Angolan kuduro pioneer DJ Znobia retrospective album, 'Inventor Vol 1', announced on Nyege Nyege Tapes

DJ Znobia, a pioneer in the Angolan kuduro and tarraxinha music scenes, is to be the focus of a new series of retrospective releases from Nyege Nyege Tapes.

The label is lining up a four-volume revisit of some of his hard-to-find works, and the first instalment, 'Inventor Vol. 1', is set for release on 22nd September. Nyege Nyege Tapes went through over 700 tracks in Znobia's archives to prepare the four separate releases, with the music featured all produced between the late '90s and mid-'00s. You can listen to 'Inventor Vol. 1' lead track 'Piquena' below.

Explaining the background of how Znobia, real name Sebastião Lopes, developed the kuduro sound, Nyege Nyege Tapes said: "In the late 1990s, DJ Znobia embarked on a journey to create a new genre that would capture the energy and spirit of the South West African country, the second biggest Portuguese speaking country in the world after Brazil.

"Znobia initially found renown as a dancer particularly fond of Michael Jackson, before teaching himself how to produce with Fruity Loops. Inspired by the fusion of traditional Angolan rhythms with electronic beats, he began experimenting with different sounds and styles.  Through his tireless efforts, he eventually developed a genre that would revolutionise the Angolan music scene: kuduro."

The kuduro sound went on to be heavily sampled by M.I.A. on her early material, with Znobia enlisted to producer music on her 2007 album 'Kala'. The genre has also been a keystone of the Lisbon label Príncipe since its founding in 2011.

Earlier this month, Príncipe revealed that it would be releasing a compilation of formative Lisbon kuduro tracks by producers such as DJ Marfox and DJ Nervoso.

Revisit DJ Mag's 2019 piece on Príncipe and the kuduro sound in Lisbon here.