So this is it — the end of an era. After over ten years together, Lisbon’s Buraka Som Sistema are calling it a day and going their separate ways. Peering back it’s been quite the journey. A decade-long funstream that birthed four studio albums, umpteen spectacular live shows and most importantly, amplified Portuguese electronic music on to the global stage.
Lisbon’s unique location — connecting the dots between Africa, South America and Northern Europe — is the perfect petri dish for a hybrid and diverse musical output. Following in Buraka’s footsteps, a healthy line of young musicians have emerged with unique stories to tell. It’s an opportunity that we’re blessed to showcase along with Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky next week. Portuguese natives, Batida and the Principe Discos imprint, will be joined by Dengue Dengue Dengue and DJ Marky to celebrate the power of musical cross-pollination.
Having valiantly held up the torch for Afro-Portuguese sounds for so long, it’s only right that Buraka top the billing.
Before next week’s Ballantine’s Stay True Portugal party, we step behind their changing room door with a set of exclusive photos and one of their final interviews.
BOILER ROOM: First things first, congratulations on ten years of music and mayhem. How does it feel to be looking back at such a journey?
BURAKA SOM SISTEMA: We are proud of everything we accomplished as a group. We did the unthinkable by combining music genres such as grime, dubstep and Angolan kuduro. We managed to be part of a group of globetrotters involved in the process of reshaping ‘world music’, not only making it ‘cool’ but also relevant in understanding the present changes in music and urban culture. 10 years into the process, we’ve now learned a few things that make the future definitely more exciting than yesterday.
Seems like an age since you started out, what has been the biggest constant though?
It has been a rollercoaster! Besides our need to innovate and explore new music frontiers there is nothing we can claim as constant.
Many people fail to recognise the Angolan-Portuguese link even though its so apparent in your music. What were some of your favourite discoveries from your first time to Angola, and how did it help you better your music at the time?
Angola is part of the DNA of the group. Two of the members are natives and the rest grew up in Amadora, the 4th largest city in Portugal with the highest number of African immigrants. Thanks to the Angolan community in Lisbon, we were already deep in its culture. Travelling to Angola and having the opportunity to work with local producers such as DJ Znobia only made the all experience richer and more exciting.
What surprised you the most about your journey?
We belong to a group of people that worship technology and believe that electronic music is the new world order. A revolution that doesn’t depend on time and space. Every day and everywhere, there’s a kid making music with a cheap computer and pirated software, creating a new voice for himself, changing his condition and connecting with the world through the Internet.
Youtube gives us a window into this reality where dance music is a cult, a ritual that embraces everyone brave enough to stand up and preach his own gospel: the beat.
When you guys started, your now infamous mix of kuduro and Portuguese music was something completely unique. So many years down the line, how does it feel to be seeing these mixes of genres more frequently?
We absolutely love it. Right from the beginning we felt that kuduro could co-exist in the same arena with other global club music genres such as baile funk, reggaeton, moombahton, kwaito, azonto or changa tuki.
“It’s important to build strong local movements as an essential part of your identity, otherwise it would take little longer to make a valid point in the world of dance music.”
You also had a physical space, your party Buraka Som Sistema to share those sounds. How important do you think it is for emerging sounds to have a party or dancing space for them to grow in?
It’s important to build strong local movements as an essential part of your identity, otherwise it would take little longer to make a valid point in the world of dance music. It’s easy to believe that the world is getting smaller but at the same time I wonder if thats just an illusion, and the only way to achieve success is by moving to New York or London.
If you manage to do it from your home city and with the help of your local musicians and promoters, the gratification is not only greater but you can also secure that the next generation won’t have to start from zero when their moment comes.
Tell me about that infamous Bogota show back in 2012…
Rock al Parque festival was an amazing experience. We performed for more than a 100,000 Colombians. It was insane, plus the fact that we were 8,675 feet above sea level, which made the whole show quite a challenge for us. Colombia is one of our favourite places in the world. After that show we hit the streets with the Bomba Estereo guys looking for an afterparty.
The taxi driver was going as fast as Lewis Hamilton and I remembered having heard our local host say that the driver’s kamikaze-style driving was fully justified, given the late hour and because that area of the city was very prone to muggings at traffic lights. Taxis were a coveted target, as only tourists and travellers with full wallets dared to cross Bogota in the dead of night. In the words of the great modern day philosopher, Drake: “We only live once” — that attitude makes Bogota a unique city.
“The scene is going through one of its most interesting periods in recent memory. The amount of kids making and playing all sorts of electronic music is at an all-time high.”
Enchufada continues to be a strong imprint — what are yours and Rastronaut’s plans for it?
Continuing to release good music and bringing worlds together. Today the idea of cultural purity has no space to flourish, and music is still the best platform to showcase cultural diversity. Every record we put out has this concept embedded.
Who else is holding up the torch for Portuguese electronic music?
The music scene here is very eclectic. We have almost all the music genres represented in the city. From hip hop to drum and bass. Plus the scene is going through one of its most interesting periods in recent memory. The amount of kids making and playing all sorts of electronic music is at an all-time high, with plenty of good artists coming up with their own particular styles.
With Lisbon being in the middle of this musical Bermuda Triangle, which connects Africa with South America and Northern Europe, there is fertile ground for a hybrid and diverse musical output, with styles like afro-house or Zouk Bass becoming bigger every year. KKing Kong, Dotorado Pro, Deejay Telio the Principe crew, the Discotexas crew and more…
Our eleventh Stay True Journey with Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky lands in Lisbon to explore the dynamic cross-pollination of African sounds and Portuguese dance music. Join us on June 2 from 20:00 – 02:00 (BST) to witness one of Buraka Som Sistema’s last live performances.