It is the last act. Last year, Buraka Som Sistema, the most surprising phenomenon of Portuguese music in recent years, reported that they would stop indefinitely after four albums, hundreds of concerts and an international visibility unparalleled in the last decade to a national group. Friday take the stage for the last time, presenting themselves as trustees of the Globaile event, which will also include the Tabuk or Dengue Dengue Dengue, what is also closing the Festas de Lisboa. In a decade, Buraka credibilizaram a musical genre known but hitherto proscribed, kuduro, inscribing it in the cauldron of urban music, while attributed her new shades, positioning itself in the world by the natural music, the way it used digital tools of global connection and personify one Portugal postcolonial, mestizo, hedonistic, malicious, performative. A journey here remember in ten relevant steps.
1. The success of Da Weasel
Buraka are not hip-hop. But the urban broth which emerged has a lot to do with this culture. Hence the success of Da Weasel during part of the 1990s and 2000s is relevant to understand the phenomenon. After the rap pioneer years in Portugal, the cross success of Da Weasel or Boss AC showed that no longer looked both skin color, or identity affirmation of ideas, as it was consuming music that for years had been connected to the exclusion of speeches. But there was a more diverse background, based in Lisbon, which helped ferment the idea at the same stage, when it crossed a series of DJ, producers and musicians who shared the same kind of sensibility. Publishers such as Nylon, Kami ‘Khazz and Meifumado, formations like the Cool Hipnoise, Spaceboys, Melo D, Loopless and Type or collective as Cooltrain Crew eventually lead to a creative environment conducive to the emergence of hybrid experiences as Buraka. All these agents have belonged to a post-hip-hop generation, with a cross look, more interested in assimilating all the music around than to restrict the range of influences.
2 . The emergence of Enchufada
Together with all these moves were Kalaf Epalanga, Rui Pite (Riot) and Joao Barbosa (Branko). It was precisely to take advantage of the creative cauldron that in the early years of the 2000s was experienced in Lisbon – off the general public and the publishers – who was born Enchufada independent structure: studio, publisher and creative drive that originated projects such as 1-KIU Project Fusion Lab or Buraka. “It’s a kind of home,” said Kalaf us in 2003, “a place where we can create without restrictions and where several people and ideas intersect.” From one point it seemed that would be the 1-KIU Project the main challenge of publishing, but as they prepared to launch their second album already Buraka drilling germinating. However, in 2005, Andro Carvalho (Conductor) hip-hop Ngonguenha set group began to be a regular in Enchufada. Knower of kuduro reality, introduces the remaining Petty singer of only 15 years. the foundation for Buraka design work in this initial phase were released.
3. Yah! in Barcelona
In June 2005, the end of a DJ session 1-KIU Project at the Sónar festival in Barcelona, in the space of RedBull Music Academy, João Barbosa surprised the present setting to play at the end of the subject that would be the first single the group a year later. ! Yah was presented to an audience of foreigners as Kalaf shouted: “ This is Lisbon sound ” For the first time had the perception that the ideas that were developing in Lisbon – still not great eco – made sense there. It was also at this time that gave some issues to the American Diplo (Major Lazer), which would open their doors later. Three months later, the Casa da Música in Porto, a night Enchufada the Buraka Som Sistema name ends up being born when someone told microphone spontaneously that were to bring the sound of Buraca to the House of Music. That’s how Buraca, in Amadora, where John and Rui had met in high school, would give the project name.
4. The Market Club
The first reactions to the group’s music appeared on the Internet, where you have to know one or another issue on platforms like MySpace, but the great test came up with the first performances on stage . Particularly those carried out in the market club in Lisbon in early 2006. Without any record out, with half a dozen themes that circulated from ear to ear, Lisbon began to hear about them. On stage, John and Rui were men of audio, as Conductor, Kalaf and Petty took care of the voices, dance and incitements to the public. Were frantic sessions, these, based on the rhythm of kuduro daydreams, dancehall or baile funk and the pitched words, that appeared to function as rhythm echo, creating a new lexicon where mixed slang, the official Portuguese, Creole and English. And with half a dozen sessions Market club Buraka became a case of service.
5. The concert Fabric
From the beginning of 2007, since then they have released the single Yah! and the mini-album From Buraka To the World , requests for shows in Europe will be happening and the echoes of the international press are beginning to feel, with praise in publications such as ID , Dazed and Confused , The Fader or Pitchfork . In April this year return to London for an important symbolic moment, acting for the first time in the Fabric club, one of the most important of the English capital. As a result begin to be brokered by the Primary company, the same as Peter Gabriel or Daft Punk, while it is clear that already are part of an extended international family (Diplo, M.I.A., Sinden, Santigold) global impact. “The fact that strategically terms established in London management and the agency has made it easy to connect with the rest of the world. After this concert at Fabric was generated an interest around us that we benefited “, said John.
6. The video Sound of Kuduro
In 2008, Buraka machine worked like gangbusters. It contributed to this viral launch issue of Sound of Kuduro , with the vocal participation of M.I.A., which would open new doors. The video of the song, the first sample of the album Black Diamond , had launch honors in the Pitchfork , spreading over the Internet, with dance moves of images captured during the visit of group to Luanda. Millions of views achieved with this theme would be repeated with other ( Hangover , Kalemba , boot ), the way revealing how they learned to play with the new communication platforms. By that time Petty had abandoned the training, but the concerts outside world continued with the group to welcome drummer Fred Ferreira (Black Ear, Banda do Mar) for the live shows, and to raise the attention of the international media, this time no longer only specialized ( The Guardian , New York Times , El País , Libération , Al Jazira, CNN).
7. The Coachella festival
Between 2006 and 2008 Buraka had played throughout Europe, the most select clubs to festivals of large crowds. Also they had already been in the US, but in April 2009 held the first tour by the consistent American territory since after the album Black Diamond there have been launched. The results are excellent, granting them visibility, especially in two stages: the concert at the Coachella festival, one of the US influential, which turned out to be one of the hottest groups in the press, and the performance at Bowery Ballroom in New York. Were far from their performances with more public or more convincing, but were probably the most important of his career by the obtained media coverage and the network of relationships which triggered.
8. The relationship with Spain
In the field of popular culture there is widespread ignorance in Spain of what is happening in Portugal and vice versa. But Buraka if you can not complain. It was in Barcelona Sónar that showed for the first time the theme Yah! and was there also in 2009 that tore an unforgettable performance that earned great protagonism them, so that eventually return to the festival three times, a privilege reserved for the elect. Yet nothing could predict what happened at the end of 2009. The Spanish surrendered to Kalemba (Wegue Wegue) and for seven weeks the song did not come out of first place in the table singles . “This fact served above all to become aware of what was happening, because in the middle of events is easy not to have this distance,” said John, at a time when the project already had the voice of Blaya.
9. Evenings Hard Ass
In Portugal, Buraka phenomenon has numerous resistance target, many of them only dimmed by the international impact of the group. His acclaim always lived paradox: on one hand it is true that were filling large spaces, the other still in sight some ignorance in relation to its route. This paradoxical relationship was during the early years perceived by the group who understood that there was to win in foster more drives and support other projects, hence the concern of nights Hard Ass in Lisbon way to advertise and experience as local and global music. At present, finally, feels that there is a post-Buraka environment, with several credible projects with its own identity (the Throes + The Shine a beat), while the activity of publishers like Prince has given visibility to an endless rear of names, some on active before Buraka DJ Marfox, and others as part of a new generation, as Nigga Fox, DJ Firmness or Nidia Minaj.
10. Globaile
Stop breathing after ten intense years. That’s how they talk about the present. In recent months they have been on tour, with stops in Colombia, the United States and Europe, and on Friday bid farewell to the stage with a concert at Globaile that are themselves healers. It seems that will be the last time we’ll see the live, although there who do not believe. In February, Andy Duggan, the international agent of the group, told us: “. More likely return in a few years because they have a base of very loyal admirers” The event, which starts at 17h, consists of concerts and sessions DJ, highlighting the Batuk (18h), the great collective founded by south African musician Spoek Mathambo and the Mozambican singer Butter, african-house activists, or Peruvian Dengue Dengue Dengue (20h), with its infusion much particularly cumbia, techno and dub. The Brazilian MC Bin Laden (21h) propose a baile funk session, while the Portuguese Dotorado Pro (19h) and Kking Kong (17h) will try to represent Enchufada before Buraka (22h) rise for the last time on stage.
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