Buraka Som Sistema

• Genre: Afro-Pop

About

Portugal's Buraka Som Sistema are named in honor of a Lisbon suburb, but their reach is far broader. The band, founded in 2006, quickly became global ambassadors for kuduro, an Angola-rooted fusion of hip-hop, house, dancehall reggae and local styles. Kuduro has a strong presence in Portugal, given the country's colonial history in Africa; like Brazilian funk carioca or Baltimore breaks, it has captivated Western imaginations for its uncanny variants of Euro-American dance music styles. With the border-hopping, mischief-making M.I.A. as a booster (and guest singer on "Sound of Kuduro"), Buraka Som Sistema found a worldwide audience for their high-energy mix of fiery hand percussion, booming 808s, rave synths and rapid-fire chatter. They first came to attention with 2006's From Buraka to the World, a surprisingly focused effort that wraps up diamond-hard electronic production with supple, swinging rhythms. In 2008, they released their debut album, Black Diamond; the single featured remixes from Hot Chip and the Count & Sinden, but those were hardly necessary to demonstrate kuduro's relevance to contemporary dancefloors. They first came to attention with 2006's From Buraka to the World, a surprisingly focused effort wrapping up diamond-hard electronic production with supple, swinging rhythms. In 2008 they released their debut album, Black Diamond; the single featured remixes from Hot Chip and the Count and Sinden, but those were hardly necessary to demonstrate kuduro's relevance to contemporary dance floors.

- Philip Sherburne