Kuduro

Terminology

The name of the dance was referring to a peculiar movement in which the dancers seem to have a hard ass ("Cu Duro" in Portuguese), simulating an aggressive and agitated dance style.

Popularity

Kuduro is very popular across former Portuguese overseas countries in Africa, as well as in the suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal (namely Amadora and Queluz), due to the large number of Angolan immigrants.

In the Lisbon variety (or progressive kuduro), which mixes kuduro with house and techno music, Buraka Som Sistema a Portuguese/Angolan electronic dance music project based in Portugal, was responsible for the internationalisation of kuduro, presenting the genre across Europe. It featured in several international music magazines, after their appearance with their hit "Yah!" ("Yeah!"). Buraka Som Sistema takes its name from Buraca, a Lisbon suburb in the municipality of Amadora.[1] Since the explosion of the Buraka Som Sistema, kuduro dance performance videos find an increasing audience on internet video platforms like YouTube. The videos range in quality from MTV standard to barely recognizable mobile-phone footage.

I Love Kuduro (festival)

A travelling festival that has become known as one of the largest gatherings dedicated to the Kuduro genre and lifestyle. It was created by Angolan artist Coréon Dú in 2011 with premiere evenst in the Showcase Club in Paris followed Arena Club in Berlin under the name Kuduro Sessions. It included Angolan legegends such as Noite e Dia, Nacobeta, Bruno M, DJ Znobia, Big Nelo, the then up and coming Titica, Francis Boy Os Namayer, DJ Djeff & DJ Sylivi, as well as with a slew of international guests / Kuduro suppoters such as Louie Vega & Anané Vega, Ousunlade, Daniel Haaksman, John Digweed, Hernan Cattaneo, Trentemoller, Tiefshwarz, Diego Miranda, and Wretch 32, among others.

The first event of Love Kuduro in Luanda was two day festival that received over 14,000 Kuduro fans in January 2012 at the Luanda International Fair grounds. The even has happened annually in Luanda, with various events happening around the world in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Rio de Janeiro, New York and Washington DC . Recent including a recent event at the 2014 TechnoParade in Paris, as the Os Kuduristas tour ( a follow up to the Kuduro Sessions theme tour) which focused mainly on brining the broader Luanda urban culture to Kuduro lovers around the world, with an emphasis on dance .[2][3][4]

The most recent event was an I Love Kuduro pop up float at the 2014 TechnoParade in Paris.[5]

I Love Kuduro (film)

The film "I Love Kuduro" directed by brothers Mário and Pedro Patrocínio premiered with great success at the International Film Festival of Rio de Janeiro, the largest film festival in Latin America, and at Portugal, in DocLisboa. "I Love Kuduro" was shot in Angola and presents the origin of the kuduro phenomenon.[6]

Artists and famous titles

M.I.A. has supported kuduro music, working on the song "Sound of Kuduro" with Buraka Som Sistema in Angola. "It initially came from kids not having anything to make music on other than cellphones, using samples they'd get from their PCs and mobiles' sound buttons," M.I.A. said of kuduro. "It's a rave-y, beat oriented sound. Now that it's growing, they've got proper PCs to make music on."[7]

References

  1. ↑ Miguel Judas. VISÃO nº 752 3 Ago. 2007
  2. ↑ http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?316949
  3. ↑ http://www.digitick.com/ikf-kuduro-sessions-little-louie-vega-ft-anane-osunlade-soiree-showcase-ne-pas-utiliser-paris-06-octobre-2011-css4-digitick-pg101-ri996703.html
  4. ↑ http://dailymetal.eu/blog/os-kuduristas-quintal--now-in-paris-part-i/162/
  5. ↑ http://www.leblogtvnews.com/2014/09/parcours-et-chars-de-la-technoparade-a-paris-ce-samedi-13-septembre.html
  6. ↑ O bairro e a cidade encontraram-se e o kuduro pôs Angola no mundo Público, September 20th, 2014
  7. ↑ "M.I.A. Picks Best Global Sound". Rolling Stone. May 2008.

External links