Branko (8)

Branko (formerly J-Wow) is the driving force and one of the main producers in Buraka Som Sistema. The Lisbon group released their debut album 'Black Diamond' in November 2008 to rave reviews and acclaim from a who's who of relevant producers, and continued to make waves with sophomore album "Komba" in 2011. As a diagnosed workaholic, when Branko is not touring or in the studio with Buraka, he's either scouting for new music for his Enchufada label or making beats by himself. His solo material is not a 180 turn from the Buraka sound, but it's a freer approach to electronic music. "With Buraka we would start with a rhythm or a beat, but my songs are built with melodies and loops as the starting point. The sound is a little more personal." He applies almost ten years of research and travelling to his creative output. Operating as the Anthony Bourdain of ghetto dance music, his mission is to expose the world to as much unheard music as possible, focusing on artists who aren't easily discoverable through the usual channels. With releases on Mad Decent (main room smasher "O Dedo" in 2010) to free downloads like "Going in Hard", featuring Dominique Young Unique, one of the most promising new rappers in the US, Branko has kept things in constant movement. He also curates the 'Hard Ass Sessions' for his label Enchufada with original productions coming from some of the most interesting new artists on today's dance music scene (http://www.enchufada.com/hard-ass/). 2013 marks the return of Branko with an 8 track long mixtape entitled "Drums Slums & Hums," featuring collaborations with some of the most exciting names on the scene, resulting in an international fusion of sounds, as innovative as they are addictive. Fully available on April 2nd, the mixtape continues to showcase Branko’s astonishing ability to spread his message through international rhythms while casting a vast array of unobvious vocal contributions for each song including Zebra Katz, Ezekiel, Njena Reddd Foxxx, Dominique Young Unique, Compadre, Okmalumkoolkat and Buraka's own Kalaf.