What’s a World Cup viewing party without some appropriate music, right? We spoke to Afro-Brazilian music guru DJ Bhayology (don’t miss his upcoming party Globalistik) and he thinks you should skip this year’s godawful Pitbull anthem in favor of some real sounds from the region instead. Scroll down for a definitive playlist, too.
“Afro-Brazilian” and “Luso-African” music? What does it all mean?
DJ Bhayology: This is music coming from former Portuguese colonies, which includes Brazil, and many countries in Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde to name a few) but can go as far as Macau and Timor Leste where the Portuguese also had a presence. Though all of this diasporic music has morphed and evolved into a diverse array of sounds and styles matching the local cultures, there is often an underlying African rhythm, plus lately a lot of cross-pollination and fusion with other urban music genres like house, hip-hop and even EDM.
What’s your favorite thing about their culture?
Bhayology: I’m loving all the cross-country, trans-continental collaborations happening right now. Portugal is actually where a lot of these genres and styles meet together in one place and fuse with other European dance music in the local club scene. I’d love for Singapore to be another place where this kind of global music fusion can happen considering how international and diverse the scene is here.
What kind of experience can one expect at the upcoming edition of Globalistik?
Bhayology: Body-moving music! DJ Kusto is the ultimate global crate-digger and has an incredible collection of African and Brazilian vinyls that he will be sharing. Rumshot (of Dub Skank’in’ Hifi) has a background in Brazilian Batucuda drumming and that will definitely come through in his percussive music selections. As for me, I’ll be rocking contemporary urban sounds like hip-hop, house, dancehall and trap… but it’ll all come from Brazil and Luso-African countries. Don’t worry if you don’t understand Portuguese! The music speaks for itself.
And here are 6 of his music picks for that slamming summer soccer party you’re planning:
Beija Flor by Timbalada
“Timbalada are a legendary Afro-Brazilian band from Salvador, Brazil, and this is their classic sound: heavy Afro percussion, samba-esque melodies, infectious call-and-response vocals… and body paint!”
Rap do Salgueiro by Claudinho e Buchecha
“The defining sound of urban Brazil is baile funk (also known as carioca bass). It’s straight up party music, combining Miami bass and Afro-Brazilian drums with anthemic megaphone raps and funky synth. This is one of the classic tracks of the genre.”
Boa Noite by Karol Conka
“This female rapper is my favorite new artist from Brazil right now. Her swag and flow are infectious, and her music is a melting pot of all kinds of Brazilian and global urban music, including baile funk, tribal Afro-Brazilian chants and trap rap.”
Margarida by Eddy Tussa
“Semba is a form of music which sounds a bit like Brazilian samba, but it developed in isolation and in parallel in Angola throughout the 1900s. I love this festive and smooth track by Eddy Tussa, a well-known Angolan singer keeping the genre alive in contemporary times.”
Manda Vir by Pupilos Do Kuduro
“Urban Brazil has baile funk, and Angola has kuduro: hyper-fast electro bass rhythms with wicked rapid-fire rapping on top and some of the most physics-defying dance moves I’ve ever seen. One of the most exciting forms of global music to emerge from Africa!”
Elegom Bounsa by DJ Djeff ft. Maskarado
“Add kuduro to semba and house music and you get pure dance floor magic. This is a huge club track from a couple years ago from two of the biggest names in Angolan music that is still in constant rotation in my DJ sets.”
