New documentary about our favorite Portuguese music premieres in London.

[caption id="attachment_6946" align="alignleft" width="151"] Crack Magazine[/caption] LISBON’S PRÍNCIPE ARE COMING TO LONDON’S ICA Tim & Barry of Just Jam will premiere their new documentary, Sons do Gueto, focusing on the Lisbon-based label followed by DJ sets from Nídia Minaj and more On Thursday 28 July Lisbon’s Príncipe collective will be taking centre stage at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts. Film makers Tim & Barry will be premiering their new documentary Sons do Gueto – a film that points the lens squarely at the Portuguese label and the hyperactive, rebellious music scene they’ve cultivated. After the screening, which takes place at 6:30 PM, various producers associated with the label will take to the decks to provide a soundtrack to the evening. Nídia Minaj, DJ Noronha and a special guest are all due to spin on the night to a backdrop of artwork by label co-founder Márcio Matos.

Crack Magazine

 

Principe Discos and its afro-lusophone dance releases are right now the most interesting music in Portugal. If not in Europe

To my friends who know my love for the genre. NO – this is NOT hardcore techno, electronica or other more excentric sub-genres of the EDM scene I personally love so much. [caption id="attachment_7024" align="alignleft" width="233"] DJ Marfox at Village Underground in 2015[/caption] This is African rhythms with bongo drums, flutes & hand claps mixed with the better part of Iberian dancable beach party tunes and spiced up with more dance friendly beats and grooves sometimes with references to the Detroit scene from the 90’ies. I have listened to a lot of music from all over the world my whole life. This genre is truly amazing. The problem is – you have to listen to the music Live to really get it. When the DJs start their set, it doesn’t take long before your inner nigga takes over your body and jumps on the dance floor.  

When we arrived in Lisbon I knew the afro scene existed

When we leave our door and take the stairs from Graça down to Martim Moniz and walk to Largo Intendente and continue up Almirante Reis and all it’s side streets with names like Rua de Mocambique, Rua de Angola and Rua Cabo Verde and see the African hair salons, African Restaurants, African flags, African grocery stores and of course all the beautiful people in different shades of brown – some of them in the beautiful colorful dresses you only see in Africa – you don’t need a PhD in Anthropology to know that African Music MUST be out there somewhere. And it is. It just took me 6 months to find it – at that was at an Indie Music Industry Fair at the Jardim Botânico in Principe Real where I collected all available flyers, magazines, stickers and other hand outs from all the Indie Lables that were presenting their vinyls, T-Shirts and other stuff. Back in Graça I discovered Principe Discos in one of the magazines – and from there it just took off… Next week on 28th of July London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts will premiere Tim & Barry of Just Jam’s their new documentary about Principe and the Ghetto Sound of Lisbon scene: Sons do Gueto… If you are in London that day – don’t miss it.

One of the 25 best selling albums in the world the last 3 quarters is Portuguese and from the Godfather of Ghetto Sound of Lisbon: DJ Marfox’ who released Chapa Quente on Principe Records earlier this year. I blogged about it here.

  Music love from Graça, Lisbon Thomas    ]]>