It premiered last weekend on the BBC, on the Gilles Peterson program and is presented on the 22nd in Paris, at La Bellevilloise, at the invitation of Guts, the historic producer of Alliance Ethnik.
Neon Colonialismo is the new album (the first under his own artistic persona since 2014) by Batida aka Pedro Coquenão, the Luso-Angolan artist who has worked and interacted with much more than a single medium (radio, music, dance, and visual arts). ) and is seen as a major catalyst for the Afro-electronic scene.
As with most of Batida’s work, this album is built around a collaborative ethos and features legendary figures from Bonga and Botto to Branko (to name just the “Bs”…). It’s provocative, meant to be danced to, to think about and also to smile. Colonialism seems to be (literally) a centrepiece, both visually and thematically.
Neon Colonialismo is about light and will be released under the Crammed Discs label and digitally distributed in Portugal by Universal Music on October 21, 2022.
“I could talk about a new Lisbon that blinks, but that’s not the idea. Recognizing the history is the only way to honour its beautiful natural light”, says Batida.
The intention of the new album is clear: to provoke movement and thought while pointing directly to the colonial past.
As indicated in the disc notes:
To repair: to repair, in Portuguese, is the same verb as to notice, perceive, or become aware as it is to restore.
Batida’s songs operate simultaneously on two planes: a historical approach that is concerned with social changes, and a personal and biographical dimension, as is the case with “Bom Bom”, the magical song written and recorded with Mayra Andrade, who introduced the album in spring 2022.
Batida’s modus operandi has always been to know and collaborate. This album features his accomplice Ikonoklasta as well as an impressive guest list including past, current and future legends from Angola, Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde and the UK.
In order of presentation: DJ Satelite, Bonga, Mayra Andrade, Poté, Nástio Mosquito, DJ Dolores, Octa Push, Lia de Itamaracá, Mário Lúcio, Botto Trindade, Pedro da Linha, João Morgado and Branko.
Neon Colonialismo thus links the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and this is reflected in the way the album was made: despite Lisbon being the basis of Batida, the ten tracks were created travelling between Luanda, Évora, Berlin, Recife, London and Lisbon. Loaded with a subtle and refined production, they use real instrumentation and electronics, alternate between vocal and instrumental songs, and play various genres along the way, from Afro club music to kazucuta, to semba house and other styles yet to be defined.
Batida will perform across Europe and beyond. If you don’t come across one of his sets by the end of the year, you can listen to the latest episode of “Neon Colonialismo” the name of his show on Worldwide FM, where he presents his new work.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok and see the exclusive content for social networks.
