Kuduro
Encyclopedia
Kuduro is a type of music and dance originally born in Angola
in the 1980s. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro, which translates as "hard ass", began in Luanda, Angola in the late 80s. Initially, producers sampled traditional carnival music like zouk
and soca
from the Caribbean and semba
from Angola and laid this around a fast 4/4 beat.
, Angola started mixing African percussion samples with simple soca
rhythms to create a style of music then known as "batida". European and American electronic music had begun appearing in the market, which attracted Angolan musicians and inspired them to incorporate their own musical styles. Abusing every instrument they had at their disposal, as if it was a drum machine. Young producers began adding heavy African percussion to both European and American beats, which resulted in what was then called Batida. In the early 90's, Angolan clubs started playing it and the youngsters started to create new dance moves to follow what the DJs were dropping.
The name itself is a word with a specific meaning to location in the Kimbundu
language, which is native to the northern portion of Angola. It has double meaning in that it translates to both "hard ass" and/or "stiff bottom". Kuduro dancing is similar to Dancehall dancing of Jamaica. It combines traditional Angolan Batida, semba
and zouk
with Western house and techno. As Vivian Host points out in her article, despite the common assumption that "world music" from non-Western countries holds no commonalities with Western modern music, Angolan kuduro does contain "elements in common with punk, deep tribal house, and even Daft Punk." It is thus the case that cultural boundaries and limitations within the musical spectrum are constantly shifting and being redefined. And though Angolan kuduro reflects an understanding and, further, an interpretation of Western musical forms, the world music category that it fits under tends to reject the idea of Western musical imperialism. The larger idea here is that advancements in technology and communications and the thrust of music through an electronic medium have made transcending cultural and sonic musical structures possible. According to Blentwell Podcasts, kuduro is a "mixture of house, hip-hop, and ragga elements," which illustrates how this is at once an Angolan-local and global music. Indeed, this "musical cross-pollination", as Vivian Host calls it, represents a local appropriation of global musical forms, such that the blending of different musics creates the music of a "new world."
, as well as in the suburbs of Lisbon
, Portugal
(namely Amadora
and Queluz
), due to the large number of Angolan immigrants. It is a common kind of music played in Portugal's Latin Dance floors.
In the Lisbon variety (or progressive kuduro), which mixes African Music with House and Techno music, Buraka Som Sistema
a Portuguese/Angolan electronic dance music project based in Portugal, was responsible for the internationalization of kuduro apart from the Portuguese-speaking world, presenting the genre across Europe and appeared in several international music magazines, after their appearance with their hit "Yah!" ("Yeah!"). Buraka Som Sistema takes its name from Buraca
, a Lisbon suburb in the municipality of Amadora. Since the explosion of the Buraka Som Sistema, kuduro dance performance videos find an increasing audience on internet video platforms like YouTube. The videos range in quality from MTV standard to barely recognizable mobile-phone footage. As with most music styles, various weblogs and sharehosting websites offer kuduro for download in mp3 format.
best known for his recent Portuguese/Spanish hit "Vem dançar kuduro
" (Let's Dance "hard ass"), with a Latin / Kizomba
flavor which became a hit in Latin Europe, especially in France
. During the same period, Emanuel, a veteran Portuguese pop music artist, also released the kuduro hit "O ritmo do amor" in this Latin kuduro style.
M.I.A.
has supported kuduro music, working on the song "Sound of Kuduro
" with Buraka Som Sistema in Angola. "It initially came from kids not having anything to make music on other than cellphones, using samples
they'd get from their PCs and mobiles' sound buttons," M.I.A. said of kuduro. "It's a rave-y, beat oriented sound. Now that it's growing, they've got proper PCs to make music on."
Local artists and groups include:
Sibem, Tony Amado, Dog Murras, Bruno M, Agre G, Gata Agressiva, Noite e Dia, Fofando, Pai Diesel, Presidente Gasolina & Principe Ouro Negro, Os Lambas and many others.
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
in the 1980s. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro, which translates as "hard ass", began in Luanda, Angola in the late 80s. Initially, producers sampled traditional carnival music like zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
and soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
from the Caribbean and semba
Semba
Semba is a traditional type of music from the Southern-African country of Angola. Semba comes from the singular Masemba, meaning "a touch of the bellies", a move that characterizes the Semba dance.-Characteristics:...
from Angola and laid this around a fast 4/4 beat.
Origins
The roots of kuduro can be traced to the late 1980s when producers in LuandaLuanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
, Angola started mixing African percussion samples with simple soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
rhythms to create a style of music then known as "batida". European and American electronic music had begun appearing in the market, which attracted Angolan musicians and inspired them to incorporate their own musical styles. Abusing every instrument they had at their disposal, as if it was a drum machine. Young producers began adding heavy African percussion to both European and American beats, which resulted in what was then called Batida. In the early 90's, Angolan clubs started playing it and the youngsters started to create new dance moves to follow what the DJs were dropping.
The name itself is a word with a specific meaning to location in the Kimbundu
Kimbundu
North Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
language, which is native to the northern portion of Angola. It has double meaning in that it translates to both "hard ass" and/or "stiff bottom". Kuduro dancing is similar to Dancehall dancing of Jamaica. It combines traditional Angolan Batida, semba
Semba
Semba is a traditional type of music from the Southern-African country of Angola. Semba comes from the singular Masemba, meaning "a touch of the bellies", a move that characterizes the Semba dance.-Characteristics:...
and zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
with Western house and techno. As Vivian Host points out in her article, despite the common assumption that "world music" from non-Western countries holds no commonalities with Western modern music, Angolan kuduro does contain "elements in common with punk, deep tribal house, and even Daft Punk." It is thus the case that cultural boundaries and limitations within the musical spectrum are constantly shifting and being redefined. And though Angolan kuduro reflects an understanding and, further, an interpretation of Western musical forms, the world music category that it fits under tends to reject the idea of Western musical imperialism. The larger idea here is that advancements in technology and communications and the thrust of music through an electronic medium have made transcending cultural and sonic musical structures possible. According to Blentwell Podcasts, kuduro is a "mixture of house, hip-hop, and ragga elements," which illustrates how this is at once an Angolan-local and global music. Indeed, this "musical cross-pollination", as Vivian Host calls it, represents a local appropriation of global musical forms, such that the blending of different musics creates the music of a "new world."
Popularity
Kuduro is very popular across the former Portuguese overseas provinces in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, as well as in the suburbs of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(namely Amadora
Amadora
Amadora is a city and a municipality in Portugal, in the northwest of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The city and municipality population is 175,872 in eleven freguesias . With an area of 23.77 km², it is the most densely populated municipality of Portugal...
and Queluz
Queluz (Sintra)
Queluz is a Portuguese city and parish ,located in the municipality of Sintra, in the Lisbon District. The city of Queluz, which includes the parishes of Queluz, Massamá and Monte Abraão, has a combined population of approximately 111,424 and it is located in the municipality of Sintra, in the...
), due to the large number of Angolan immigrants. It is a common kind of music played in Portugal's Latin Dance floors.
In the Lisbon variety (or progressive kuduro), which mixes African Music with House and Techno music, Buraka Som Sistema
Buraka Som Sistema
Buraka Som Sistema is an electronic dance music project from Portugal, specializing in a fusion of techno beats with the African kuduro genre, and are generally credited with creating the "progressive kuduro" variant and have been awarded an MTV European Music Award.-Origins:Buraka Som Sistema was...
a Portuguese/Angolan electronic dance music project based in Portugal, was responsible for the internationalization of kuduro apart from the Portuguese-speaking world, presenting the genre across Europe and appeared in several international music magazines, after their appearance with their hit "Yah!" ("Yeah!"). Buraka Som Sistema takes its name from Buraca
Buraca
Buraca is a parish in the municipality of Amadora. It has and 16,061 inhabitants and an area of 1.66 square kilometers, as of 2001.Its patron is Our Lady Mother of God....
, a Lisbon suburb in the municipality of Amadora. Since the explosion of the Buraka Som Sistema, kuduro dance performance videos find an increasing audience on internet video platforms like YouTube. The videos range in quality from MTV standard to barely recognizable mobile-phone footage. As with most music styles, various weblogs and sharehosting websites offer kuduro for download in mp3 format.
Artists
In 2010, Portuguese-French LucenzoLucenzo
Filipe Oliveira , commonly known by his stage name Lucenzo, is a Portuguese-French singer, songwriter, and producer. His parents emigrated to France from Bragança, north of Portugal. Lucenzo signed with the Universal Music record label.He is best known for his recent dance hit "Vem dançar kuduro"...
best known for his recent Portuguese/Spanish hit "Vem dançar kuduro
Vem dançar kuduro
"Vem dançar kuduro" is a multilingual Portuguese/English dance hit single by Lucenzo, a France-based artist of Portuguese origin featuring also France-based American artist Big Ali.Lucenzo sings in Portuguese and Big Ali in English....
" (Let's Dance "hard ass"), with a Latin / Kizomba
Kizomba
Kizomba is one of the most popular genres of dance and music created in Angola. Derived directly from Zouk, sung generally in Portuguese, it is a genre of music with a romantic flow mixed with African rhythm. The kizomba dancing style is also known to be very sensual.- Origin :Kizomba was developed...
flavor which became a hit in Latin Europe, especially in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. During the same period, Emanuel, a veteran Portuguese pop music artist, also released the kuduro hit "O ritmo do amor" in this Latin kuduro style.
M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
has supported kuduro music, working on the song "Sound of Kuduro
Sound of Kuduro
"Sound of Kuduro" is a kuduro song by Buraka Som Sistema featuring DJ Znobia, M.I.A., Saborosa and Puto Prata, from their album Black Diamond released in 2008. The song was recorded in Angola, and a video for the song was recorded in 2007. "Sound of Kuduro" also appeared on the special edition of...
" with Buraka Som Sistema in Angola. "It initially came from kids not having anything to make music on other than cellphones, using samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
they'd get from their PCs and mobiles' sound buttons," M.I.A. said of kuduro. "It's a rave-y, beat oriented sound. Now that it's growing, they've got proper PCs to make music on."
Local artists and groups include:
Sibem, Tony Amado, Dog Murras, Bruno M, Agre G, Gata Agressiva, Noite e Dia, Fofando, Pai Diesel, Presidente Gasolina & Principe Ouro Negro, Os Lambas and many others.
External links
- TaBater.COM – Site of Kizomba - Kuduro - Angolan Music -
- 700 KUDURO VIDEOS KUDUROPEDIA
- Long Academic Article on Kuduro
- Canal Angola – Site of Kizomba Musica
- Sonny launched an advergame for the French distribution of this danse
- Kuduro report
- A kuduro movie clip from France: Fofodji Toi fais gaffe
- Buraka Som Sistema complete interview
- Mapouka, Kuduro and other African genre video collection