Over the past two years, Kaique Vieira, AKA DJ K, has been crafting a new sound of São Paolo. Influenced by local favela street parties, the 24-year-old producer takes the distorted bass, Afro-Brazilian rhythms and vocal melodies of baile funk – a dance genre that originated in Brazil in the 80s – and adds a darker palette of reverb-laden vocal lines, rave sirens and buzzing synths to create a style he calls bruxaria (witchcraft). Vieira’s 2023 debut Pânico no Submundo was a 15-track introduction, harnessing the sound of blown-out speaker cones. Radio Libertadora! moves into even bolder and louder territory, developing his nascent genre into a source of dancefloor chaos.
Opening with a sample of a 1969 radio speech by the revolutionary Carlos Marighella, which called on people to act against Brazil’s military dictatorship – and gives the album its title – Vieira sets the tone for the record as an energetic riposte to the current criminalisation of baile funk street parties. In his bruxaria universe, the beats are hard, vocals are screamed and bass is explosive, creating an overwhelming, apocalyptic sound. Mega Suicidio Auditivo features siren squeals, thunderous bass, radio jingle samples and shouted lyrics within the first 20 seconds, while Sua Filha Quer Os D layers rap verses and synth melody over the Islamic adhan call to prayer. Techno de Favelado veers seamlessly from harsh Berlin techno to trance and baile funk rhythm while featured Meduza tries to make herself heard.
Vieira displays immense skill in balancing his arrangements and allowing each element, no matter how brash, to play clearly without collapsing into muddy loudness. Some listeners may find it too noisy, but succumb to Vieira’s relentless energy and there is freedom in the barrage of sounds – an invitation to lose yourself in the cacophony.
Also out this month
Australian ensemble Hand to Earth release their latest album Ŋurru Wäŋa (Room40). Ambient electronics and bass drones anchor First Nations singer Daniel Wilfred’s yearning vocalisations and Wáglilak language lyrics, producing six moving tracks that reflect on a search for home. Singer Ami Taf Ra’s debut The Prophet and the Madman (Brainfeeder) combines Arabic vocal melodies with spiritual jazz ensemble arrangements to create a sprawling and involved interpretation of the work of poet Kahlil Gibran; Kamasi Washington features on How I Became a Madman, a soaring, virtuosic highlight. Brazilian guitarist Atletas delivers a luscious and warmly intimate record in Reflexão Meteórica (Municipal K7). Shades of electronic percussion and synths blend with his finger-picked guitar melodies to produce wistful, shimmering soundscapes.