Trocabrahma Launch Party: Bonde Do Role

May 12th, 2007 Posted by Dougal

“Solta o Frango” yell the hottest baile funk band of the moment, Bonde Do Role, from the stage at Clube Gloria in Sao Paulo. Amanda Blank encourages the already electric audience as Radioclit bang out dirty beats from the back. Solta o Frango means release the chicken and that bird is definitely flapping about the venue tonight.

Marina, Gorky and Pedro from Bonde Do Role, Johanne and Etienne from Radioclit and Amanda Blank have come together in Sao Paulo as part of this year’s Trocabrahma project. This exchange of artistic ideas begins with a collaboration between some of the hottest acts of the moment. Bonde Do Role are infectuous in every way, whipping the crowd into a frenzy as Pedro and Marina rap in Portuguese and Gorky plays breaks mashed up with samples from Greece, The Darkness, Europe’s The Final Countdown and Doo Wah Diddy. When asked who they wanted to collaborate with, Bonde picked Radioclit. The half French, half Sweedish duo produce records and remixes that can only be described, as the Brazilians would, as legao. They’ve remixed Lily Allen, Justin Timberlake, David Banner and Kano, amongst others, worked with TTC, Ears, Skepta & Tinchy Stryder and TV On The Radio, would like to be able to breath underwater, and fly, and regard Bonde Do Role as the most exciting band in the world right now. And looking at the amount of chickens released into Gloria during the Trocabrahma launch, we’d have to agree.

The expression refers to letting go of your inhibitions as you feel the music and get as down and dirty as you can. But that translation doesn’t really do it justice. You just have to see them and let your frango go. Amanda Blank did, coming down to Sao Paulo from Philly where she works with the likes of Diplo, who has brought a lot of these acts together. Amanda’s tight, choppy flow provides a slick counter to Pedro and Marina’s gutteral raunch from their crazed chicken ranch.

The other night Bonde played at a festival following the Cuban Brothers, who strip off on stage. “How are we gonna follow that, man?” Pedro is annoyed so to upstage them the trio get almost naked in front of a 10,000 strong crowd.

Sao Paulo has to be one of, if not the most, exciting cities in the world. We’ve been here for only a few days, met loads of amazing people, including the former drummer of Sepultura, now an acclaimed electro techno DJ, graphic and grafitti artists, loads of DJs and experimental musicians like Mauricio Takara who lead a live trio playing a soundtrack to an outdoor screening of Nosferatu. It’s hard not to be inspired in this place. And the gig at the beautiful Gloria venue ignities the night with the right kind of arousing sight that just might release hundreds of chickens into the club. Trocabrahma has begun.

Legao.

To hear an extract from this exchange, head over to our myspace page.

Entry Filed under: Exchanges