Kuduro: The Orijin of a Popular Rhythm Fusing The Old and New
If you’ve gone to a club in any of the major metropolitan cities, chances are that you were dancing to the Don Omar’s “Danza Kuduro” jam. This song hit the pop charts and bill boards at #1 during 2010 and for good reason. This French based artist of Portuguese descent has brought the dance of Kuduro to the masses, but is not the orijinator of this vibrant music.
During the late 1980’s in the streets of Luanda, Angola, Kuduro was born. The credit goes to young musicians in this West African Country started mixing African percussion samples with simple calypso and soca rhythms to create a style of music then known as “batida”, According to Toby Rogers, “Kuduro isn’t world music. Well, not the kind of world music that finds its way onto Later with Jools Holland or a Damon Albarn album. This is the raw, uncompromising sound of the streets of Luanda, Angola. Meaning ‘hard ass’ or ‘stiff bottom’, it combines traditional Angolan Kilapanga, Semba and Zouk with Western house and techno.” Kuduro makes one feel alive and free – ready to conquer the world. Possibly this is the reason it is so popular in its home country and many of countries with Portuguese influence. Angola has gone through and continues to go through its struggles and Kuduro is a opportunity for the people to take a break, enjoy music, dance and free their minds.
“Kuduro is our Baile funk,” says Joao Xavier, a Portuguese music journalist and champion of Kuduro’s European fusion. “It came from the streets. From the poor people right to your heart and feet. To make everybody think about life. With a good positive message. We are black or white and we are moving forward. Together, we conquer the world.” Kalaf Angelo, the Angolian-born founder of Lisbon’s independent Enchufada label, agrees: “Kuduro represents Angola today, with no softness or need to be politically correct. It’s free music that doesn’t need the major labels to spread and become popular. It’s all people choice. Very demanding, very fast, very raw and very honest. You cannot pretend to be something you are not. Those are the rules when it comes to Kuduro.”
