Batucada Sound Machine

QUT Spiegeltent Opening Party 12.9.09

As the ash from the glorious Riverfire settles on the Brisbane River and thousands flee the city, the most colourful affair of the night is in fact just kicking off at QUT’s Spiegeltent. The big top erected in Queens Park is about to become a fragrant melting pop of world music as the genre-spanning Batucada Sound Machine turn an empty dance-floor into a Latin carnival in a matter of minutes.

An extended introduction, that builds around an eerie synth and pulsating bass fills the air with haunting vibes as the NZ twelve-piece slowly begin to build themselves around the smokey number. As the drums flare up and the guitarist and horn section bounce funky licks off each other, the track evolves into a mesmerising rendition of ’Ashe’, an evocative Latin jive, which drops the tempo just as everything peaks, allowing Polynesian MC Hazadus to spit some knowledge over a laid-back hip-hop beat.

As the song juts back into samba-mode a few brave souls venture onto the vastly empty expanse before the band, to get down. Damn can these people dance. Whether it’s the sexy vibe of the music or the fact that the event is doing its best not to get people drunk (low-strength beers and small wines only thank you), who knows, but some seriously steamy samba, starts going down.

The floor begins to fill as BSM launch into some bombastic carnival numbers and the festival aura takes over, Hazadus jumps down from the stage and starts controlling the crowd’s movements swaying the masses one way whilst rapping and dancing like a mad man. The three-piece horn section are swaying violently too, blasting their trumpets in the air and then down at the ground as the room begins to shake around this musical extravaganza of Brazilian rhythm. ’Vai Chegar’ is a crowning moment of the mid-set melee, showcasing the individual talent of the musicians as jiving horns tangle with acid-infused keys, and dance wildly between a barrage from the four skilled percussionists.

Things begin to sexy again as bandleader and head percussionist, James Hughes, slows down the pace into the saucy ’Hechira’, which sees the singles clearing off for a moment and leaving couples to gyrate their hips. But it’s not long before the band are thundering back into the second half of the song, which features some super funky Wah guitar and more breathless trumpeting from the horn section, who clad in their matching Adidas tracksuits are still bobbing like manic ducks.

The musicianship of this band is phenomenally good, the keyboardist effortlessly moves from jazz piano runs, to dub synth, to playful rumba and the guitarist manages to maintain a particularly pleasing and distinct funk style, whilst venturing through BSM’s varying musical soundscapes. The horn section is a splendid musical entity just on their own and the percussionists demonstrate a high level of skill on their traditional Brazilian instruments. The vocals are surprisingly exotic as well, shared between the multi-skilled Hazadus (who sings rather sweetly in comparison to his rough and ragged rap tones), as well as the Brazilian guitarist and the energetic, emphatic leader Hughes.

As they roll into ’Cumbia Del Cambio’, a sensual dub-take on their Latin sound, it is evident that the band are having just as much fun as the head-bopping audience. The Kiwi floor-shakers are all smiles and why wouldn’t they be? They’ve set the big top on fire, transforming this exclusive party into a wild festival free-for-all, they’ve also taught this journalist some exotic dance-moves, he previously thought were impossible!

By Nolan Giles

ENDS