Comfusoes takes Angolan pop from the 60's and 70's, famous songs by legendary singers like Teta Lando, Artur Nunes or Bonga, aaoss the ocean, to Brazil’s most exciting producers of today. The result is a collection of fresh remixes, and a unique convergence of Angolan and Brazilian Music that has more in common than just the Portuguese language.
For a long time now Angola had been cut off from the rest of the world due to the civil war raging in the country until 2002. But times have changed and after the end of the civil war the pacified county has seen a booming economy and a tremendous cultural growth. The magic of Angola's music is starting to move beyond the borders of the African continent with Kudora being the latest craze spreading into international club culture. Long before that, in the 1960's and 70's some of the most soulful tunes ever to come out of Africa had been recorded in Angola. It is the melancholy of Portuguese Fado infused with African rhythms (not unlike Cape Verdean must) that makes the music so special.
The title of this compilation is play with words, meaning either “confusions” or with fusion. Comfusoes is a meeting and mingling of two cultures with a shared language (Portuguese) and a somewhat related yet different history. It is not about conserving culture. It is about continuing a story of exchange that started long ago when the first Africans were forcibly brought to Brazil and over time helped to create a vibrant music that has touched people throughout the world.
The mastermind behind this project is Maurido Pacheco who has been active in the Brazilian music scene since 1994, producing for adists like Fernando Abreu and Jussara Silveira and founding the Capoeira Hip-Hop band Stereo Maracana. As a producer, he has travelled frequently to Angola since 2000 and has been working with some great Angolan artists, such as Paulo Flores and Elias Diá Kimuezo (the king of Angolan Semba music) and more recently Kuduro star Dog Murras.
For Comfusoes - Mauricio went digging for the roots of Angolan Pop at the RNA (Angolan National Radio) archives and listened to piles of master tapes and CD's, mainly from artists who were at the hight of their careers in the 60's and 70's like Teta Lando, Artur Nunes, or Carlos Lamartine. After selecting the tracks he passed the music on to some of his friends back home like Mario Caldato Jr (producer oF the Beastie Boys, Tone Loc, Jack Johnson, Beck etc), DJ Dolores, Moreno Veloso, Kassin and Berne Ceppas and many others. The result is the first volume of a project that explores fusions between two cultures that have more in common than the language of Brazil and Angola.
Download Comfusões 1 - From Angola To Brasil
Buy the CD - Comfusoes - from Angola to Brasil
Read Melstar's review for GondwanaSound..
Comfusoes is released on Out|Here Records June 1st
