Showing posts with label ka§par. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ka§par. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Friday, August 12, 2011
Saturday, January 08, 2011
FACT PT mix 005: Ka§par
Even tought he has been mainly associated with the House scene, Ka§par does come from a Broken Beat and Drum & Bass background. Ka§par became active as a DJ at the age 16, and has been a resident in one of the most important Portuguese clubs of all time, Frágil, for the last, what, ten years? (or more, not sure). Despite all that, he's not even 30, and he has been releasing stuff on Groovement records since 2004. That's not for anyone.
If that mix is not enough, he has a podcast series, Mamilo, that he has been running together with António Alves for a few years now. There's plenty of mixes there for y'all.
Respect!
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Sub-Tropical Paradise
There's something special going on in Portugal right now. There's a handful of local producers releasing records that are receiving amazing reviews and international attention.
Yes, it's not a first for Portuguese music. We had the Paradise Called Portugal age in the mid 90's, being succesful with Underground Sound of Lisbon. We also had Buraka Som Sistema from 2006 onward.
Yes, it's not a first for Portuguese music. We had the Paradise Called Portugal age in the mid 90's, being succesful with Underground Sound of Lisbon. We also had Buraka Som Sistema from 2006 onward.
The thing is, those two times seem to have been isolated to a single group. Right now, we seem to be receiving attention as a scene. And this time is it not connected to a local music genre, right now we are being taken seriously doing all sorts of electronic music.
Ka§par's track released on Groovement records a couple of months ago that featured myself, Infestus, contributing the keyboards.
This Portuguese "scene" isn't really anything new. It didn't suddenly appear. It's been brewing in obscurity since the 90's. It's not really a especially tight scene, because some of the key players have very little in common other than being Portuguese. There's a connection of course. Everyone plays in the same clubs. Everyone plays for the same audience. But that's a result of being a small, not so densily populated country.
A while ago there seemed to be two especially diferent things going on:
One was the result of the Lux/Frágil continuum, mainly connected to a more classic house/jack/disco sound/balearic and avant-garde/experimental sounds. Then other is the scene that came from the whole Lusophone/World music/Kuduro/Buraka/Bass side.
The thing is, despite everyone playing in the same clubs, to the same people, up until now things seemed to evolve separately. I believe that the main keyword for music made in 2010 was: "Tropical". What seems to have happened is that the people connected to the more disco/balearic scene started implementing african/tropical influences. Simultaneously, the tropical bass music scene left behind the 140bpms and progressed to a tempo (and ambience) closer to House and Techno.
As a result you get odd things like this:
One may argue that Gala Drop's inclusion of a kuduro track in the set may be a ironic move. Well perhaps. Despite that, it works.
We also have people like Photonz, that in the last few years have always made the bridge between the more classic rave and jack, and the current bass/hardcore continuum. They always played house alongside dubstep, and now UK Funky. They were one of the names associated with the "Tuga Step" (a portuguese dubstep compilation and loose group of Lisbon based DJs, that also gave birth to Octa Push and Iberian Records). Below there's a Photonz mix recorded live at Lux last year, that clearly illustrates the above argument.
Last year Iberian Records released an EP by Octa Push, that included the following track:
Ka§par's track released on Groovement records a couple of months ago that featured myself, Infestus, contributing the keyboards.
The release in the above video was number one selling record on the week of release in various international stores. It sold out and now it's being repressed. This one, alongside Tiago's release on DFA, and Hands of Time releases were amongst some of the most internationally sucessful Portuguese records of last-year
This Portuguese "scene" isn't really anything new. It didn't suddenly appear. It's been brewing in obscurity since the 90's. It's not really a especially tight scene, because some of the key players have very little in common other than being Portuguese. There's a connection of course. Everyone plays in the same clubs. Everyone plays for the same audience. But that's a result of being a small, not so densily populated country.
A while ago there seemed to be two especially diferent things going on:
One was the result of the Lux/Frágil continuum, mainly connected to a more classic house/jack/disco sound/balearic and avant-garde/experimental sounds. Then other is the scene that came from the whole Lusophone/World music/Kuduro/Buraka/Bass side.
The thing is, despite everyone playing in the same clubs, to the same people, up until now things seemed to evolve separately. I believe that the main keyword for music made in 2010 was: "Tropical". What seems to have happened is that the people connected to the more disco/balearic scene started implementing african/tropical influences. Simultaneously, the tropical bass music scene left behind the 140bpms and progressed to a tempo (and ambience) closer to House and Techno.
As a result you get odd things like this:
One may argue that Gala Drop's inclusion of a kuduro track in the set may be a ironic move. Well perhaps. Despite that, it works.
We also have people like Photonz, that in the last few years have always made the bridge between the more classic rave and jack, and the current bass/hardcore continuum. They always played house alongside dubstep, and now UK Funky. They were one of the names associated with the "Tuga Step" (a portuguese dubstep compilation and loose group of Lisbon based DJs, that also gave birth to Octa Push and Iberian Records). Below there's a Photonz mix recorded live at Lux last year, that clearly illustrates the above argument.
Last year Iberian Records released an EP by Octa Push, that included the following track:
Toni Clean is a Lisbon based cabe-verdean MC. In that track he makes use of Portuguese creoule. That's a clear example of how is not just Buraka that is tapping into Lusophone culture, and that Lusophone bass music doesn't have to be Kuduro.
As you can see, there's certainly variety. And despite some ocasional bridges, there is not such thing as "Lusophone Dance Music" as a cohese and uniform scene. Therefore, any media coverage refering to it as the next-big-thing is essentially a construct. That said, there is amazing talent in this country, and there is nothing wrong with people using a key word to refer to it. But it's important not to make the same mistake of the past, and try to have success by the means of a temporary fad.
All of this talent, alongside recent media outlets (such as the Portuguese Fact Magazine) , and new venues with powerful soundsystems (such as Space), signify that we may again be entering a new Golden age for the Portuguese electronic music scene. Let's see how things develop in the future.
As you can see, there's certainly variety. And despite some ocasional bridges, there is not such thing as "Lusophone Dance Music" as a cohese and uniform scene. Therefore, any media coverage refering to it as the next-big-thing is essentially a construct. That said, there is amazing talent in this country, and there is nothing wrong with people using a key word to refer to it. But it's important not to make the same mistake of the past, and try to have success by the means of a temporary fad.
All of this talent, alongside recent media outlets (such as the Portuguese Fact Magazine) , and new venues with powerful soundsystems (such as Space), signify that we may again be entering a new Golden age for the Portuguese electronic music scene. Let's see how things develop in the future.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Infestus featured in Ka§par's new single!
This is "Music Life" by my friend Ka§par, which includes, Music Life, Son of Man (featuring melodica by Luís "Infestus" Pinto) and a remix of Music Life by Photonz!
All of this released by Groovement Records!
Here's the official press release:
"KA§PAR is back! Groovement's earliest artist returns to vinyl for the second time in 2009, to showcase some music taken from his forthcoming debut album "Revolt". It features three tracks, two originals (both from the forthcoming) and a remix by mighty PHOTONZ. One of the main tracks of the LP "Music Life" is an uptempo house rumbler with acoustic beats, big bass and subtle dub techno and acid house influences, featuring vocal help from one of the main vocalists from such ground breaking projects as BB Boogie or Neon Phusion: Andrea Clarke.
Second A-side original track is "Son of Man". A rootsy "Dubstech" cut, impressively produced and deeply melodic. Sensual licks of a live jamaican melodica float and swerve on top of a few layers of deep bass, thumping kick drums and crispy, glitchy beats. This is one for both the heads and hips, that aims at the core of the most innovative of electronic music's developments of today... a sure-fire potential classic.
Finally PHOTONZ where given charge of a remix for "Music Life", these are young artists signed to such regarded label as Dissident or Astrolab (and now to GROOVEMENT!!)... the result was a futuristic and hard to categorize jackin' house output; as up-to-date as it is peculiar and unique: strange sound manipulations and abstract textures are side-by-side with harsh rythms and sharp claps, four-to-the-floor meets broken beats with an updated Detroit feel.
A solid, valuable and well round-up piece of vinyl that is sure to make many dj's delights, from the younger generation, to the old school heads."
All of this released by Groovement Records!
Here's the official press release:
"KA§PAR is back! Groovement's earliest artist returns to vinyl for the second time in 2009, to showcase some music taken from his forthcoming debut album "Revolt". It features three tracks, two originals (both from the forthcoming) and a remix by mighty PHOTONZ. One of the main tracks of the LP "Music Life" is an uptempo house rumbler with acoustic beats, big bass and subtle dub techno and acid house influences, featuring vocal help from one of the main vocalists from such ground breaking projects as BB Boogie or Neon Phusion: Andrea Clarke.
Second A-side original track is "Son of Man". A rootsy "Dubstech" cut, impressively produced and deeply melodic. Sensual licks of a live jamaican melodica float and swerve on top of a few layers of deep bass, thumping kick drums and crispy, glitchy beats. This is one for both the heads and hips, that aims at the core of the most innovative of electronic music's developments of today... a sure-fire potential classic.
Finally PHOTONZ where given charge of a remix for "Music Life", these are young artists signed to such regarded label as Dissident or Astrolab (and now to GROOVEMENT!!)... the result was a futuristic and hard to categorize jackin' house output; as up-to-date as it is peculiar and unique: strange sound manipulations and abstract textures are side-by-side with harsh rythms and sharp claps, four-to-the-floor meets broken beats with an updated Detroit feel.
A solid, valuable and well round-up piece of vinyl that is sure to make many dj's delights, from the younger generation, to the old school heads."
Saturday, January 16, 2010
GINGA BEAT_ON AIR da RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY RADIO
DO YOU SPEAK GINGA?
Ginga é uma palavra universal que se diz em muitas línguas: em funk angolano, em jazz brasileiro, em hip hop americano, em dubstep português ou em techno alemão. Ginga é a linguagem que se fala no Ginga Beat, programa da Red Bull Music Academy Radio na Antena 3 – concebido semanalmente por Rui Miguel Abreu, Violet, Dj Mpula e Dj Ride - que agora celebra um ano de emissões de culto com o evento Ginga Beat_On Air, com transmissão live em 100.3 FM, a partir do Lux entre as 00H00 e as 02H00.
Com a Red Bull Music Academy a decorrer em Londres entre Fevereiro e Março, o Ginga Beat_On Air aproveita uma pausa nesse fabuloso encontro entre criadores de todo o mundo para reunir em Lisboa um line-up de luxo para esta noite, que inclui Martyn, Hudson Mohawke, Batida, Dj Ride, Octa Push, Ka§par, No Name video e ainda a dupla de participantes portugueses na Academy em Londres, Infestus e Markur (Photonz).
A Ginga vai onde nunca nenhum clubber ousou ir. A Ginga é a língua oficial da noite de 25 de Fevereiro!
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