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Spearheading the movement was the track 'Sound of kuduro', a collaboration of Buraka Som Sistema, M.I.A. and Luanda luminaries DJ Znobia, Puto Prata and Saborosa that combines the raw energy of the original African style with the more refined production standards of its progressive European offshoot. The aptly titled 'Luanda Lisboa', also a Buraka/Znobia collab, is another fine example of this particular fusion. Due to colonial ties Portugal has a large Angolan community in which kuduro music was able to blossom and evolve up to the point where it got picked up by some adventurous dj's who introduced it to a whole new - i.e. non-African - audience. While the genre was building up momentum in the Lisbon club scene inevitably word got out in bloggoland. Already boasting a couple of vinyl releases, a compilation cd and a firm live reputation local boys Buraka Som Sistema, named after a Lisbon suburb, in no time became a hot ticket anywhere in the world.

Another European pioneer is Frédéric Galliano, a French producer with a rather more academic approach to the genre. He went to Luanda for what turned into a two-week production workshop with DJ Kito Da Machina meticulously teaching him the specifics of traditional kuduro beat programming until he deemed his foreign guest worthy of having a go at it himself. These efforts culminated in the critically acclaimed 2006 album 'Frédéric Galliano presents Kuduro Sound System' successfully marrying the contributions of a busload of Angolan artists to an intricate, slightly glossy production esthetic not unlike that of the Jazzanova collective. In this mindset producers respectfully arrange their snares, claps and hi-hats according to the patterns of the original carnival music that laid the foundations for the kuduro groove, notably zouk and soca from the Caribbean and semba and kilapanga from Angola. Not strictly adhering to this set of rules may result in producing what is derogatorily referred to as "white man's kuduro".

This dismissal is somewhat ironic as the spark that started the whole kuduro movement was European house and techno. Angolan producers tried to make their own electronic dance music and back in 1996 a guy called Tony Amado decided to add traditional carnival percussion to popular tunes of the time like Reel 2 Real's "I like to move it" to spice them up a bit, Angolan style. He came up with the name describing a silly dance routine he had developed after seeing a film in which at one point Jean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a particularly stiff and awkward choreography, much to Amado's exhilaration. Kuduro is a Kimbundu word that in Portuguese can be understood as "hard bottom" and actually refers to the tight-assed dance moves of the legendary "Muscles from Brussels" in this film. That's right, both the name and the original dance moves of kuduro boil down to funky African dudes making fun of how bad white people are at dancing! Here's an interview with Tony Amado in Portuguese, jump to 1:30 for the Van Damme clip.
The creation of Kuduro by Tony Amado


The way in which an African perspective on this banal little movie scene combined with a shared fascination for the thumping backbeat of western civilisation gave birth to an entire subculture of highly creative producers, rappers and dancers in under a decade is as unlikely as it has been successful.

Ever since the pc took centre stage in the typical Luanda studio setup, new compilation cdr's come out on a weekly basis, introducing fresh talent at a high pace.

Much like is the case with baile funk in Brazil popular tunes are frequently rerecorded by other artists but at the same time remain ignored by the mainstream media because of the harshness of the lyrics, both sexually and politically. Nevertheless, being the soundtrack of choice of taxi-drivers and shopkeepers alike, the kuduro rhythms permeate daily life in Angola with both determination and ease, thus serving as an off-grid platform for fundamental social commentary.

In a party setting kuduro dancing involves the ladies backing up their behinds to the guys - what did you expect? - but more characteristic to the genre are the dance battles young men engage in. Incorporating elements of breakdance, mime and choreographed fighting into a dazzling display of acrobacy, wit and groove is definitely the type of skill that can get you a solid street cred in downtown Luanda. Some of the sickest moves I've seen are featured in the video for Buraka Som Sistema's 'Sound of kuduro' but apparently the embedding function has been blocked for this one so you'll have to google it yourself. For the lazier reader here's some other dudes showing off.


With high profile releases such as the Frédéric Galliano curated ep on top notch American label Flamin Hotz and Buraka Som Sistema's eagerly anticipated 'Black Diamond' album readily available around the world, the sound of kuduro is by now firmly established as one of the most exciting regional explorations of the art of moving butts. It shares bloodlines with genres as diverse as samba, grime, rave and reggaeton and is a vibrant part of an ancient tradition that through constant evolution and reinterpretation connects the likes of Armand Van Helden and N.W.A. with medieval troubadours, shamanistic ritual and the pounding of tribal drums. In the meantime boundary pushing breaks, dubstep or house producers like Tayo, Reso and Radioclit have already incorporated kuduro type drum patterns in well-received club tracks while America's remix champion Diplo devoted the entire ninth edition of his Hollertronix bootleg series to the genre.

More importantly, in all its brutally engaging vivaciousness this music offers arguably the most direct of all electronically manufactured translations of what I suppose is the oldest music on earth - people shouting and banging sticks, having the time of their lives, completely immersed in the moment - and it's out there waiting for you. The team behind Belgium`s most dangerous club night LOW UP for instance has never been shy of throwing some kuduro in the mix and on saturday the 10th of January they have invited the exotic beats specialists of Tupolev Sound Crash for a steaming set of worldwide party favourites. Come check it out!

By 319 for LOWUP