When I travelled to Luanda, Angola in November 2012 to play at “União Electronica” festival, I fell in love with the city ́s local house sound.

The Luanda house sound is called Ku House (a mixture of Kuduro and House). The „Ku“ in „Kuduro“ (literally meaning „hard ass“) stands for booty. Besides, Angolan house is in dialogue with local music styles as well as the South African style of house music. Far from the raging, raved up vibes of current European ghetto club music, Angolan house tunes add a subtle form of deepness, mixed with frantic beats and hypnotic Portugese vocals.

Thus for my brand new single, I teamed up with Angolan singer and culture impressario Coréon Dú and produced “Lemba”, originally a Semba tune on a lavish woman named Lemba. Coréon Dú is the brains behind the popular Angolan reality-style dance competition programme „Bounce“, also running „Os Kuduristas“, an internationally travelling roadshow programme promoting Angola’s unique kuduro style of rapping and dancing.

CORÉON DÚ

„Lemba“ is a unique Berlin-Luanda cooperation of Afro house made with a minimalist Berlin twist. Featuring a plain, percussive beat, a speaker busting sub-bass, a subtle arpeggio and the beautiful voice of Coréon Dú, this stripped down track has all it takes to become the big cross-culture club tune of spring 2013. This is a tune that could easily be played both at Berlin ́s Berghain club and Berlin ́s street carnival, the “Carneval Of Cultures”. Yes, it ́s both for house heads and barefoot dancers.

But then that ́s what Daniel Haaksman ́s music is always about: Establishing cultural bridges and sonic exchanges, incorporating the legacy of European bass music, while keeping a keen eye on the dancefloor. Drop “Lemba” and you ́ll feel Daniel Haaksman ́s vision.

Listen to it here:

DJ Feedback:

Laurent Garnier: “Great stuff!”
Riva Starr : “Bravo, Daniel”
Sinden: “Love Haaksman stuff”
Roundtable Knights: “First time I hear about Ku House and I love it!”
Foamo : “Whoa, love this!”
Oliver $: “This is a hit!”
Acid Washed: “Beautiful, this is big!”
Toshio Matsuura (UFO, Tokyo) : “Nice step!”
Shirkhan (Exploited): “Hot stuff, will play this!”
Schlachthofbronx: “Yeah, Haaksman in house!”
So Shifty : “Lemba goes hard, great vocals!”
Isa GT: “Amazing direction, Daniel. Tired of noisey stuff. This is both stylish and heavy!”
Scottie B: “Great!”
Bert On Beats: „Love it!“
Wildlife!: “Dope!”

Buy the release from these fine shops:

Another Friday radio-double-whopper of my weekly radio show on German Funkhaus Europa (”Funk” in German means “broadcast”, no relation to “funky”!). Both shows feature new tracks from artists from the lusophonic world and their international adaptions.

Friday double-radio-whopper! Listen to the both recent episodes of Daniel Haaksman´s “Luso FM” radio show on Funkhaus Europa. Full of Brega, Tuki, Baile Funk, Ku House and rare Brasilian funk gems!

#12 of my weekly radio show, “Luso FM” on German public radio “Funkhaus Europa” (from Westdeutscher Rundfunk, WDR) is focussing on Angola house with an exclusive DJ mix by DJ Satelite from Luanda, Angola, plus new music from Gregor Salto feat. KiT, Buraka Som Sistema, DJ Znobia, DJ Comrade, plusplusplus.

When you hear Vjuan Allure’s unmistakable “Elite Beatz” beat tag you know you’re about to hear something groundbreaking from one of the originators and leaders of the “new sound” in ballroom music. All these tracks are the most forward thinking ballroom house tracks we’ve ever heard. Gone are the overused “Ha’s” at the end of every bar and recycled edits. 2 years in the making, we’re excited to give you this stacked release of 6 huge new ballroom tracks.

My 2009 tune ”Kid Conga (Rebounced) feat. Daniel Haaksman & MC Miltinho” starts off the EP with MC Miltinho’s famous vocal and over the course of the next 6 minutes builds and evolves into pure chaos.

Grab it for free from below:

Save the date! On the weekend 18th/19th of May, during Berlin´s “Karneval Der Kulturen” (”Carneval Of Cultures”, a big street parade, similar to Nottinghill Carnival), I´ll curate Lusotronics festival! “Luso” stands for the culture of the Portugese speaking world, and the festival will present the most cutting edge artists from countries such as Brasil, Portugal, Angola and Mocambique, and international adaptors of the luso sound.

Many of the artists that I released or featured on Man Recordings will perform, such as Bonde Do Rolê, Batida, Gang Do Eletro, João Brasil feat. Cibelle, Edu K, Waldo Squash, DJ Comrade, Throes & The Shine, Dama Do Bling, Titica, DJ Edgar feat. Bani Silva, DJ Marfox, Gato Preto, Bazzerk DJs, plus plus plus! The two day festival will take place at Berlin club Gretchen.

Visit the festival´s website at www.lusotronics.com to get more infos. You can order tickets from today.

See you in Berlin May 18th/19th!

Luso FM #9 on Funkhaus Europa w/Daniel Haaksman of March 2nd 2013 features tracks by Comunidade Nin Jitsu, Banda Uó, Waldo Squash, Poirier and two tunes from the forthcoming Bazzerk-Compilation on Tuki (”Tuki Classics”, out on Mental Groove next week) plus much more!

Luso FM#8 on Funkhaus Europa of 23rd February features tunes by Felipe Cordeiro, Holger, Bonde Do Rolê, Lucas Santtana and many more!

My remix of Bonde Do Rolês “Dança Especial” has been extensively tested in my latest DJ gigs, and everywhere, this bass heavy ghetto stomper tore up dancefloors. Now it´s officially available as free download. Grab it from below!

Luso FM#7 on Funkhaus Europa of 16th of Feb with various new beats from the Portugese speaking world is now on Soundcloud, featuring an exclusive favela trap DJ set by DJ Comrade of Xão Produçoes New York.