Various Artists – Akwaaba Sem Transporte

 

This compilation is a sample of what you would have heard in Luanda in 2009.

In Angola you can buy Batidas CDs on the street, compilations of current songs by big names as well as up and coming artists. The CDs often end up blasting out of candongueiros – blue and white Toyota Hiace minivans, the main form of transportation in Luanda.

Hits are often born out of this street airplay. This is how a distribution network was created: artists pay a distributor to have a song featured on a CD. The distributor collects the fees, designs a quick cover, presses copies, has hawkers peddle some on the street, and gives out promos of sorts to candongueiros. Artists pay to have their music played in candongueiros, because that is how hits are born.

This compilation is similar in content to these Batidas CDs. All the songs on this compilation were current in 2009, meaning they were either massive hits which lasted years (Tiramakossa, Cara Podre, Number One), or the latest singles from unknown soldiers (Dred Man-Gi, Gelú-Six, Figura Degala).

We made sure to showcase the different sounds we heard in the streets, for instance ndombolo flavored kuduro with Paracuca, or live kuduro backed by semba bands, as in Zoca Zoca’s great song Som do Zoca, backed by Yuri da Cunha’s band.

  • Past Posts about Akwaaba Sem Transporte:

    • Sebem interviews Os Mais Potentes November 18, 2009
    • Listen to Akwaaba Sem Transporte November 13, 2009
    • Akwaaba Sem Transporte review in Clark (fr) September 26, 2009 Pretty fancy…. Clark is one of the sharpest culture mags in France at the moment, and it is a pleasure, scratch that, an honor to be featured in their pages! In their own words (somewhat adjusted by our Franco-American team!): “First compilation dedicated to kuduro from Angola, Akwaaba Sem Transporte is a striking demonstration of the creative …
    • Generation Bass vs Akwaaba September 14, 2009 DJ UMB of Generation Bass takes the wheels and compresses our kuduro comp Akwaaba Sem Transporte into a 30 minute get yo azz up and get to work mix, perfect for this back to school season. So download it, or better yet, subscribe to our podcast (or subscribe directly in iTunes), listen to UMB’s mix …
    • Fazuma vs Akwaaba August 25, 2009 Lisbon, Portugal’s own DJ Mpula, host of the Radio Fazuma show, connects with the Akwaaba team to revisit the Angolan gems collected on Akwaaba Sem Transporte. Adding a dash of his own potent production, this mix is sure to get your body in motion. And sure to give Angolan kuduro new means of transportation, directly …
    • 08/04 WW: Akwaaba Sem Transporte August 7, 2009 At last… Akwaaba unleashes a wild collection of bangers from Luanda, Angola. Some of the big names are on there, Puto Prata, Noite e Día, Zoca Zoca, but some new comers (Os Mais Potentes, Figura) and total newbies too (F4, Gelú-Six). The album is available for purchase in the iTunes store, and you can listen …
    • 08/04 WW: Ze Bula remix contest August 5, 2009 Akwaaba Music, Mad Decent & Fairtilizer are happy to bring you the Ze Bula Remix Contest by Figura and DJ MJ, off of our Angolan kuduro compilation “Akwaaba Sem Transporte”. THE RULES 1. Download the acapella HERE (140 bpm) 2. Remix the song the way you like! 3. Upload your remix on Fairtilizer and name it Ze Bula (your …
    • Akwaaba Sem Transporte on Myspace August 1, 2009 Everyone has their favorite site to listen to music and check out new artists… Myspace still deserves respect, so we created a page for Akwaaba Sem Transporte, our Angolan kuduro compilation.
    • New kid on the kuduro scene: Gelú-Six May 26, 2009 We met Gelú-Six via Telmo, who first introduced us to a few kudurists. Most people have never heard of him, including DJs and other kudurists. But we’re sure happy he came across our radar. He only has a 3 song demo out, and he made sure to pack all he could into those 3 songs. …
    • Os Mais Potentes & Dred Man-Gi May 25, 2009 We met Beto AC (left) and Bebo Clone (right) a couple weeks ago through Telmo, we mentioned their song Vem Ca, which has been blasting through Luanda for the past few months, and Telmo made it happen, getting us a meeting with them the next day. These kids are super chill, very enthusiastic about their …

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Various Artists – Akwaaba Sem Transporte

 

This compilation is a sample of what you would have heard in Luanda in 2009.

In Angola you can buy Batidas CDs on the street, compilations of current songs by big names as well as up and coming artists. The CDs often end up blasting out of candongueiros – blue and white Toyota Hiace minivans, the main form of transportation in Luanda.

Hits are often born out of this street airplay. This is how a distribution network was created: artists pay a distributor to have a song featured on a CD. The distributor collects the fees, designs a quick cover, presses copies, has hawkers peddle some on the street, and gives out promos of sorts to candongueiros. Artists pay to have their music played in candongueiros, because that is how hits are born.

This compilation is similar in content to these Batidas CDs. All the songs on this compilation were current in 2009, meaning they were either massive hits which lasted years (Tiramakossa, Cara Podre, Number One), or the latest singles from unknown soldiers (Dred Man-Gi, Gelú-Six, Figura Degala).

We made sure to showcase the different sounds we heard in the streets, for instance ndombolo flavored kuduro with Paracuca, or live kuduro backed by semba bands, as in Zoca Zoca’s great song Som do Zoca, backed by Yuri da Cunha’s band.

RELATED