Amor (É Revolução)

It’s been ten years since Maga Bo released Quilombo do Futuro, his last solo full-length, and the sound hasn’t changed that much. In fact the title of his previous effort, imagining a settlement of marooned slaves in the future, still rings true. Maga Bo bolsters cyclical Afro-Brazilian drumming and call-and-response vocals with floor-rattling basslines and an arsenal of production tics borrowed from dub, hip-hop and sound system culture. Two tracks with Bantu-Brazilian singer Rosângela Macedo stay faithful to traditional forms, except that is for the added sub-bass and menacing synths that threaten to derail them, while ‘Axé Para o Bará’ is the perfect pairing of breathless coco de roda vocals and a devastating dub bassline.

Perhaps best of all are those tracks that bring an unexpected flavour, the guitarra baiana that livens up ‘Labuta’, the Congotronics-esque distorted percussion of ‘Ilú de Oyá’ and the joyful carimbó of ‘Sapateado de Catita’ all breathing life into the record, and all featuring a dazzling list of contributors. Even more conspirators can be found on the adjoining remix album, with DJ Nirso’s bouncy edit of ‘Cadê Zé’ and Berra Boi’s narcotic refit of ‘Axé Para o Bara’ just two highlights.