Buraka Som Sistema – Black Diamond
February 26, 2009
Buraka Som Sistema
Black Diamond
3+/6
Buraka Som Sistema joined Heineken Open’er Festival 2009 line-up recently, so I decided to listen to their debut album Black Diamond. Raw sounds of kuduro are just crazy – the moment I heard the leading single ‘Sound of Kuduro’ featuring M.I.A., I felt the thrill of dancing wildly in the crowd (flashbacks of my music festivals were involved). I just can’t wait to see them live!
What is a strength of BSS music is a lack of sophistication – a listener is bombarded with the unrefined energy. I would even say there is something primitive about their music, but in a good way: it that makes you wanna dance, jump, explode with the energy that the music passes on. Just listen to ‘Sound of Kuduro’, ‘Aqui para Voces’ or ‘Kalemba’ to feel the vibe.
A bit less furious tracks include mystical, tribal ‘New Africas’, or ‘General’ where they mix their energy with a kind of traditional Portuguese guitar song elements.
However, what makes them original and fresh at first, becomes monotonous or even tiring quite quickly. I would say that this happens because there’s nothing more to their music than the raw energy it offers. Maybe if I spoke Portuguese I would get something more out of it… On the other hand, Portuguese sounds so exotic!
You can listen to the whole album on their MySpace – click here.
Top 3 songs from the album: Sound of Kuduro, Aqui para Voces, New Africas pt.2
Have a look at the music video of ‘Sound of Kuduro’ featuring M.I.A.; it represents perfectly what their music is about:
