Case Study 3: Transnational Utopian Impulse

[caption: Image I took during a trip to Lisbon of street art 'Pharmacia de Cultura']

This blog post is centred around the Lisbon based record label Príncipe to reflect on how the music it is releasing is "more influential than a thousand political rallies."[1] In order to understand the impact of the work of Príncipe, however, context must be given to help establish it's role as more than just a music label.

[caption: picture of Quinta Do Mocho]

Echoes of Portugal's ugly colonial past are still visible in the cultural divide that runs throughout the country today. The impact of the 1974 revolution, making Portugal into a democratic republic, saw many members of its former colonies move to Portugal, as many became refugees in the aftermath of their countries becoming independent. Refugees from former Portuguese colonies, such as Angola and Mozambique, created a need for new housing within the country. Portugal has been heavily criticised in the way that it designed and created new living spaces for these communities, with many projects being located around a half-hour drive from Lisbon, but with little to no transport links to the centre of the city. This created a physical, as well as a cultural, divide between the new and old inhabitants in Portugal, marginalising Black migrants, and limiting opportunities for social mobility. Since the creation of the housing projects, very little has been done to create better transport links to and from the centre of the city, reaffirming these cultural divides.

Within the projects and ghettos of Lisbon, however, new hybridised forms of African music are being created that take influence from: 'batida, kizomba, funaná, house, afro house and tarraxinha, [kuduro] genres mostly (but not exclusively) rooted in Angola, Cape Verde and São Tomé E Príncipe.'[2] Príncipe Records seeks to distribute the music created here, that isn't tied up with any genre - but instead reflects the diverse, transnational influences of these unique styles of music.

Príncipe is ran by four white men that come from the centre of Lisbon, and in order to run a music label running off primarily Black artists they had to establish trust with the people they wanted to work with.[3] The first DJ that caught their attention was DJMarfox, who at first was suspicious of the men wanting to promote his music: in an interview with Ryan Keeling, DJMarfox tells him of his initial impressions of when two founders of Príncipe came to see him:

"What do these guys want?" says Marfox, remembering Nelson and Pedro approaching him after the show. "Do they want to take advantage of me? Do they want to get something out of me? I wasn't used to dealing with those kinds of people. It was very confusing for me in the first 24 hours. Do they want to work with me?" [4]

It took a few months for Príncipe to establish trust with DJMarfox and other DJs, with Matos (a founder of the record label) stating how 'I had to show them that I work for them only. I would never do a bad thing to them because they are my number one.'[5] Príncipe holds monthly club nights called Noite Príncipe that are held within the venue Musicbox in Lisbon. It is here that cultural divisions really started to break down, as Black and white audience members come together to dance and get together whilst listening to this African, genreless dance music - something that, according to another founder of Príncipe, Pedro, 'would never have happened a year and a half ago'.[6]

The music that is promoted through Príncipe is borderless, transnational music that can appeal to many different cultures through its complex history and influences:

It has a truly profound inter-continental appeal. This can work in Africa. This can work in all of Latin and North America, in Asia and, of course, in Europe. This music has been brewing for centuries, through the slave trade, through immigration, and now through digital technology.[7]

This links back to Brown's article, 'Buzz and Rumble', where she argues that globalisation and new digital technologies are creating borderless utopias - one that is not confined to a nation state or home, but rather a feeling or connection of shared trauma and hope for a brighter future.[8] This is seen in many of the DJs represented by Príncipe being nonchalant over describing their music as being in keeping with one specific genre - for their music is more complex and rich in history than to reduce down into one category. It represents how through this record label, music created out of utopian impulse is being shared and promoted across different cultures, increasing it's scope and influences, helping to lessen cultural divisions and create more opportunities for Black migrants in Portugal.

The 'Pharmacia de Cultura' picture at the top of the page, is a picture I took when I was 14 years old on a family holiday to Lisbon. I had just started to learn classical guitar at the time, and was infused with the culture and vibrance of the city, and as a result, that piece of street art has always stayed with me. In doing research for this blog post, especially, the meaning of that piece of street art intensified as I learnt new contexts that surround its meaning. But the meaning surrounding it will continue to grow, just as Príncipe's record label continues to grow, as the rich history of music from the 'Black Atlantic' within Portugal will continue to evolve.[9]

The next blog post will focus upon Kuduro (a style that coincidentally influences the music promoted by Príncipe's label) to understand its origins and impact on Angolan culture.

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[1] Pedro Gomes in Ryan Keeling, 'The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon', Resident Advisor, 10th March 2014, https://ra.co/features/2021 (16th May 2021).

[2] Ryan Keeling, 'The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon', Resident Advisor, 10th March 2014, https://ra.co/features/2021 (16th May 2021).

[3] Madison Bloom, 'A Guide to Portugal's Príncipe Discos, One of the Most Exciting Dance Labels on Earth, Pitchfork, 30th June 2020, https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/principe-discos-portugal-dance-label-guide-dj-marfox-nidia/ (16th May 2021).

[4] DJ Marfox in Ryan Keeling, 'The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon', Resident Advisor, 10 March 2014, https://ra.co/features/2021, (16 May 2021)

[5] Madison Bloom, 'A Guide to Portugal's Príncipe Discos, One of the Most Exciting Dance Labels on Earth, Pitchfork.

[6] Pedro Gomes in Ryan Keeling, 'The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon', Resident Advisor, 10 March 2014, https://ra.co/features/2021, (16 May 2021).

[7] Ibid.

[8] Jayna Brown, 'Buzz and Rumble: Global Pop Music and Utopian Pulse', Social Text, 28/1, (2010), 125 - 146, (127).

[9] Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic, (London: Verso, 1993).