots dating back to the mid-'90s. The bandmembers are more than happy to serve as musical ambassadors: after an insistent warm-up track paying homage to the genre's two capital cities ("Luanda-Lisboa"), they enlist go-to global beat superstar M.I.A., along with the pioneering DJ Znobia and a few guest MCs, for "Sound of Kuduro," an unruly but unambiguous statement of purpose whose inanely effective nursery-rhyme refrain spells out, for the benefit of bewildered Anglophones, exactly what is going on here. To judge from the evidence of this album, the sound of Kuduro overlaps liberally with almost every other globalized, urban-based 21st century sound blending elements of hip-hop and techno with regional ethnic infusions, from ragga and soca to kwaito to funk carioca and even grime. (Brazilian bailé funk is an especially pertinent reference point, given the shared language and a comparable aggressively playful vocal approach; world-traveling ghetto-funk hype man Diplo's interest in the group is another relevant clue.) To get specific, though, it's not as if BSS are purists. As originators of Kuduro's heavily electronic "progressive" strain, their cross-pollinated hybrid grooves are as restlessly varied as they are relentlessly energetic, rife with unpredictable sonic shifts and dense with all manner of aural debris (sirens, bird calls, tribal percussion, industrial splutters and squelches, vocal cut-ups) flitting through their adrenalized, hard-assed beat concoctions. Hence listeners get tracks like "IC19," which swells from a skeletal dubstep throb to full-on glowstick-ready rave keyboards to a propulsive, percussive equatorial jump-up that even slips at one point into Baltimore club-styled electro breakbeats. Or "General," which is built around a scintillating Afro-pop guitar line but somehow wends its way into gleaming filter-house territory. And the less brazenly exploratory tracks are by no means less thrilling: the bouncy "Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)," featuring Angolan MC Pongolove, and the carioca-styled "Aqui Para Vocęs," with Rio's Deize Tigrona, are two of the more rousing dance cuts in recent memory. Indeed, the same could be said for the entire album. One hell of an all-embracing, boundary-defying, ghetto-blasting dance party. [Compared to the original 12-track version of the album released by Enchufada, Fabric's 2009 edition adds two infectious tracks with the MC Petty, including the group's breakout hit "Yah!," which originally appeared on the From Buraka to the World EP, as well as a grime-flavored collaboration with Kano. Unfortunately, the Fabric version also subtracts two excellent harder-edged, hip-hop-inflected tracks, "Beef" and the title cut.]
Buraka Som Sistema - "General" . Each of us have busy days, today. I have to wake up, clouds greying through the window, and get out of bed, and write this post, and work, and have a coffee, and call my grandparents, and research lodging & eating in Porto and Lisbon, and go to a workshop, and go to J's goodbye dinner, and then walk home swinging someone's hand. A car's got to wake up, growl to ...
More >
My favorite Buraka Som Sistema tunes are the ones with Sabrosa pon di mic. She's PURE FIYAH! But I'm gonna have to make room for Deize Tigrona who has a totally different style, but also heats up the dancefloor. She chats on Buraka's "Aqui Para Voces" off their debut album Black Diamond. Which, by the way, if you're a fierce dancer - you NEED this album. When you run out of yr own crazy da...
More >
Another post for Tuesday's African music theme. I mentioned last week that I'm mad stoked about Buraka Som Sistema playing in SF at the end of this week and releasing their new album soon. Just a few more days til I'm krumpin to BSS live! Meanwhile, Pinglewood just published this new interview with Buraka's Lil' John which gives the low down on kuduro music, Andoran diamond trade and bling, ...
More >
The incredible Buraka Som Sistema from Portugal introduce the “kuduro” sound to the world a while back, releasing “Sound of Kudoro” with M.I.A. in 2007 and their second album “Black Diamond” in 2008, to widespread blog love and critical acclaim (check out the best music vid ever in the bonus section!)Now they’ve got back in [...]
More >
Buraka Som Sistema Sent Out A Few MixTapes To Celebrate Their First Full Length "Black Diamond" And Its Complete Sweaty Dance Grime. GET IT! If Your Into That Kinda Stuff... ( I Know You Are!) Buraka Som Sistema - Fader mixtape (direct link) TRACKLIST: The Roots, "Din Da Da" MixHell, "Highly Explicit (Brodinski Remix)" Dj Mujava, "Township Funk (Ashley Beedle's Edit)" Dj du Marcel, "Sowe...
More >
Lisbon's own Buraka Som Sistema are just on the verge of unleashing their album "Black Diamond", which is surely one of the most anticipated and interesting releases this year. This is a 20 minute mix filled with their own jams and some of their other favorites that they did for internet giant Pitchfork, the blend [...]
More >
The honour of Fabric's first proper artist album release has fallen to Portugal's Buraka Som Sistema and their debut album Black Diamond. Their sound has been invariably described as electro ghettotech and Euro baile funk but in reality, it is rooted in Kudoro - a genre which is thriving in Lisbon's suburbs but was born [...]
More >
Photo by ginnsarahBuraka Som Sistema is gonna be at Coachella then kick off a mini N. American tour next week with DJ Sega (all dates below). Look out for these special merch they’ll have on tour:DJ Sega: New Jack Philly CD - new mix tape, entirely produced by DJ Sega!Buraka Som Sistema: IC19 (Mad Decent Remixes) 12″ exclusive new remixes from the MD family: Sega, Toy Selectah, NGUZUNGUZU and
More >
Details of the contest, tour dates, and a sweet MP3 after the jump!Global ghetto-funk trendsetters Buraka Som Sistema are pleased to announce that Mad Decent’s DJ Sega will be joining them for their upcoming North American tour. The presence of the new phenom, whose Philly dance mixes have already become legendary in the East Coast [...]
More >
Come April 7, the boys of Buraka Som Sistema ( Lil ' John, Riot and Conductor, and MC Kalaf ) will release their kuduro manifesto, Black Diamond. With their song Sound of Kuduro, which featured M.I.A., DJ Znobia, Saborosa, and Puto Prata, DJ / producers Buraka Som Sistema introduced this grimy, twitchy genre of music to fans worldwide. Black Diamond will also feature British MC Kano, baile king...
More >
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Black Diamond")
