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Sunday, October 18, 2009 @ 01:10 PM
posted by admin

 

The Pacific coast of Colombia is probably the part of this country that has the closest link with Africa.

On the left - El Pacifico

 

This region, stuck between the Ocean and the Andean mountains, is home to the descendant of slave maroons who have kept passing on the music of there ancestors.

 

 

The most singular instrument is called Marimba and is the equivalent of the xylophone largely used in the west side of Africa. 

Image of Maimba stolen from http://africapacific.blogspot.com

 

This instrument is showed at its best in a music called Currulao, adding subtle harmonies to the more abrupt sounds of the drums. 

 

 

Grupo Sacavon – Homenaje a Justino

You can see the band better following this link.

 

 

In the recent times, influence the outside world has brought new styles amongst them, Champeta with fresh African influence, Salsa/Cumbia and Hip-Hop.

 

 

Hip-hop has become mainstream and been widely taken over by the younger generation in many countries. The band Choc Quib Town, named after their department and city, El Choco and Quibdo, is the best example of Afro-Colombian Hip Hop.

 

Stolen from http://www.afropop.org

 

Their hit is Somos Pacifico is infused with the tones of the Marimba. They will be in London for a unique concert in on Thursday 29th October 09.

 

 

Choc Quib Town – Somos Pacifico

 

 

 

Salsa, Cumbia and the mix of both have made their way too with bands like Markitos y su Sabrosura and Los Nemus del Pacifico the later has for many decades provided the best Cuban style Colombian Salsa

 

Markitos y so Sabrosura – Asi es mi tierra

Los Nemus del Pacifico – No me mientas

 

Finally Champeta ‘the Colombian Reggaeton’ is the new craze with enormous sounds systems, the most famous one brought by Rey de Rocha ‘Reynaldo’. It is becoming according to my friend Andrea the new thing in the clubs of Bogota and Cali.

 

  

 

Rey de Rocha sound system

 

The biggest and most famous music producer is Discos Fuentes and most of the songs mentionned above are easy to find on your preferred download software.

 

 

 

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 @ 12:07 PM
posted by admin

Shelsy Shantel & Nelson Freitas (make over of Vanessa da Mata’s) Bao Sorte

Last month we went to visit the African dance congress of Sabor Latino at San Pedro de Moel in Portugal. This was a funky event with great music, friendly people and excellent location by the beach.

 

We arrived in Porto on the Thursday and Jerome visited this lovely city with some beautiful monuments and many Port wine warehouses.

 

The city has a good feel to it and the people are welcoming. In the evening we went to visit the bar Tradicion where we met the DJ Pablo Moreno in charge of the music.

We had our first lesson of Kizomba, the West African dance which has for origin the Caribbean Zouk love.

Porto on the hill

This music sung in Portuguese was created in Cap Verde and Angola. It’s now spreading very fast and Portugal is the country you should go to if you want to experience it in Europe. If you can’t travel that far, you will easily find Marie Doyen and her team who organise the Kizomba UK night in London. Marie was the organiser of our little trip.

Kizomba = As close as possible

The next day we drove to San Pedro for the congress. We went straight to learn some more steps of Kizomba.

 

Here we would like to give more details to help you decide if this congress is for you or not:

If you go for a bit of an adventure, meet some down to earth people, don’t mind to learn in Portuguese how to dance even if you don’t speak the language and don’t expect everything to be spotless then the congress is ideal for you.

 

So for Mr Shakira and Jerome this was the place to be.

 

Then if you are looking for the most organised thing with only the top dancers, a bit of pretension and some talc to put on the floor before you start dancing… it might not be ideal…

 

 

Matias Damasio – Porque

Anyway, after the third lesson we started to understand the basics of Kizomba and with our top experience of Zouk we managed to dance the night away.

 The congress used to be a salsa congress also they play salsa a good part of the night.

 

We together show African style

 

The next day we learnt, the funkiest dance ever called Funana (an accent missing), this music with a repetitive accordion sounds can get you moving even if you are dead!

 

We love the rhythm similar to fast meringue, honestly this is the next thing we will be looking for our Fiesta Sun Bailante.


 Ferro Gaita – E si Propi

 

We also listened to some Kuduro which is the Angolan equivalent of the Brazilian Baile Funk, hard core music from the ghetto some metallic sounds.

What’s also cool with this congress is that you can learn a lot of other dances from hip-hop to belly dancing.

 

The workshops that should not be missed are the ones from Kwenda Lima, especially the traditional dances from Cap Verde.

Kwenda’s workshops make you forget who you are, where you come from, but will give you a clue on where you go!

Kwenda Lima

You will feel in the middle of the universe, in the deeper abysses or grounded in a desert where the wind never stops.

 

This is a very special experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mindelo Impressions

Anyway our trip there terminated on a worshop of Coladeira, another dance from Cap Verde. Coladeira is to the old Zouk when Kizomba is to the Zouk love.

The rhythms are the same but the names and languages are different…consequently, you can dance them the same way you just need your partner to follow.

We finally came back and Mr Shakira almost had too much sun tan.

Viva Portugal, Cabo Verde and Angola!