When I first encountered the name Bailiefunk Kakeo, I figured it was selected for its ironic effect. Nothing about them matched up in a way that properly set my expectations. Their cover art and whole presentation seemed pretty extreme and dissident. Also, they're from Japan, and releasing music on a State-side, experimental music label. So there was no way that they'd have anything to do with a popular genre of dance music that fills countless clubs in Brazil each weekend and racks up millions of views on YouTube each day. Right? Right! Wrong! Incredibly wrong. So wrong, it should be illegal. Upon, actually listening to BK's latest double release, a kind of double EP,
歓鬼 -demônio prazer- / CHO CLIMAX, I'm now convinced that I need to commission a CT Scan of whatever part of my brain is meant to detect and process incongruity and discuss with a licensed professional my options for surgical intervention. Frankly, this release has convinced me that there is something in my head that needs to be recalibrated. Bailiefunk Kakeo is in fact, all about bailie funk, or funk carioca, or any of the other half-dozen names it's known as around the world. Point is, that despite the project's spiny exterior, it is very much characterized by sincerity. There is a true love for the genre of its namesake, resulting in BK's scores becoming flush with a fervent intent not only to do justice to the source material, but to add to it in a way that would be novel and appreciable, even by the standards of a Brazillian listener who is familiar with all the tools, tricks, and tutelage of the trade. BK goes about accomplishing this cultural exchange in an entirely appropriate manner in my opinion, hybridizing trends in Japanese hip-hop and techno with favela flavor in a way that is both genuine and congruent with the trim and spirit of all of these formerly estranged threads. Despite the unity and sense of international comradery that BK's work represents, it's also the musical equivalent of chaos magic, digital sorcery, and good old-fashioned anarchistic ambition. It can be like having a herd of cats running around your skull-cave with lit Roman candles strapped to their backs. BK's style of dance assails the listener's mind and hips like a live grenade tamped down into you right-butt pocket- it will get you to move while easily separating you from any logically cohesive structure that you, your body, and your surroundings might attempt to lean on for support. So am I implying that Bailiefunk Kakeo is going to blast your ass off with some of the most absurd yet relatable, deconstructive yet danceable sounds you've encountered on this side of sanity? You better believe your sorry, half-carcoal cheeks that I am!
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