I am ECSTATIC to announce that, after two years of waiting, Buraka Som Sistema’s debut LP Black Diamond is available in the US on iTunes!!!! After releasing their debut EP, BSS has been causing a storm in their native Portugal and as far as Angola. If you were to die tomorrow and could only purchase ONE album before you die, this album should be it.

Who are BSS? Comprised of DJ Riot, Lil’ John (not to be mistaken with the crunk rapper), and Conductor, they are the hottest export from the Iberian country since Amalia Rodrigues. Their music uses kuduro rhythms over electronic/house beats to create nothing other than excellence. Kuduro is a genre of music that originated in Angola, where musicians were experimenting with Caribbean music styles to create something totally new. DJ Riot and Lil’ John were already DJing in Portugal when they met Conductor, who introduced them to kuduro. BSS have collaborated with mad artists, ranging from DJ Znobia, to PongoLove, Deize Tigrona, and even M.I.A. herself.

Black Diamond differs greatly from their EP From Buraka to the World, which featured feel-good beats that included just enough electronic beats to keep you moving. Black Diamond delves further into the usage of house and electronica, a successful integration of house music and kuduro, not overwhelming one over the other.

Notable tracks are “Sound of Kuduro”, an upbeat and rhythmically driven track featuring M.I.A., Saborosa, and Puto Prata. M.I.A. beckons, “All aboard!” before segueing into the catchy chorus. Saborosa follows with some explosive rapping, and God help me, I wish I understood Portuguese well enough to really get the jist of what she’s saying. Puto Prata spits next keeping the energy of the track alive and well.

“Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)”, the second single from Black Diamond, features PongoLove on vocals. The track is noticeably darker in tone than “Sound of Kuduro”, but it doesn’t sacrifice pulsating rhythms and a driving beat to achieve musical greatness. In that sense, a number of tracks on Black Diamond are like “Kalemba”; you can’t discern what is going to happen in the first thirty seconds. Like a classical music piece, the songs build momentum slowly and BSS does a fantastic job layering rhythmic lines and melodies to achieve something totally unexpected. The best example of this, and my favorite track on Black Diamond, is “IC19”. This song best demonstrates BSS’s musicianship and influences and managing to connect elements from different genres successfully. Just when you think you are listening to a hip hop song, they switch to dance, trance, and a whole bunch of other stuff before getting to something that sounds like kuduro. It’s pure genius.

Black Diamond has been out in Portugal for over a month and is now available in the US and UK iTunes store. BSS performed in NYC for the first time ever last month. No surprise, not many people knew who they were, but next time they come this side of the Atlantic, you’d best be there. You wouldn’t want to miss it!!!

Here’s the video for “Sound of Kuduro” which features M.I.A. and MCs Saborosa and Puto Prata.

– La Bixo

Thoughts?