Kuduro is the soundtrack to life in 21st century Angola, the music that has given back the happiness and the desire to dance to a country emerging from decades of civil war.
The streets of the capital, Luanda, are dominated by the sound systems of the condongueiros – shared taxis – that rush around the city. Kuduro, which means ‘hard ass’ in Portuguese, is a blend of traditional Kilapanga, Semba and Zouk rhythms with house, samba and techno.
The Kuduro beat is a common thread through every strata of a society sharply divided between extremes of wealth and poverty. A sound that originated in the shacks of Luanda’s mousseque slums, often as a homage to the exploits of local criminal gangs, can now be heard booming out of expensive villas and exclusive nightclubs.
Kuduro has moved beyond its origins in pirate recordings to become a serious commercial proposition. It is now arguably the strongest indigenous music industry in Africa, and its influence is spreading to the dancefloors of Lisbon, London and Paris.
