I love the sunshine, you should too

Oh snap, this is a good one. This is what I'm talking about, light disco-y jams that embody summer and sun to me. Sampling Roy Ayers, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine," breakbeat moguls A.Skillz (whom this blog is named after, remember) and Beatvandals collabed on this monster by the same name. I think it came out about a year ago, but I just picked it up this morning.

Sunshine - A. Skillz vs. Beatvandals


And a reminder of California, because it too is sunny...

California Soul (A. Skillz Remix) - Marlena Shaw


And what the hell, an interpretation of the same song by Diplo. It maintains more of the original feel, which is good because the original is awesome. To be honest, I think the original is better but it's worth a listen regardless.

California Soul (Diplo Remix) - Marlena Shaw


And last, a smooth DnB song from EZ-Rollers

Sunshine People - EZ-Rollers

Born out of Luanda

No Kuduro doesn't have anything to do with this guy, though Kudu are pretty awesome.


Kuduro is a style of electronic music that arose in the 1980s incorporating Angolan and Caribbean traditional rhythms and samples into Western electronic beats. It is characterized by a very distinct 3 or 5 beat polyrhythm often mixed with a classic house beat, high-paced, energetic, and eminently danceable (look up semba to see some of the Angolan root rhythms). The Portuguese Buraka Som Sistema is in large part responsible for internationalizing the music - even still, it is predominantly produced in Angola and Portugal. Enchufada Records, Buraka's label, puts out some of my favorite music of this type.

Pandonga - Tataco Mendi


That drum beat is the essence of Kuduro. Now, for some slightly less frenetic examples, starting calmly and gradually getting rawer.

Humbe, Humbe - DJ Jesus


Township Funk (Diplo Remix) - DJ Mujava


And here it is, poppin' up in some of Diplo's work, a Kuduro remix of a South African house jam. No surprise there, he somehow seems have his dirty little paws in every pot.

Come to Me - Sabbo


Mastiksoul & Buraka Som Sistema - Sabalo


And this wouldn't be complete without Buraka's "Sound of Kuduro," a collab with DJ Znobia, MIA, Saborosa, and Puto Prata

And a download: