Do you know the bestselling music from Portugal?
And it is not Fado - it's The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon.
In 2016 I was positively surprised to find DJ Marfox’ latest album among the 25 best selling albums in the world. I had only recently discovered the Afro Inspired EDM scene I knew existed because of Portugal’s colonial past but couldn’t find. Then I predicted that one day this genre would become BIG! And bigger than Fado..
I don’t know if this prediction was right. But it’s the Afro-Portuguese music that inspired Madonna for her Madam X album – which you can hear on the whole album. Read and have a listen to some of the following tracks.
Thomas/February 2020
Trust me. One day the world will know about The Ghetto Sound
DJ Marfox – Chapa Quente from 2016.
It won’t be from the web, tech, finance, real estate, start-up, food or any of the other industries whole the media always focus on that will introduce Portugal to a new audience. The first sign of success the world will see of The New Lisbon will come from the music scene. And it won’t be fado and not from Mariza or other mainstream acts. The Urban Sound of Lisbon or The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon will show the way…
One of the 25 best selling albums in it last 3 quarters of 2016 is is Portuguese and it’s from the Godfather of Ghetto Sound of Lisbon: DJ Marfox’ who released Chapa Quente released on Principe Records earlier this year.real estate
When we introduced this year’s first quarter report, we described 2016 as bittersweet. Three months later, you can probably ditch the “sweet”. In the wake of further tragic losses (Prince, Andreas Gehm and Bernie Worrell among them), last month’s tragic massacre of LGBT clubbers and Britain’s recent exit from the EU, it’s been hard to feel optimistic. Thankfully, as ever, music is still here to soothe the soul and essential releases are coming thick and fast. In the last three months we’ve witnessed the “surprise release” become significantly less surprising as James Blake, Radiohead, Drake, Chance The Rapper and Beyoncé kissed goodbye to long lead times, all dropping albums without proper warning. Surprisingly, only one of those albums (Beyoncé’s excellent Lemonade) made our list, and while each is worthy of a closer look, the most interesting developments are still coming from just left of the mainstream. See the 25 albums on FACT here
We have followed the scene for the last 5 years. And we love it.
The way DJ Marfox, DJ Nigga Fox, DJ Lilocox and the other guys blend African popular beats and grooves (Kudoro) with the Western dance / DJ scene most of us music loving muchungas are familiar with is magical.
Together with a very loyal crowd they hypnotize the crowd… the music it digs out your inner African Nigga and before knowing it you find yourself smiling and grooving and sweating on the dance floor…
The problem is that the best guys are very rare in Portugal… they always travel. The last time you had the 3 guys together in the same Club was 3 weeks ago at the RA in Residence party at Lux Fragil ( partly owened by John Malkovich and one of the best clubs in the world!) – we were at Tings Kathmandu and wasn’t there ;-(
If you curious and if you want to dance and if you don’t care about sweating and if you love smiling… Damas in Graca is a good venue.
Check out their program (they play African tonight).
Or listen to selected Ghetto Sounds on our Soundcloud playlist.
Enjoy,
Thomas