WOMAD

DJ Patife & Cleveland Watkiss

From Brazil, United Kingdom

In Brazil, a city’s music mirrors its make-up. Up in the northern outpost of Salvador, the country’s most African of cities, the bloco drum is king. On Rio’s beachfronts, the light breezes of new-wave bossa and samba caress its sun worshippers, while up in the favelas, hip-hop’s the soundtrack of a more chaotic life. For Sao Paulo’s futuristic cityscape, drum & bass is the dominant sound, propelling you right into the heart of darkness. Alongside his great buddy DJ Marky, a young chap by the name of DJ Patife (meaning ‘scoundrel’) has been largely responsible for this state of affairs. It was his early adoption of the jungle sounds spilling out of London’s finer clubs gave a major kickstart to Brazilian music’s electronic revolution. A frequent visitor to these shores (he’s best known over here for his headspinning re-rub of Fernanda Porto’s Sambassim a few summers back), tonight he’s joined by someone right at the heart of London’s jungle scene back in the day – MC Cleveland Watkiss. A man who’s lent his vocal talents to reggae, jazz and gospel, Cleveland’s celebrated outfit Project 23 and his collaborations with Goldie’s Metalheadz ensured he was a central cog in the drum & bass machine. Make way for a double dose of drum & bass demonology.In A Few Words… Sao Paulo drum & bass with a Hackney accent