Latinolife's Baile Funk Playlist

With what has become known simply as Funk (or Funke as they pronounce it in Brazil). the rich tapestry of Brazilian music is nowhere more evident in the world of dance floor bangers Forget James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone and whatever you thought was Funk before. This is a different beast altogether, with its own Brazilian origins and, now, superstars.

by DJ Jose Luis

You’ll be familiar with Mc Kevinho, Anitta and Mc Fioti ranking views and streams on social media by the hundreds of millions. Funk has exploded onto the global dance floor scene, with artists such as JLo using the beat for one of her latest tunes "El Anillo", much like many global pop artists use the Reggaeton beat to ‘remain relevant’ and guarantee their next hit.

But while Baile Funk, Funk Carioca, as it was originally known, is making waves globally, this genre, Brazil’s urban black music, has been the soundtrack to mainstream party life in Brazil for decades. Whilst its origins go back to the 1980s, from the mid-1990s it provided the dance floor anthems for the huge warehouse parties in the favelas and beyond. The songs depicted the poverty, social injustice, racism and black pride that most Brazilians live with day to day.

According to DJ Marlboro, whose first LP in 1989, Funk Brazil, is considered the Year Zero of Funk, Baile Funk was heavily influenced by the the single Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic, released in 1982. In its early days, Baile Funk were mostly loops of electronic drums from Miami Bass or freestyle records, while a few artists composed them with actual drum machines.

But it wasn't until 2000 when Baile Funk went from a local to international phenomenon, as foreign producers and labels started digging the upbeat sounds and took it to the USA and Europe, most notably Diplo and M.I.A with their Piracy Funds Terrorism mixtape and German based label Man Recordings with their Funk Master series.

Now artists such as French Montana, Future and London’s very own Steflon Don feature on Baile funk remixes, as well as Reggaeton stars J Balvin, Nacho, Bryant Meyers and Osmani Garcia are doing their thing.

So expect a new wave of collaborations and big hits in the next few months because, like its Caribbean cousin Reggaeton, Brazilian Funk is here to stay. Here are the dudes making the waves:

MC Kevinho - Olha a Explosão