Hailing from Lisbon, João Barbosa (aka Branko) grew up feeling somewhat segregated musically. Craving a global understanding of sound, he started up Buraka Som Sistema — a project based on the concept of music having no literal or industry borders — 10 years ago. The project combines electronic dance music with various African genres. With solo work and collaborations with the likes of Zebra Katz under his belt, last year saw him dream up the concept for his debut LP, ATLAS. Released as a free download bundle yesterday, the album showcases the scenes and artists of Sao Paulo, Amsterdam, Cape Town and further afield.
Taken from his the LP, “Let Me Go” has already received a lot of much-deserved love from fans, NPR, and i-D. Thus, we’re pretty stoked to be premiering the accompanying visuals! Featuring Mr. Carmack, the video was shot in South Africa, where the track was laid down with vocalist Nonku Phiri.
Directed by Francisco Neffe, it was conceived in collaboration with Nonku and focuses on her style as well as that of Johannesburg. “It’s a sort of journey to a world of color and movement that could only be found in South Africa,” he explains. “I tried to reflect the idea behind the lyrics through the characters, dancing, car rides and light. I tried to create a metaphor for letting go of something in every shot.” Styled by Nola Williams, the dancers featured are from Soweto’s Skeleton Pantsula and Orange Farm’s RealAction dance crews, and were shot in the Johannesburg suburb of Vrededorp, Old Park Station and Yeoville Ridge.
Escape to the sunshine of South Africa and daydream big.