Lisbon-based label Enchufada's Upper Cuts download series is calling it quits after bringing tropical-flavored freebies to the masses every two weeks for the past three years. Branko, King Doudou, Dotorado Pro, Rastronaut and other tastemakers from across the Global Club Music spectrum are featured on the series' final compilation, Upper Cuts Volume VI.
From King Doudou's futuristic baile-funk-meets-dembow hybrid "Sal," to Sam Blans' epic ode to afro-house don Gaia Beat in "Shout Out Gaia Beat," the free compilation also includes tropical anthems like Branko's club-ready "2 Nice," Rastronaut's techno-leaning "Flexx," Dotorado Pro's continued love affair with the marimbas on "Love Marimbas," among other international club tracks.
As noted in a press statement, the new compilation aims to paint a sonic picture of the label's tropical ethos, where the compelling rhythms of afro-house coexist with the frantic beat explosions of kuduro or baile, as well as a heavy dose of bass imported straight from the UK underground to create a heady cocktail known as Global Club Music.
As one of the founders of the Enchufada label alongside fellow members of the group, Baruka Som Sistema, Branko has been something of a tastemaker in the global club scene for years. As Less Than 3 notes, between his recent EP, Atlas, and this new track "2 Nice," the producer has done wonders for bringing a tropical, global bass sound to the people by infusing it with elements of pop.
Branko spoke with Thump about the idea behind the Upper Cuts series in the first place, saying it was "born out of the notion that not every song is a single or belongs in an EP. As DJs and music researchers we kept bumping into great tunes from all over the world that we wanted to share with our audience, but without the weight of putting together the same kind of campaign or contextualisation involved in a bigger release. As we saw all these great tools that kept appearing on our inbox we decided to package everything under one concept and started giving them away every 2 weeks."
The artist continues to explain that "As much as we encourage our artists to put as much artistic personality behind the music that they create, we also love a more immediate approach, which becomes even more relevant when you have a label like ours, devoting its time to explore and expose all sorts of global electronic trends." He adds that "It felt like an organic way to enlarge our artist network and spread the Enchufada mission as far as possible, while also becoming our lab to perform all kinds of different musical experiments."
The final compilation is available to download on the label's Bandcamp page, or you can stream it via Soundcloud below.
