“Peça Desculpas, Senhor Presidente” is the new single by Luso-Brazilian singer-songwriter Luca Argel and the shortest song he has ever composed.
Continuing the interventionist thread so characteristic of his work since “Samba de Guerrilha”, the new song is a provocation in the form of a song. In this first advance of a new project, “Sabina”, to be released next February, the composer reveals the exploration of rhythms other than samba, accompanied by his usual “guerrilla band” and a children’s choir.
About this song, Luca Argel says that “the theme can be heard with many interpretations, but my inspiration came when I discovered that several countries around the world have already officially apologized for the historical participation they had in mercantile slavery since the 15th century. the thing that shaped our society, left marks that we still haven’t overcome, so it makes perfect sense. What doesn’t make sense is that precisely the two countries that practiced it the most, Portugal and Spain, never made that request. It must have been something so simple…”.
Developing this reasoning, Argel wrote an opinion article for the newspaper Público where he defends his point of view in detail.
The music video, signed by the Galician director Bea Saiáns, brings a sample of some apologies already made, through the voices of 9 special guests: the songs Selma Uamusse, Cátia Mazari (The girl does not), Lila Tiago (Fado Bicha), Karla da Silva, Denize Machado, and Pri Azevedo; poets Gisela Casimiro and Patricia Lino; and actress Nádia Yracema.
“Peça Desculpas, Senhor Presidente” is the first single from “Sabina”, Luca Argel’s new album to be released after Carnival, on February 22nd, on CD, vinyl, and comics.
The new album combines electrified Afro-Brazilian sounds that wink at the rock, funk, and, of course, samba, which Luca Argel and his band had already turned upside down in Samba de Guerrilha. Equally loaded with poetry and messages, Sabina is, however, the most solar and danceable work that the Portuguese-Brazilian singer-songwriter has ever conceived. Words and sounds are praise and spell, food for body and mind.
Two years after presenting “Samba de Guerrilha”, Luca Argel is back with “Sabina”, the fourth album of originals, where he recovers and honors the history and myth of a greengrocer who was a symbol of the persistence of racism after the abolition of slavery and an example of the street solidarity that historically faced it.
An album that is born at the crossroads where myth and history meet, rescuing the past as a projection of all the struggles of the present. “Sabina” recalls the story of a farm woman whose life is known little more than what happened in the space of a few days, when she suddenly became a political symbol, only to disappear later and return as a legend.
If in “Samba de Guerrilha” Luca rescues the political history of samba, its protagonists, and the preponderant role they played in the fight against slavery, racism, poverty, and the military dictatorship, in “Sabina” the focus is directed to “ enchanted body of the streets” and to the actors and actresses of everyday life where the story unfolds, builds and disputes beyond the official narratives.
The sound journey through Sabina’s adventure will be released on CD, vinyl and digital platforms, as well as in a different comic format on February 22, 2023.
This new work by Luca Argel is presented live on March 23, 2023 at b.Leza in Lisbon and on March 26 at Novo Ático in Porto.
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