New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, eclectic Seattle DJ and producer Sango releases "Kalimba Funk," the first single off his newly announced Da Rocinha 4. The latest entry in Sango's acclaimed Da Rocinhaseries pays homage to Funk Carioca, and "Kalimba Funk" is a mellow gem that blossoms from Sango's love of backstage jam sessions, afrobeat, and Baile funk. On a record that isn't afraid to speed up the funk, "Kalimba Funk" is a chance to slow down.
The fourth Da Rocinha will be out on
September 25 via Soulection Records. It's Sango's biggest release yet - a tribute to the specific history of Funk Carioca as well as a modern reboot of the classic Rio de Janeiro sound that's heard in everything from Miami bass to gangsta rap. To create this album, Sango pulled inspiration once again from the Rocinha community while adding his own spin on North American Hip-Hop, R&B, House, and Techno, as well as Funk Ostentação, Brega Funk, and even Samba. The album features an all-star cast of collaborators, including Jay Santiago, Luccas Carlos, Jao, and SD9.
"I've always been a person of culture through connecting dots and bridging gaps," Sango says about the project. "With the Da Rocinha series, it is about highlighting the history of Funk Carioca and paying homage to the creation of the funk sound. With this fourth installment, I wanted to reach out to the community of Rocinha, local areas in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil to give and receive support while I push this North American & South American sound."
Here's Sango on the project in Portuguese: "Eu sou uma pessoa que acredita que a cultura aproxima e gera conexões. A serie Da Rocinha destaca a historia do funk carioca, homenagenado as raízes da sonoridade ''Funk'' com este quarto álbum quero abordar a comunidade da rocinha, outros locais do Rio De Janeiro e do Brasil. O objetivo é promover uma troca de apoio entre o som da america do norte/ america do sul. Sou simplesmente o mensageiro, apenas quero ajudar a criar uma nova sonoridade que é essência do Hip-Hop, R&B, House, Techno, Funk carioca, Funk ostentação, Brega Funk e até o Samba. "Da Rocinha" é do povo, para o povo."
The Da Rocinha series, which began in 2012, is a loving deep dive into the music of Brazil's favelas (slums). Specifically, the series focuses on Rocinha, the largest favela in Brazil located right near Rio de Janeiro that is credited as the birthplace of Baile (Carioca) funk, one of Sango's biggest influences on his own music. His goal: to connect the dots and champion the local Brazilian musicians who are so unique and vital to today's global music community. He calls the series, "From the people, for the people."
Read more about the Da Rocinha series through OkayPlayer (Vol. 3) and Remezcla (Vol. 2)
Earlier in August, Sango released his SANGOZINHO EP, highlighted by FADER in its weekly roundup of the 10 songs you need in your life. Sango also released earlier this year the collaborative Fufu & Frits EP with Juls, one of modern Afrobeat's most prolific creatives: https://lnk.to/fufuandgrits
The Seattle DJ and producer, born Kai Asa Savon Wright, has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Washington Post, FADER, VICE, Highsnobiety, and more. Producing since he was 12, Sango channels everything from heady jazz to heartfelt gospel, jittery club to combustible baile funk, uncanny future-bass to mellow trap-soul. He's produced songs for Tinashe, Bryson Tiller, DRAM, Smino, Dave B, and more.
Since 2011, Soulection has been a cornerstone of creativity for innovative musicians, crate-digging DJs, and open-minded fans from across the world. What began as an independent radio show has since blossomed into a global community of artists and audiences, united in a borderless, genre-bending, musical movement. Over the past nine years, their grassroots expansion is a model of what happens when one stays true to their roots in the constantly evolving digital age of music. From putting out independent releases with producers like Ta-ku, Sango, Dpat, and Atu on Bandcamp to being the first collective invited to play Coachella, Soulection's growth has been organic and fruitful.
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