The literal translation of kuduro is 'hard butt'. And after listening to this debut it becomes clear where that term comes from. At a marching pace, Buraka Som Sistema forces the listener to shake his / her ass. The kuduro is an Angolan dance and was brought to Portugal by immigrants. The trio Buraka Som Sistema comes from Buraca, say the Bijlmer of Lisbon, where many migrants from Angola and Cape
… Verde live. The young people there mixed the rhythm of kuduro with hip hop. The sound of Buraka Som Sistema shows similarities with the Brazilian baile funk and the grime of Dizzee Rascal. It is a 'streetwise' sound full of pushy raps and deep throbbing basses and with that the trio even got through to the well-known London club Fabric. Kano and MIA also participate on this album. They just can't prevent the abundance of beats from causing Black Diamond to get bored quickly. So it remains to be seen whether the kuduro also develops in the Netherlands into a new fertile offshoot within the 'urban' sound. (PdK)more
