Having established themselves as one of the most energetic and entertaining live acts in the world over the past year or so, it’s no surprise that Buraka Som Sistema were invited to stamp their brand of kuduro (a marriage of Angolan dance music into the European house family) on to one of the world’s most prestigious mix series – ‘Fabriclive’. Buraka live shows are such a wild and lively affair that it seems almost a shame to confine their sound to a mere CD. A typical gig involves them commanding the entire crowd at one point to crouch down on the floor during a lull in the show, before simultaneously jumping up and going crazy as the music comes euphorically thundering back in.
Before listening to the ‘Fabriclive’ CD, I was uncertain how such amazing energy could be channelled through nothing more than my bedroom speakers. As it turns out, I very nearly performed the whole crouch down/jump up ceremony by myself, in my pyjamas, alone in my room; such is the quality of this mix. The CD draws on music from numerous different sources, some of which have clearly been influenced by Buraka themselves, to craft a brilliant showcase of truly international dance music, at its most danceable. Everything from dubstep to house to hip-hop to Angola’s own flavour of kuduro is present, reflecting the diverse sound that brought the group to prominence in the first place.
Part of the ethos behind this mix was, according to the group themselves, “to avoid making a compilation of 20 club bangers that two months from now are going to be totally forgotten,” and in this they’ve succeeded. Not because the majority of the tunes wouldn’t send a dance floor in to complete chaos if dropped – they would – but because the tunes they’ve selected aren’t going to be forgotten about anytime soon. In fact, Buraka could well have set about launching some of the songs contained in this mix on the road to “club banger” status. The finest tracks from the mix have Buraka Som Sistema engrained in them in some shape or form, whether remixed by, or remixes of, the group. A1 Bassline gives ‘IC19’ a booster-shot of bouncing electro, while Buraka takeover remixing duties to give another fast-rising British producer, L-Vis 1990, a healthy dose of tribal energy. Well-chosen dubstep cuts from Skream and Zomby help contribute to a darker, more dub-based mood in the middle of the mix, before the element of European house that’s shaped much of Buraka’s style is welcomed in towards the end, featuring killers from Djedjotronic, Harvard Bass and SonicC. The whole CD flows excellently from start to finish, and there is not a single dull moment to be found.
So here’s a challenge for you: crouch down on the floor just before you put this CD on, and see how long you can remain there before the sheer fun and energy of ‘Fabriclive 49’ compels your body to leap up and start dancing. I can assure you, you won’t be crouching long.
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sultanelturrah (January 24th, 2010):
A very good release. For me, it's a long time I didn't listen a FabricLive and it was rather good :-)
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