Batida is the alias of Pedro Coquenão, a half-Angolan, half-Portuguese producer, and this is his debut album. It’s an album that focuses on his Angolan side, both taking inspiration from the styles of 1970s Angola and modern-day kuduro, of which Buraka Som Sistema have grown to become one of the biggest names. Crucially, Buraka’s music largely ignores their cultural heritage, something that Batida has noted: “I was finding lots of new urban electronic stuff, but not much that was embracing the traditional elements.”

Remedying this situation, Batida features samples of tracks from the late 60s and 70s alongside electronic beats, while also marrying the counter culture of that time (when Angola was under colonial rule) with the present day (this is a country that has only had one democratic election in the past 20 years), expressed in the contributions of MCs Sacerdote and Dama Ivone from Circuito Feixado, Bob da Rage Sense and Ikonoklasta from Luanda’s music scene, as well as Lisbon’s Ngongo.

The album is at it’s best when bringing both modern and traditional influences to the forefront, as on “Alegria”, a track which begins with a thudding house beat until snippets of melody begin to break through and a tropical guitar starts playing to stop-start rhythms; or possible album highlight “Yumbala”, a track that packs all the effervescence of high-life or soca but with a highly-energised vocal from Dama Ivone (not a million miles away from an Angolan version of Bomba Estéreo’s Liliana Saumet).

“Saudade” features one of the most recognisable hip-hop deliveries on the album, from Bob da Rage Sense, with Batida cutting up a simple guitar motif in the background, occasionally splurting out snippets of a simple Angolan ballad. It’s a track that manages to appear quite simple, while at the same time possessing a really highly-developed level of production. This is music that you will not grow tired of easily. The least arresting moments occur when the music creeps too close to standard house or dance music formulas, “Bazuka (Quem Me Rusgou)” and “Tribalismo” being the worst culprits of this, though due to the album’s restlessness this rarely feels like a problem.

It’s also this restlessness which gives the album the impression of a sound system mixtape, with tracks constantly morphing into new shapes, and vocalists and samples coming and going at free will. This suits the album well, giving it the feel of a document of Angolan culture, a night out in Luanda whenever the mood takes you.

In the same way that Soundway Records have been bringing 1960s, 70s and 80s Colombian and African music to life over the years, I think it’s fair to say that they have now done exactly the same with present-day Angolan music and culture.

By Russ Slater

Batida will be released on 26th March by Soundway Records

facebook.com/batida

At first listen, cumbia can sound deceptively simplistic, its spacious bass lines anchoring the music to a two-step cadence; but on a closer listen, one can hear all kinds of hidden elements creeping into the mix: hand drums that originated in Africa meld with the flauta de millo, an Andean reed flute (replaced by the clarinet on later recordings). As revealed in the notes of this excellent double-disc compilation, cumbia evolved along the Magdalena River as a unique blend of African, indigenous and European elements, becoming cumbia proper in the port city of Barranquilla; a related sound called porro, from a non-coastal region, is a somewhat slower cousin that places melodic emphasis on swinging brass blasts.

Colombia’s recording industry has a truly rich history, and compiler Will ‘Quantic’ Holland has set out to make the most of it on this compelling set, presenting “the history of Colombian cumbia and porro as told by the phonograph”. Astute listeners will already be familiar with Quantic’s inventive productions, but some may not know that he has spent the last four years in Colombia, trawling the nation for its remaining musical artefacts. The startling and eminently pleasing results are displayed here in 55 crucial tracks culled from extremely rare 78s and 45s, and select, long-forgotten LP tracks.

The gems are truly plentiful. On disc one, Conjunto Los Rumberos’ “Cumbia del Puerto” is a wild instrumental romp based around raging accordion lines and frantic scraper accents; Ritmos del Caribe’s “La Fullera” places shrill accordion riffs above occasional ragtime piano bursts; and Guillermo Munoz’s “Cumbia de Todos” begins with a terrific percussive jam. Elsewhere, Los Indigenas’ “Sangre Goajira” has delightful vocal harmony, and Alberto Pacheco’s “Sembrando Café” is a deliriously hyped-up ode to the cultivation of the coffee bean. Similarly, on disc two, Betopey celebrates cumbia’s universal appeal on “Cumbia del Carnaval”; Jaime Simanca’s “Cumbia Negra” highlights the African roots of the form; and La Cumbia Soldeña’s “Tambo, Tambo” is a chilling salute to the Barranquilla Carnival of 1971.

As you are guaranteed to hear music on this compilation you have never encountered before, it is a must for even the most seasoned cumbia hound. But those new to the form will find the set equally delightful, such is the quality of the music collected here.

Words by David Katz (Review Originally Published on BBC Music)

Wara is formed of no less than nine performers with the majority of them meeting up at the creative, cultural and political hot bed that is SOAS university and these tracks are a great reflection of the SOAS scene; intelligent, vibrant and quality. A mix of rumba, salsa, funk and hip hop with a pop edge. Stand out tracks and highlighting the beautiful vocals of lead singer Juanita Euka are “Pretty Cliche” with a cumbia feel and the acoustic “Ojos Que No Ven” which drips with a subtle passion and mystique which signals these guys are ‘wara’ it’s at.

by Russ Jones

Released 26th September 2011 by Movimientos Records

“Ojos Que No Ven”

Buy/Download Wara EP at:
iTunes
Amazon
Movimientos Records Bandcamp

After a few groovy numbers of watching the duo rock-out, Adams turned to his already captivated audience and said “We don’t know where this is going – this guy is dangerous – you wait!”. At this moment, the magnificence of the term “trance” came to light. With well-known tunes from their previous albums, Soul Science (Wayward, 2007), Tell No Lies (Real World, 2009) and their recently released wonder In Trance (Real World, 2011), Camara did just that, with his spontaneous, evocative motives that moved alongside and at times alternated with Adam’s guitar grooves creating a musical dynamic between the two that was thrilling to all senses. Soon, most of the audience were on their feet dancing away in the aisles. There were others of course that attempted the “dancing in chair” à la mode – a favourite of seated-venues such as the Barbican. There were also just those who were completely mesmerised by the entrancing, bluesy-based volume that kept them still like a hallucinogenic drug.

“If you want to dance properly” said Adams, “you need to catch the train to Bangor, North Wales – they’re wild over there!” The Englishman was right. This was the only catch about the gig – where it was staged. Simply, how can people enjoy the music to its truest “potential”, if they are obstructed by objects such as chairs and lots of stairs?

Besides this slight hitch, the English/Gambian duo – whilst not forgetting new bass player Billy Fuller and percussionist Dave Smith – were truly remarkable. The combination of Camara’s passion-fuelled Fulani vocals and folk-style ritti playing, Fuller’s groovy bass-lines, Smith’s jazzy-Gambian beats and Adams’ rock-infused-riffs gave way to a sublime, psychedelic sound that cannot be compared to any other.

After a well-affirmed encore, JuJu’s final number Ya Takaya brought everyone to their feet and I soon found myself dancing at the front of the stage amongst the hardcore, smiling fans. How I got there I do not know. What I do know however, was that Adams was right, his co-star certainly knew how to get his audience into a transcendental state. A jaw-opening blast-off to the Barbican’s Transcender Festival 2011.

by Amy Cunningham

Check out one of the tracks of their new album In Trance: realworldrecords.com/videos/djanfa-moja

You can buy their last album In Trance from Amazon

Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara with Robert Plant at WOMAD Abu Dhabi:

Hailed as “Rio’s nu-bossa princess”, Malheiros has three albums under her belt and a growing fan-base from around the world. She shot to fame with debut album Equilibria on Far Out Recordings in 2005, following that up with Vibrasons, a remix album in 2006. Her third album (and second album of new songs), New Morning, received critical acclaim, including being declared as “the best album of 2008” by the Evening Standard.

Three years on, Malheiros’ long anticipated new album Dreaming, is set to hit stores on the 19th September, and with a remarkable arrangement of colourful, chill-out grooves that showcase the singers’ broad musical influences, it is a serious contender for the best summer album of 2011.

I just love this album. It is not too often that you come across a compilation that captures a mood and keeps you in that zone from start to finish, but Dreaming succeeds. It is a well-crafted orchestra of breezy eclectic sounds that make you want to dance and also dream. Malheiro’s songs beautifully express the nostalgia of classic Brazilian music, with a refreshing, contemporary edge. Broken-beat, electro-soul and jazz rhythms are peppered with trademark samba and bossa nova flavours, crafted by leading Brazilian musicians on the album, including her father Alex Malheiros, bass player of legendary group Azymuth, and renowned Brazilian percussionist, Robertinho Silva (Milton Nascimento). Written and produced by Malheiros and her partner Daniel ‘Venom’ Maunick, It is no wonder that Dreaming is so musically rich.

Lead album track “Bobeira” is a triumph – combining a nu-bossa groove with a synthesised acid jazz feel, conjuring up summertime. “Lirio De Venus” grabs you with a retro dub beat smoothed over by the kind of flawless dream-like vocals that Malheiros is best loved for. Other standout tracks include the psychedelic “Segredo” and “Opara” with its infectious Afro–Brazilian beat.

Since the age of five Malheiros has lived and breathed music and it is this maturity that comes across in Dreaming. It is one album you can easily have on a loop with several tracks worthy of a re-wind. You certainly don’t need to be a Brazilian music aficionado to appreciate what Dreaming has to offer, and I can only simply describe it as a welcome injection of fresh, musical sunshine, guaranteed to brighten the long winter months and beyond.

Written by Fola Odumosu

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Dreaming will be released by Far Out Recordings on September 19th.

Sabrina will also be going on a UK tour during September and October. Details are below:

21 September – Boisdale Jazz FM Discovery Gig, London (Album launch – broadcast on Jazz FM)
19 October – Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
20 October – Band On The Wall, Manchester
21 October – The Wardrobe, Leeds
22 October – Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle
01 December – Turner Sims, Southampton

And lastly here’s Sabrina singing the Brazilian national anthem at the Brazil vs Scotland game earlier this year:

Cotton Skies is Emily Saunders’ debut album and is full of Brazilian grooves; plenty of samba bossa nova with hints of jazz, soul and summer sounds. Instrumentally-focused, Cotton Skies is technically great, with lots of instruments providing the perfect platform for Emily’s beautiful voice. The first song of the album is a version of “Ginga Carioca”, a song by Brazil’s multi-instrumentalist genius Hermeto Pascoal.

“Wishing Well” and “Dream” are the next songs of the album and they both have an old-school vibe to them. The slow trumpets and the quiet percussion in “Wishing Well” and the bossa nova melody coming from the piano in “Dream” will definitely put you in a relaxed mood.

As the album progresses, “Daze” and “Xibaba”, fourth and fifth tracks of the album respectively, show a hint of the 50s, reminding me of the old Brazilian sambas as they are fast paced and seducing… almost inviting you for a little dance. These two songs just literally make you want to move your body.

From the more upbeat 50s sambas, Cotton Skies travels back to the tranquil waters of bossa nova and jazz. That is what I found in “Days”, number six on the album, and “O Sonho”, the following song. Both tracks have lots of piano and vocal skills in a combination that result in an unbelievably soothing sound.

However, it is “Mixing”, track number eight, the highlight of this album. In this song Emily shows all her “Braziliality” as well as her own beautiful understanding of Brazilian music. “Mixing” is a great samba song which mixes a strong bossa nova influence with the “cheeky” sound of cuica and stunning vocal skills from Emily Saunders.

In “Serendipity”, the second to last song of Cotton Skies, Emily goes back to a more “Billie Holiday” style of jazz. It is a charming soulful song with beautiful lyrics and, again, a passionate singer in Emily Saunders, who nails her vocals. The last track is “Zachary”, another delicious jazzy tune, a perfect closure for an overall easy listening album.

Emily Saunder’s Cotton Skies could be referred to as repetitive or lacking in creativity and ambition, but it is exactly the opposite. The lack of ambition is what makes the album so good. It lives for the definition of LP as it is a long play album, that needs to be fully listened and appreciated. And even though the summer might be on the wane, Emily Saunder’s stunning debut is so “homie” that it will be able to keep you warm for a bit longer.

Words by Eduardo Pagnoncelli

Cotton Skies is available from Amazon and iTunes.

You can find out more about Emily at emilysaunders.co.uk.

Sem Nostalgia is a concept, taking it’s starting point as the “voice and guitar” format of Brazilian guitar music, i.e. Joao Gilberto’s bossa nova style, and then taking the idea in as many directions as possible. Over 12 songs Santtana, and an assortment of collaborators, only use voice and violin yet manage to create some startling compositions and soundscapes. Here we take a look at the album track-by-track.

1. Super Violão Mashup

The album opener; guitars originally played by Dorival Caymmi, Joao Gilberto and company cut up until almost unrecognisable. Engineers Gustavo Lenza and Lucas Martins were instrumental in making this track happen. This was the first single from the album in the UK. Check out the video below:

2. Who Can Say Which Way

Do Amor join Lucas for a song that has all the feel of a band yet only features vocals, acoustic guitar and a bassline (which presumably is played on guitar too). There is a recurring theme in this song too as the striking of a guitar with the palm of a hand is sampled and used for percussion.

3. Nightime In the Backyard

The first of three collaborations with Arto Lindsay, an artist renowned in the US for his avant-garde stylings but who has proudly discovered his Brazilian heritage through working with artists such as Caetano Veloso, Vinicius Cantuaria and Lucas Santtana, with whom he has worked for the last 10 years. This is definitely one of the highlights of the disc.

4. Cira, Regina E Nana (Para Nana)

Curumin assisted on this one, sampling the sounds of an acoustic guitar and then sequencing them as if they were a drum beat. The rest is classic Santtana; fluid guitar playing, catchy melody and a voice that seems to swim through the music, effortlessly guiding it on it’s course.

5. Recado Para Pio Lobato

Santtana’s previous album 3 Sessions In A Greenhouse was something of an exercise in dub, and this is the closest that he gets to that style of music here. Deep bass, rhythmic strumming and guitars that sound alternately like a clavichord and a synth keep this instrumental consistently interesting. Regis Damasceno (of Cidadão Instigado) lends a hand.

6. Hold Me In

Second collaboration with Arto Lindsay. It’s one of five songs on the album which are sung in English. With four songs being instrumentals, this makes English the dominant language on the album. Something that is quite unusual considering Santtana is currently not too comfortable with his spoken English. In a recent interview he stated three reasons for using English; first is the fact that him and Arto have always collaborated using English lyrics and this felt natural, secondly he feels English is a big part of Brazilian culture due to it’s prominence through music and arts, and third is that it’s easier to write percussive songs with English (such as on “Who Can Say Which Way?”) as the syllables of words are generally shorter.

7. Amor Em Jacumã

Cover of Dom Um Romão’s samba-jazz classic, taken from his 1976 album Hotmosphere. This also appeared on Mr Bongo’s recent reissue of Cravo e Canela’s classic Preço de Cada Um album. Buguinha Dub helps with the production, which has elements of dub as well as electronic splutters and samples that keep the song skipping along. Here’s an acoustic version of the song from the Musica de Bolso people:

8. I Can’t Live Far From My Music

The last of the collaborations with Arto Lindsay, though this time one with a very different feel. With Kabo Duca who played percussion on his guitar’s body and an orchestra of guitars that dance between ominous chords and sharp strums, it’s a song that manages to combine rhythm and a darker feel.

9. Cá Pra Nós

A collaboration with Ronei Jorge that’s one of the most unique tracks here. Vocals are continually at the front as the guitar shatters into a hundred pieces shining in the sun until vocal hums and a single acoustic pulls the song into more-standard territory.

10. O Violão De Mario Bros

Carrying on the theme of “Super Violão Mashup” and using the help of Gustavo Lenza and Lucas Martins again, though this time with João Brasil behind the controls. Guitars pop, shudder, bounce and charge through one minute and 38 seconds of pure joy.

11. Ripple of the Water (Para Nana)

Recorded in Rio de Janeiro’s Botanical Gardens at night with the glow of the moon and an army of insects as company. This is the most traditional song on the album. After all, it really is just a voice and a guitar, as well as featuring the kind of allegorical lyric that could have been written by João Gilberto or Caymmi.

12. Natureza Nº 1 Em Mi Maior

The last track, and an instrumental too. It sounds like the microphone was left on after “Ripple of the Water”, capturing the night’s atmosphere as well as other-wordly sounds that presumably come from the guitar but yet which are at times unrecognisable. Eventually a series of guitar chords bring the song, and the album, to a conclusion.

by Russ Slater

Sem Nostalgia was released by Mais Um Discos on August 29th and is available from Amazon and iTunes.

And it seemed they really missed it. We certainly did. CSS, or more specifically Lovefoxxx, spared no energy to entertain their hysterical fans. She took her trousers off, she even crowd-surfed. Twice. Which made me realise the cover-art of their new album is actually the whole band crowdsurfing. She had jumped in the middle of the crowd at Rough Trade as well, but there everybody was a little more contained.

At XOYO it was the perfect excuse to act ridiculously foolish; jumping, dancing and singing. Really just having a good time, which is what this band is all about. They started with “I Love You”, the song that also opens the new album, and which released an unexpected rain of bubbles that fell during almost the entire gig.

CSS came up with the perfect solution for the third album. They came back to their roots and did it even better. When they released their first album, we were introduced to a new party band. On their second album, after going through a lot of maturity-testing experiences around the world, they released a slightly “cold” album. Now, it seems they had no problems in going back in time and creating funny, silly songs with electronic pop back-bone that stick in your head (maybe moving back to São Paulo had a huge influence on that). The lyrics make it very clear: the little sister that envies her older brother moving to New York, while she is being ridiculed in her small town for being different in “City Grrrl”. Or the fuck everything attitude in “Fuck Everything”. And finally the Spanish nonsense “La Liberación”.

They also played many songs from the other albums, but the ones from the debut really made the fans go crazy, especially “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death from Above”. One song that I thought was going to obliterate the venue was the riot grrls-like bomb “La Liberación”, but a problem with the microphones really took all the explosive power of it. Lovefoxxx tried to tell a joke and fortunately the problem was fixed before she finished it, but the timing had gone.

One thing that need not be forgotten is the three-eyed psychedelic panther featured on the wall of the stage. Simply bizarre.

Words by Lívia Thimotheo
Photo by Miguel Schertel

Born in Sao Paulo, Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças comes from a circle of musicians known for their ingenious as well as innovative music. Along with Curumin, Beto Villares, Instituto, Apollo Nove, Guizado, Turbo Trio, Nação Zumbi and 3 Na Massa, Céu’s music wavers towards a heady mixture of traditional Brazilian sounds with an international pop-esque quality that tends towards an African-American appeal than anything else. Such subtle flavourings as samba, choro and candomblé-rhythms with reggae, dub, electro-pop and rock can be heard on Céu’s recorded material but even more so in her live performances.

With tracks off her previous albums, Céu (2005) and Vagarosa (2009), Céu bedazzled the audience with her smooth, sultry vocals and the odd burst of scat singing. Her dedicated backing band included DJ Marco at the turntables, adding some extra rhythmic seasoning, Lucas Martins on bass guitar, Bruno Buarque playing drums, and Dustan Gallas on guitar. Reflecting a strong influence of American divas such as Erykah Badu, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald and Lauren Hill, Céu’s laid-back, self-assured style mesmerised her devout following. “Malemolencia” captivated the essence of the Brazilian’s style, especially with its dub-drenched bass and hip-hop scratches that set the scene for Céu’s lush vocals and relaxed dance moves. The term “malemolência” is also known amongst Brazilian youth culture as a “relaxed” and “flowing” and from last night’s musical magic, Céu is the epitomy of such style. However, after a couple of tracks with the same cool-latin-jazz flavour, the music needed a little more drive to drown out the rising chit-chats.

One of the many highlights was “Rainha,” a homage to one of Céu’s musical heroes, Tony Allen, drummer of Nigerian musical activist, Fela Kuti. At this point, the vibe of the gig seemed to wake-up. If only the afrobeat gem could have been introduced towards the beginning of the set. By the end of the night, it seemed that Céu had cast her magic over the dancing crowd, who by this time had been transported from Camden over the Atlantic to a hot summer’s night in Sao Paulo.

Words by Amy Cunningham

Photo by Steven Shingler

If you would like to find out more about Céu you can read our interview here and also find out the records that influenced her most here.

Leigh Blake and John Carlin were the two men behind the dream of producing an AIDS charity album with lots of pop stars appearances, which first happened in 1990 with Red Hot + Blue, featuring artists such as U2 and Tom Waits. After this, Red Hot produced many other albums, including the brand new Red Hot + Rio 2.

The album consists of two full length CDs with 33 songs (plus bonus tracks), which are mainly – as defined by executive producer Beco Dranoff – a mixture between Brazilian tropicália with contemporary indie-rock. To make such a combination work, Red Hot + Rio 2 brought together the crème de la crème of Brazilian music and some of the best upcoming international artists. The Brazilian cast has a bit of everything, from legends such as Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, Marcos Valle and Rita Lee to the super cool Seu Jorge and the lovely Céu. They are very well accompanied by names such as Aloe Blacc, John Legend, Beirut, Jose Gonzalez and many others.

The “first side” of the album is called Red and starts with the Brazilian classic “Baby”, revisited by the sweet voice of Alice Smith and the soul presence of Aloe Blacc. A very promising start for an album that I knew would be good since I first heard of its release. The second track “Tropicalia” brings together two of the coolest artists in the world, Beck and Seu Jorge. It is a relaxed song, almost like lounge music. And Seu Jorge shows that he is on top of his game.

On track number three Mia Doi Todd and Jose Gonzalez combine their beautiful vocal tones to deliver an irresistible tune, “Um Girassol da Cor do Seu Cabelo”, with elements of Portuguese fado and a discreet yet notable electronic touch. As the albums progresses, Seu Jorge appears again singing “Boa Reza”, with the group Almaz and velvety-voiced Vanessa da Matta. You can almost feel the summer breeze after this one. However it is “Nu Com A Minha Minha Musica”, beautifully executed by Marisa Monte, Rodrigo Amarante and Devendra Banhart, that definitely sends you to a summery place, with not only the breeze but also the sea, the sand, and all you can possibly want. What a song!

Not to leave the listener too relaxed though – knowing that the second CD of this album is still to come – the last song of Red is the hopeful “Dreamworld” with David Byrne and Caetano Veloso. The last of which is the author of “Leaozinho”, the first song of CD two, Hot. The Red Hot + Rio 2 version of “Leaozinho” is sung by Beirut, who absolutely nail it, not only making it their own but also making the effort of singing it in admirably good Portuguese. It is definitely one of the highlights of this album, my personal favourite.

Although “Leoazinho” was a great start for Hot, the second CD of this album, it was only on track number seven that I saw myself going “wow” again. After some good but not so great tracks, including the strange “Freak Le Boom Boom”, which seems a bit out of place here, “Tropical Affair” brings back a delicious combination of Brazilian instruments and the beautiful voice of Brazilian actress/singer Thalma de Freitas, who delivers it brilliantly. Another track that really caught my attention was “Roda”. Probably the most innovative song of the whole album, it is an ambitious mix of rap with elements of Brazilian north-eastern music, such as forró and baiao, bringing together Orquestra Contemporanea da Olinda and the super creative rapper Emicida.
“Roda” is followed by “Berimbau”, which takes the album back to a more relaxed vibe. Berimbau is the main musical instrument used in Capoeira and so it is no surprise that the song has a certain tribal vibe, typical of Capoeira songs.

Moving toward the end of the album now, I came across two of the most contemporary productions of the record, in terms of arrangements: “It’s A Long Way”, featuring the sweet Brazilian singer Céu, and “A Cidade”, with DJ Dolores and the charismatic Otto.

Some of the last songs of the album have – maybe intentionally – a nostalgic vibe. The super-classic “Aguas de Marco”, made eternal by Tom Jobim and Elis Regina, is very well interpreted by Fernanda Takai and Moreno Veloso. It is followed by the jazzy bossa nova “Show Me Love”, a very ‘carioca’ song, sung almost sensually by Twin Danger. These two songs make you feel saudade but also are a great closure to this superb album.
The initiative of fighting HIV/AIDS through music, by itself, deserves admiration and support. However in this case, whoever decides to buy Red Hot + Rio 2 will be having double pleasure: helping fight HIV/AIDS and having the privilege to listen to a great album.

The neat production, the artists’ personal engagement with the album and their performances itself prove that Red Hot Organization took the whole “charity album” concept to a higher level.

On their website – www.redhot.org – you can find more information on how to purchase the album, get some free downloads and watch videos related to the album.

by Eduardo Pagnoncelli