- Warp and Just Jam's Príncipe Discos showcase at London's Institute Of Contemporary Arts began with a premiere of Sons Do Gueto, a 45-minute documentary featuring candid interviews with kuduro pioneers DJ Marfox and DJ Nervoso alongside many of their young disciples. The film, made by Just Jam founders Tim And Barry, showed scenes of vibrant Portuguese neighbourhoods and the frenzied dance floors of kuduro nights, exploring the rich history and socio-political impact of this marginalised party music. The following Q&A session with Príncipe founders Márcio Matos and Nelson Gomes provided further insight into the phenomenon, touching on the reasons behind the scene's simultaneous growth in popularity and continued rejection among club promoters.
The crowd was then transported from Lisbon's impoverished bairros to the upscale confines of the ICA's Theatre, where DJ Nigga Fox, Noronha and Nidía Minaj were set to perform. Dark, sweltering and full of euphoric dancing from the start, the room soon resembled a basement nightclub. Just Jam projected footage from the documentary and their trademark in-the-booth visuals onto a semi-transparent screen in front of the DJ, accompanied by Matos's artwork draped on the walls. While the installation and audiovisual element helped dress up an otherwise plain room, the partition prevented the artists from connecting with the crowd (and vice-versa).
DJ Noronha's high-energy opening was met with exuberant cheers and wild dancing from the front, but the energy dissipated further away from the stage, with much of the audience barely moving a muscle. DJ Nigga Fox's fervent set and frequent interaction with the crowd felt like the closest thing to the typical kuduro nights shown in Sons Do Gueto, and was easily the highlight of the evening. Making his UK debut, he demonstrated unwavering self-confidence behind the decks, firing up the crowd with tracks like KRS One's "The Sound Of Da Police." In contrast, Nidía Minaj's setlist was more millennial, spanning everything from iPhone ringtones to fragments of Drake's "Hotline Bling." It was a shame that attendance dwindled during her set—Minaj's kuduro selections were just as spirited as her label mates'.
The night's multimedia format ended up providing a more exciting and informative glimpse into this sub-culture than if it had been a standard club night or festival slot. More than anything, the reception to the music suggested that there's a bigger audience for it than you might think, even if it is still yet to be properly globally recognised. With more events of this nature, it could be only a matter of time before kuduro plays a more prominent role in UK nightlife.