Radio Verde: Cape Verdean Dancefoor Magic

When we imagine Cape Verdean music, swingy, samba-esque percussion, cavaquinho strums and clarinet warbles float happily through the mind. This mysterious compilation, bringing together tunes from the late 70s and early 80s, serves as a valuable snapshot into what young Cape Verdeans would have been out dancing to while the industry was obsessing over funaná, batuque and coladeira. I say mysterious because it comes without a press release, or any information in the liner notes about which labels these tunes have come from – just album names that have proved hard for this reviewer to trace.

You can expect funk-influenced guitar, shamelessly slap-filled bass lines and really corny synths (definitely a good thing). It's great to hear Cape Verdean rhythmic complexities filtering through, with catchy call-and-response melodies constituting the choruses of many songs. The heavy second and fourth beats are a nod to samba influences, audible in ‘Walkman’, a highly danceable tune that might serve up some nostalgia.