Kat DeLuna, Montéz De Durango, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Bonde do Rolê and Mandisa.
the music press
tue 8/7/2007
- Kat DeLuna releases her debut, 9 Lives, an "eclectic and diverse" album that finds the 19-year-old Dominicana breaking it down "from Spanish, Dancehall to fawwking Opera," exclaims Think2twice. The SF Gate believes the hype: "Unlike most summer sizzlers who fizzle come fall … Kat DeLuna should survive the season's dog days and beyond.
- Agárrese, the new album by duranguense OG's Grupo Montéz de Durango, gets four-and-a-half stars from EsMas.com for its "variety" and for dealing with "difficult social issues." ElPlaneta.com underscores the group's "surprising musical evolution" which "reaffirms why they're the top-selling act in the genre."
- The Mars Volta mastermind Omar Rodriguez-Lopez releases Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo, the soundtrack to the film El Búfalo de La Noche. Sputnik Music feels that "Omar should stick to The Mars Volta" because "there are way too many times on the album where the music gets boring, pointless, and repetitious." Webzine Drowned in Sound echoes those sentiments: "Despite the occasional moment of brilliance, there just isn’t enough to maintain interest here."
- With Lasers, the debut album by Brazilian funk carioca dealers Bonde Do Role, should contain just enough "party-starting sex-urge noises" to "get you through a long, hot summer of awkward hook-ups at backyard barbecues," teases Pitchforkmedia. Despite it's "near explosive" energy level, Prefixmag laments that the "party is still too one-dimensional."
- Ex-American Idol finalist and Christian pop singer Mandisa releases her debut album, True Beauty. For The Trades her debut album keeps proving "that it's better to lose on American Idol than it is to win" while Christianity Today is not to keen on Mandisa's "predictable adult-contemporary sentiment," but digs when she's in "her urban-pop turf".
Bonde Do Role
whodat
wed 12/20/2006
Much in the same way that Reggaeton has taken over Latin pop in North American and the Caribbean, Funk Carioca, or Favela Funk, has become the "music of the people" in Brazil.
All night funk parties in the favelas of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are regularly attended by hundreds – if not thousands – who dance to bass pumping anthems in often loosely organized if not illegal gatherings. The music of Funk Carioca mixes Miami Bass beats with electro samples set to traditional Afro-Brazilian rhythms. In many cases, the genre also lifts material from well-known American late 80’s Freestyle jams.
In recent years, a new generation of Brazilians is further corrupting this already bastardized sound. Bonde Do Role (The Rollercoaster Band), comprised of 21-year-old MC Marina Ribatski, 22-year-old MC Pedro D'eyrot and 25-year-old DJ Rodrigo Gorky, sample riffs from AC/DC, Alice in Chains and other 80’s metal music into their brand of Favela Funk. Their disregard for U.S. copyright laws, irreverent humor, X-rated Portuguese lyrics and in-your-face attitude is the equivalent of punk rock for the 21st Century. Imagine the Sex Pistols living in modern day Brazil, tearing apart the musical status quo with turntables and samplers.
In 2005, Bonde Do Role's aggressive DIY ethic caught the attention of DJ and producer Diplo, the Hollertronix crew member best known for his work on MIA’s much-lauded debut album, Arular. Diplo met the band while on tour in Brazil, eventually signing them to his own Mad Decent record label. On a small U.S. tour last summer, Bonde Do Role shared the stage with Diplo as well as CSS and won over U.S. listeners with their crazy sexy on-stage antics and novel sound. Even MC Marina Ribatski's broken arm, sustained after a stage-dive in Chicago, could not cool down their spastic, hip-shaking live show.
Bonde Do Role are currently putting the final touches on their debut album, scheduled to be released in 2007 – unless lawyers are unable to clear the myriad of samples on their Funk Carioca tracks. They've posted a few new songs on their MySpace page, and a remix for Franz Ferdinand is in the works.
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