NYC Bonde do Role
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Bonde do Role are poster children for this colossal quandary: If a band's music consists solely of samples, are they a real band? Well, if the band is the aural equivalent of hot pants, sweltering late-night street festivals, and roller-derby catfights, who cares? This Brazilian threesome -- sorry, three-piece -- has popped up on our radars as the poster children of Baile Funk. Uber-producer Diplo signed them to his Mad Decent project, and the rest is history. Being that they’re personally endorsed by disco-punk dance goddess LoveFoxxx of CSS, I had to see their live set for myself.
Brooklyn's Studio B was packed with a crowd not necessarily familiar with the name, but more than willing to move. Not that an uptight dance floor would have stopped these kids, who from the opening strains of 'Solta o Frango' started popping, locking, bumping and grinding. Mics were dropped and dangled, not only on the floor but down pants and shirts. They were having so much fun frolicking, I wondered if they were covering all their lyrics, and had to strain to recognize my favorite tracks. The phonetically funky 'Gasolina' was repackaged but thankfully didn’t disappoint, which was nice as I've spent way too much time answering my mobile with 'Meet me after school and I'll beat you like gorilla.'
The end result? This band seems capable of melting the snarkiest Brooklynite. We were rendered hot, bothered and sticky, and left with the sense that Bonde do Role had copped multiple feels -- both literally and figuratively. Say what you want about compositional integrity: Domino Records, the powerhouse behind Franz Ferdinand, the Kills and Animal Collective, just unleashed their album 'With Lasers,' so they must be doing something right. Get set for summer, because no one is leaving the disco alive.
~Abbey Braden punkphoto.com
See: Bonde de Role perform at Brooklyn’s Studio B.
Special thanks to Domino Records and Studio B
