History of Kizomba by Dj To Costa
History of Kizomba by DJ To Costa - Transcript
Speaker: DJ To Costa
Angola became independent from Portugal in 1975.
Semba is the traditional music of Angola and is highly connected to the Kizomba carnival. Before the 1940s, Semba was played without classical instruments. In 1947, the classical guitar was added to Semba.
For people who are classically trained, it feels wrong when someone dances on the 2, which is the drum’s tempo. Semba is structurally similar to rumba and son.
Musician Misael Veradia, from Banda Veradia, started using the classical guitar. He interpreted traditional Semba using this new instrument.
The fight for liberation began in 1961. Semba was a way to encourage people to send the Portuguese away. After the Portuguese left, a civil war erupted to determine who would run the country, lasting for 27 years. The political party supported by the Russians ended up winning, and Angola became a communist state.
Geographically, Angola is well-positioned in Africa.
On May 27, 1977, up to 100,000 people went missing, many of whom were connected to the arts and were the ones speaking to the masses. This created a void in the culture, leading to an increased consumption of external music such as rumba and kompa (which are similar to Semba). Since Angola was communist, all political songs were banned.
Kizomba was born in 1975. Eduardo Pain and the SOS Band mixed kompa to create Kizomba. In the 1980s, Semba enthusiasts did not embrace Kizomba because it was not considered traditional. In 1993, the SOS Band stated that they were only interested in making music for parties (Kizomba) and not for political purposes, which is how the genre got its name.
Semba is danced on 2, while Kizomba is danced on 1, with the dance on 2 representing the contratempo.
In 1994, Kassav introduced zouk. At the time, the genre had no specific name, but “zouk” also means “party.” They are one of the most influential bands in Africa.
Some people refer to Kizomba as Afro-Zouk because many Kizomba artists are copying the zouk rhythm. The choice of the word “Kizomba” is related to an idealistic view of nationalism.
In Angola, dance classes are very short because it is assumed that everyone knows how to dance: 2 steps to the left, 1 step to the right, and then walk. Just follow the music and walk.
In Angola, all Latin American songs, such as salsa and bachata, were referred to as “Plena” because the records that came in were labeled as such.
Tarraxinha emerged in 1992 when DJs began creating music using electronic instruments and adding samples. There was initially no dance associated with it. The term “Tarraxinha” refers to the holder of an earring, while “Tarraxo” means to screw. In the 70s, “Sharro Sharro,” which refers to the screw of a Cuban cigar, eventually transformed into “Tarraxinha.”
Kizomba, which typically has a tempo of 120 bpm, slowed to 80 bpm, giving rise to Zouk Love, Tarraxinha, and Geetho Zouk. The way people danced changed, with many preferring not to sweat, as everyone was well-dressed.
In 1992, many Angolans immigrated to Portugal, which led to Lisbon being mistakenly referred to as the “Capital of Kizomba,” while the true capital remains Luanda. Portugal began to develop its own music and dance styles inspired by Kizomba.
The African countries that speak Portuguese as an official language are known as the PALOP (Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa), which translates to “African Countries with Portuguese as an Official Language.” These countries include:
- Angola
- Mozambique
- Guinea-Bissau
- Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)
- São Tomé and Príncipe
In 1994, Johnny Ramos, Nika Mendes, and Nelson Freitas attempted to follow the hip-hop movement. Initially, Angolans were reluctant to listen to artists from the PALOP. This attitude eventually shifted, leading to the emergence of Ghetto Zouk—a fusion of hip-hop with zouk melodies. This project was created by Cape Verdeans living in the Netherlands.
Cesária Évora is known for Morna, a traditional Cape Verdean music style.
From 1994 to 2020, there was a back-and-forth exchange between Ghetto Zouk in the Netherlands and the U.S.
Kuduro was born to accommodate the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie.
Urban Kizomba encompasses more than just Kizomba or Semba; it might be more accurately referred to as Urban Zouk.
Balta refers to moving to the music without adhering to a specific rhythm.
Master Pichu embodies the essence of Kizomba dance and is credited with expanding the dance’s reach and popularity.
Ghetto Zouk artists include C4 and Badoxa.