Lisbon trip music #3: Funaná, Batuko and a smidgen more Kuduro

This is what you get when you don't post your new record finds immediately: high-profile sites like Ghetto Bassquake and Discobelle get there first. Oh well, at least it'll teach me not to dawdle, and I do have a second CD to show off with.


Projecto Funaná & Batuko 2010 was one of the first records I bought, and it's a banger. Every blog I've read seems to have gone with the high-profile male performer and the lead-in track on this one (I have to pinch myself not to start making modernity and gender analyses), but some of the other music on here is just as interesting. This one is lighter and subtler yet has these magical show-off synth vs. accordion passages:

Isa - Bu Podi Vivre (Mediafire)

And then there's the Batuko. Never really got into the genre before - a capella chanting doesn't appeal to me much - but plonk in synth drones and you've got créol-deconstructed, counterpublic Deep Forest, except with humour. You've gotta love it, right?

Voz D'Africa - Mudjer Soltera (Mediafire)

(Incidentally, I also like the self-proclaimed status as the Voice of Africa, in relation to this.)



Funaná e Batuko 5 was my other purchase, and this one included some really good stuff too. This piece of pure stereo mayhem - headphones are a must - is quickly emerging as my favourite Funaná track ever:

Zé de Titina - Passa Sabe (Mediafire)

Some crazy distorted vocals and super-spread, super-diverse instrumentation, it all gets a ridiculously intense towards the end.

Next, since I have a soft spot for small children recording pop-- here's the Cape Verdean entry in the youngness league, Telmo. He sounds, and looks, to be about four.

Telmo - Amor (Mediafire)

And finally, for some reason, maybe cross-promotion, there's a ridiculously hard-hitting Kuduro track on the CD as well, totally intense stuff on the border towards gabba, if you can imagine African gabba.

Puto Cossa - Ja Ta De Mas (Mediafire)

But wait, there's more! Next up, whenever that may be, is kizomba and zouk...

Lisbon trip music #2: Nacobeta & Puto Português

This Kuduro album was easily the most pushed all over Portugal when I was there, and listening to it I can see exactly why. There's a lot of straightforward hit bangers, of course, but also a couple of those vaguely polyrhythmic-sounding weird tracks that Kuduro seems to be thriving on. Here are my two favourites:

Nacobeta & Puto Português feat. Vui Vui - Manda potência (Mediafire)

Nacobeta & Puto Português - Baba Bum (Mediafire)

Lisbon trip music #1: a couple of Costuleta vids

There's probably more interesting stuff forthcoming, but at least I got a couple of videos up in YouTube that no one has posted there before. Both are from Costuleta's 2009 DVD Bomba Kuduro, which SoundGoods already posted some tracks off.

Tchiriri, his big hit, has a dozen videos it seems but this one is a bit different, since it focuses on Costuleta dancing. As you may know dude only has one leg, so it's fairly unusual stuff.



This was the most experimental video of the bunch, and one of the best tracks, I think:



Plenty more to come of course.

LISBON! (Help me orientate)

In one week's time I'm heading down to Lisbon for what I hope will be a fun holiday, but my intention is bringing back lots and lots and lots of great pirate/mp3 CDs in the bargain. The various lusophone diasporas offer up a marvellous creol Smörgåsbord of music that, as I understand it, has readily filtered back into the former colonial overlord (and hopefully subverted it). So I'm looking for kuduro, tarraxa, tarraxinha, kizomba, passada, cabolove, funana, Mozambican kwaito, Mozambican hip-hop, plus all kinds of Brazilian music. (Have I missed anything obvious or indeed obscure?)

Thing is, I know very little about where to go in Lisbon for this sort of thing, especially during Easter weekend. So I'd also love tops about the best street markets, shady record stores, banlieu hangouts and so on, to help me get stocking... I promise to return the favour by uploading plenty new content later.