Tudo dominado:

The global peripheral eletronic music

by Ronaldo Lemos

 
 
 
 
 

If you haven’t heard of at least one of the many musical styles mentioned in this article. you should know that you are part of a minority. In the past few years, due to the dissemination of digital technology, a big part of the world’s most pop(ular) music was produced electronically. with equipments that are becoming more affordable and accessible with time. This new music shakes up parties from the Rotterdam port area to poor neighborhoods in Belém, including the “villas miserias” in Buenos Aires. as well as London’s pirate radios, not to mention DJs from Canada (hello Paul Devro) and the United States (helloDiplo) qthat navigate those same waves. The conclusion is quite simple: it‘s all dominated. It’s the here comes everybody that turns itself into a verb.

As one can notice. the idea of ‘suburbs” used here does not have much to do with geographic notions. neither is it related to a separation between rich and poor, developed and in development, or even North and South. The music scenes illustrated by this small sample emerge from any place with a computer, creativity and people who are willing to dance. The invisibility of such scenes only occurs once we decide (consciously or subconsciously) not to pay attention to them. For this reason. thinkers like Hermano Vianna have affirmed that the “centre” is progressively becoming “the outskirt of the outskirt”. especially from a symbolic point of view.

From that. comes a new global festive aesthetic. with immense popularity and impressive creative interchange. It is easy to identity Latin elements in kwaito South Africa’s kwaito. Carioca funk elements in Angola’s kuduro or bubblin from Suriname/Rotterdam. As well as Miami Bass. funk and hip-hop influences in kwaito. In other words. all things are commingled, and that happens more and more rapidly (especially in the suburbs). The “technology turn“ that now spreads through global music production happens for the same reason that made African-Americans choose record players instead of musical instruments in the 703, with the rising of hip-hop: it was cheaper and more accessible than buying “real” instruments.

Another important aspect is that the new scenes reinvent the idea of music “industry”. For instance, they abandon the dependency on the notion of copyright. According to data obtained through a research in which I participated for two years (and which involved Colombia. Mexico. Nigeria. Argentina and Brazil). the more music is freely propagated, the greater is its economic sustainability. That is why the research was entitled Open Business, meaning “open” models that rely much more on sharing. rather than on control and content restrictions. And most importantly: those are multimillionaire markets, which generate a lot of money through flexible and sophisticated economic arrangements. In other words. there is a lot to learn from those markets. also in terms of economic structures.

tecnobrega is already blending with the guitarrada from Belém. which has always been considered “good” music. The cumbia villera na Argentina has also gained “chic”, dedicated nights at one of themain clubs de Palermo,Buenos Aires. attracting the same hipsters that, just months before, execrated all of that (welcome!). Altogether, there is no longer a judge for personal taste. Whether it is good or bad, it doesn’t matter. The fact is that the party is great and it is everywhere. You’re only left out if you want it.

Champeta – A Colombian culture phenomena (which includes music). mostly derives from African descendants in the region of Cartagena. Although the term has been used for over 90 years (when it was accompanied by a notion of belittling), champeta only consolidated itself as a music rhythm in the 80s. having become increasingly electronic and dancing in the past few years. Today, it generates stadium hits. like the track “Mueve la Colita”. included here.

Kuduro – Originated in Angola (but strongly present in Portugal nowadays). kuduro means exactly what it sounds like in Portuguese (“hard ass”). The term refers to the way people dance to the rhythm. With a sound that harks back to the 80s. the genre is influenced by zouk and soca, and more recently, Carioca funk.

Tecnobrega – A byproduct of brega , the oldschool powerful genre from the state of Para, in Brazil. technobrega derives from the combination of electronic music with traditional brega. Preceded by bregacalypso (which has also resulted from a blending) in the 90s, technobrega is constantly renovating itself. Currently, the genre has different ramifications: cybertechnobrega, brega melody and the new and exciting electromelody (represented by two tracks in the present selection: Maderito & Joe and Banda Eletro Melody). Maderito & Joe e Banda Eletro Melody).


Kwaito
– Having emerged from the outskirts of Johannesburg in the 90s, kwaito results from the fusion of North American hip-hop, African music sampling, house music with slightly slower beats and striking bass lines. Often sung in a dialect, kwaito has transformed itself from ghetto music to the soundtrack of the South African post-Apartheid youth.


Cumbia Villera
– Deriving from the Buenos Aires “villas miserias” (the adjective “villera” is depreciative), the style is a variation of Colombian cumbia (spread throughout most of Latin America). With acoustic origins (guitar, accordion, drums, flutes, etc), it becomes increasingly electronic in its villera ramification, also gaining notoriety due to its heavy lyrics based on drugs and sex. In the past few years. the style has become ‘chic” (with “fashion” dedicated nights in Buenos Aires) and even experimental.

Funk Carioca – Influenced by Miami Bass, Carioca funk derives from versions of funk hits with Portuguese lyrics. created in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. After the initial versions were made, Carioca funk developed into a unique style. which incorporates Afro-Brazilian elements (such as drums, attributed to Candomblé whilst rapidly absorbing the latest technology trends (like the use of samplers and sequencers by the funk MCs). Although still accompanied by the adjective “Carioca”, the genre is present throughout Brazil.

Bubblin – An electronic music style that connects Suriname to Holland, with dry electronic beats and moderate arrangements, it is responsible for shaking up parties from Rotterdam to Paramaribo. Bubblin is usually accompanied by boeke, a dance phenomena that is gaining progressive recognition.

Dubstep – The style was born in the London suburbs in the early years of 2000, and gained popularity through pirate radios and mixtapes. Dubstep is a product of Britain’s Garage scene. With a slow, funk rhythm, and deep, stunning bass lines, dubstep is known for being difficult to dance to (and in this sense, for reinventing the possibilities of dance).

Coupé Decalé – Coupé Decalé is, simultaneously. a music style and a dance style. Originated from the immigration in Côte d’Ivoire, the rhythm was born in France and quickly migrated back to Côte d’Ivoire, where it also became a success. The style utilizes strong African elements and strong bass lines, usually having festive and optimistic tones.

1 A form of slum in Argentina.
2 (Capitalized): a native or resident of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

3 A Brazilian dance and musical genre that has become an icon of brazilian national identity.
4 A guitar-oriented music genre from Belém, in Brazil.
5 a rhythmic music style that originates from the islands of Guadeloupe , Martinique ,Haiti,St.Lucia and Dominica . Zouk means “party” or festival in the local Creole of French.
6 Also known as “sou calypso”, soca is a form of dance musica originated in the Islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
7 Tacky,  cheesy, trashy. Kitsch. Marked by tastelessness and  / or cheap showiness.
8 Musical style and folk dance originated from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, with folkloric variants in Panama.
9 An Afro-Brazilian religion.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Article written by Ronaldo Lemos for the  I/Legítimo  exhibition at São Paulo´s Museum of Image and Sound. Lemos was the curator of      compillation of songs from each of the abovementioned styles for the exhibition.