As the new year begins it brings many different reasons to celebrate, which is why we had to do something special for the first Hard Ass Sessions of 2012. The formula stays the same – bringing together our favorite DJs and producers who are moving inside the Hard Ass universe and challenging them to present their own interpretation of the rhythm of the ghettos of Luanda – but the energy keeps getting stronger.

The saying goes “out with the old, in with the new”, and who better to put this idea into practice than our two international guests Melé and Manaré? You already know British wonderkid Melé from his booty-shaking banger Kanopa Riddim, featured on “Hard Ass Sessions Vol.III”, which was made when he was only 18 years young, so we knew we had a little prodigy on our hands. In the last year he’s been racking up points by playing major parties and releasing a lot of cool tunes, so when the opportunity to have him play at our residency presented itself, we just couldn’t say no. This will be his first time playing in Portugal, so be sure to make your way to Lux to welcome one of bass music’s most exciting young talents.

Speaking about young, French bass aficcionado Manaré (formerly called Riot Kid) has just recently appeared on the scene but is quickly gaining everyone’s attention with his debut “Speakeasy EP”, which includes a remix by our friend Dubbel Dutch. Feeling the tropical vibes of the uk funky style, he mixes those danceable rhythms with the typically French humor and “everything goes” approach to production with spectacular results.

We’ve also asked the mighty J-WOW to drop by because we know how much you like those impossibly fast beats and huge bass lines that he never fails to deliver. The element of surprise is always a very important part of his sets, but he’s letting you guys in on some of his secret weapons in his recently-dropped “Say Hello to 2012 Mini-Mix”, where you can listen to some of the tracks that Enchufada will be releasing in the next few months. Go check it out! Diamond Bass will also be giving bassheads a reason to shake on the dancefloor, as he’s still on celebration mode after releasing his powerful and mesmerizing single “Lwanda”, closely followed by Rastronaut, who’ll be warming up the crowd as he plays anything from techno classics to the UK’s latest low-end bomb.

Come join us at Lux on January 27th and don’t forget to dress to sweat.

J-WOW (Buraka Som Sistema / Enchufada)

Mélé (Grizzly)

Manaré (Youngunz)

Diamond Bass (Enchufada)

Rastronaut (Circus Maximus)

When others give you lists, we give you music and open the portal for the much anticipated arrival of 2012. If the Mayans are right and the world ends a year from now, at least we’re going out with a bang!

To say goodbye to 2011 and welcome 2012, we’ve asked J-WOW to do a mix to showcase some of the surprises we have in store for the next few months. Here you’ll find tracks by the Swedish duo Savage Skulls, who’ll finally have their own debut single on Enchufada after being featured on the “Hard Ass Session Vol. IV” compilation; as well as T. Williams, who’s coming back with a dancefloor-wrecking new EP after dropping the red-hot “Getting Mine” single; the Portuguese duo Voxels, who you’ve heard for the first time on the “Hangover (Bababa)” Remix EP; Diamond Bass‘ freshly released “Lwanda”; and also a new remix of “(We Stay) Up All Night” by our canadian friends Botnek.

Alongside the forthcoming tracks on Enchufada, J-WOW also selected some of his favorite club tracks of the year for this 15 minute mini-mix, featuring tunes by producers such as Dubble Dutch, Mike Q, French Fries, JWLS, Joakim and Bambounou. But enough talk, it’s time for some music. Hit play and greet the new year in style with this “Say Hello To 2012 Mini-Mix”.

Tracklist

Savage Skulls – #1 Spot [Forthcoming Enchufada 2012]
T. Williams – Synthia [Forthcoming Enchufada 2012]
Buraka Som Sistema - (We Stay) Up All Night (Botnek Remix) [Forthcoming Enchufada 2012]
Dubbel Dutch – Darq [Mixpak]
Mike Q – The Ha Dub Rewerk’d [Fade to Mind]
French Fries – Champagne [Forthcoming Clek Clek Boom]
Nicki Minaj – Did It On Em (JWLS Bootleg) [Downloaded from Soundcloud]
Diamond Bass – Lwanda [Out Now on Enchufada]
Voxels – CUNT [Forthcoming Enchufada 2012]
Joakim & Bambounou – FFWD [Sound Pellegrino]

Once upon a time there was a music genre called kuduro, a rhythmic virus that was incubated in Luanda’s musiques, inside cheap computers and illegal softwares. It quickly began to spread over the country, contaminating every sector of society, through the internet and the Angolan community inhabiting the suburbs of Lisbon. The Portuguese capital was the second city to show the symptoms of this epidemic.

The virus isn’t harmful, quite on the contrary. It brought rhythm and desire to party to a new generation of dance music lovers. In an attempt to study the virus, the Buraka Som Sistema collective started a series of experiments that initiated an interesting reaction: the virus became stronger, changed its characteristics and expanded into other territories that had formerly seemed immune to it.

The first two paragraphs tell the story – even if in a slightly absurd way – of the origin of the genre that motivated the creation of the Hard Ass Sessions. The project was curated by J-WOW and developed by Enchufada in the shape of EPs and digital singles, before finally finding its place in the Lux club in Lisbon, where it transformed into a musical residency. In this bimonthly residency we can stay in touch with all the DJs and producers who are moving inside the Hard Ass universe, which was initially a challenge issued to several electronic music producers: to present their own interpretation of the rhythm of the ghettos of Luanda, or in other words, to let themselves be contaminated by the Kuduro virus.

Because it is something so close to us, and because we’re celebrating 1 year of Hard Ass Sessions at Lux, we’ve decided to blow the candles surrounded by family, such as the group of Lisbon DJs whose sets have molded the identity of the Hard Ass nights.

We’ll also have the Venezuelan duo Pocz & Pacheko among us, who created the amazing “Tuki Love” (Hard Ass Session Vol. V), making their long-awaited Lisbon debut. They will bring their explosive mix of Tuki, Kuduro, Reggaeton and House, what many already classify as Tropical Bass Music, but we prefer the term Caracas Bass.

Bring on the champagne, the cake, the confettis and the sweaty bodies. November 18th we’re having a birthday party. We’re having a Hard Ass Session.

J-WOW (Buraka Som Sistema/ Enchufada)

Pacheko & Pocz (Abstractor / Enchufada)

Zombies for Money (Trouble & Bass)

Diamond Bass vs Marfox (Enchufada)

Rastronaut (Circus Maximus / Troop)

The HARD ASS SESSIONS parties return and it’s going to be epic! Alongside our own J-WOW and Diamond Bass we bring from Mexico the raverton man Toy Selectah and Netherland’s own bass prankster Munchi.

We could write paragraphs and paragraphs about Toy Selectah (a.k.a. Toy Hernandez) the multitasking mexican – “Dj, Producer, Remixer, Creative, A&R, Cumbia Digger, Mexican Hip Hop, Raverton, Sones del Mexside, Sonidero Nacional, Control Machete, Mad Decent, Monterrey, MX” can be read on his twitter 160 characters bio – but we choose to focus on what you’re gonna be able to see next Friday Sept 9th at LUX: Toy Selectah has been championing a new-school take on classic cumbia colombiana. The rhythm has been on blast in Latin America for decades, but Toy’s bootleg cumbia remixes of artists like Lil Wayne, Justice and Boysnoize have perked up ears on both sides of the equator. Inviting Toy Selectah to our parties seemed inevitable – as you might recall the mexican producer did a collabo with our own J-WOW released on HAS vol.III. “Lisbon’s J-WOW and Monterrey’s Toy Selectah hybridize their styles on “Mo’chaxo,” a track that waxes with kuduro’s pitchy bleats and wanes with cumbia’s loping shuffle, a humid union that could indeed be called tropical in the most literal sense.” wrote The Fader where you can hear the track.

Check out J-WOW‘s HARD ASS SESSIONS special mix. Download is free and legal.

2011 Hard Ass Mix by J-WOW

The Netherlands’ producer Munchi, who you have been hearing a lot from us in the last couple of days due to his BSS ‘Hangover (BaBaBa)’ remix, is the face of the globalized bass-loving youth that’s taking the Internet by storm with all sorts of crazy beats. With tastes ranging from straight-up dubstep to the latin rhythms of cumbia and moombahtoon, this Dutch youngster is leading the way in the merger of electronic music culture and tropical madness. In case you didn’t grab “Verano del Moombahton” a compilation that Munchi released at the end of July celebrating his own birthday (he only turned 22 and is very happy about it) make sure you do and get ready for Friday night!

Diamond Bass needs no presentation. He’s already part of the Hard Ass family and Enchufada’s parties where he never misses to drop a crazy set for the party ravers. The portuguese producer is working on new beats so LUX will certainly be the place to be to hear some exclusives.

After all this do you need more reasons to grab your arse and join us?

This week we return with our weekly radio show E-RADIO at Oxigenio and it’s gonna be BIG! J-WOW did a special mix including tracks from Toy Selctah, Munchi and Diamond Bass – our guests for HARD ASS SESSIONS party next Friday in Lisbon! – plus exclusive tracks to be released very soon through Enchufada by Voxels and Buraka Som Sistema. Stay tune tonight from 1AM (online www.oxigenio.fm or tune in 102.6).

Here’s the tracklist. Enjoy:
Oliver $ – Subiu Desceu – Man Recordings
Bambounou – Alpha – Young Gunz
Pocz – Mortal Kombat (Yirvin Remix) – Abstractor
Diamond Bass – Lwanda – Enchufada (Forthcoming)
DJ Bigga – Boeke Anthem – CD-R
Kry Wolf – Crossfire – Sounds of Sumo
Dubbel Dutch – After the end – CD-R
Cutty Ranks – Limb by Limb (Relize Remix) – CD-R
Gregor Salto – Paris – Luanda – Defected
Julio Bashmore – Batty Knee Dance – ?
Voxels – Sun Pyramid – Enchufada (Forthcoming)
SBTRKT – Wildfire – Young Turks
Jay Nipon – Stamina (French Fries Remix) – ?
Schlachthofbronx – Back Up – Enchufada
Afrika Hi-Tech – Out in the streets – Warp
Ginuwine ft Timbaland & Missy E- Get involved (Savage Skulls Remix) – ?
Buraka Som Sistema - Hangover (Bababa) (Caspa Remix) – Enchufada
Chris Brown – Look at me know – ?
Rick Ross – BMF (J-Wow Edit) – ?
Martelo vs Canbaster – Cannibal – Enchufada
Dillon Francis & Dave Nada – Brazzers (Munchi Remix) – Mad Decent
Munchi & Heartbreak – Faceoff – ?
Toy Selecta ft. Dj Blass – Sonidero Compay (3BALL MTY Remix) – Mad Decent
Erick Rincon – Todos a Bailar – ?
Lazka – Legba – CD-R

J-Wow is interviewed for Scion A/V. He talks about everything there’s need to know – his releases, Enchufada, the Hard Ass Sessions and much more.
For more information and content, visit scionav.com.

Tracklist
01 – Buraka Som Sistema ‘Hangover (BaBaBa)’ (original mix)
02 – Buraka Som Sistema/Mastiksoul ‘Sabalo’
03 – Caspa ‘Fulham 2 Waterloo’
04 – Modelselektor ‘VW Jetta’
05 – Pearson Sound ‘Wad’
06 – Bert On Beats ‘Bone Dat’
07 – Toddla T ‘Take It Back’ (Dillon Francis Remix)
08 – DJ Baddmixx ‘Lollipop Juke’
09 – Randomer ‘Brunk’
10 – LilSilva ‘Seasons’

Our fourth edition of the HARD ASS SESSIONS parties was very special: LUX was full to welcome the debut of South African Spoek Mathambo. Plus Seiji, J-WOW and Diamond Bass partied hard all night long.

Go to our Facebook page for more photos

The Hard Ass Sessions gave us the opportunity to work with some artists that we respect and enjoy.

The close relationship with some of those also gave us the will to be able to see them more often in Portugal and in some cases, to present them the Portuguese audience. So we invite them to work with us and to Enchufada as their agent in Portugal.
Now we have a role of new artists at the agency, such as MARTELO, BOK BOK, SEIJI, WILDLIFE!, DUBBEL DUTCH, PACHEKO & POCZ, BERT ON BEATS, DOUSTER, NIC SARNO and TOY SELECTAH, that came to join BURAKA SOM SISTEMA (live), BURAKA Djs, J-WOW, DIAMOND BASS, OCTA PUSH and PAUS (live).

Our idea is to build an aesthetic instead of an empire. These are the artists that motivate us, the ones that we like to hear and that we want to show you.
Check them out ’cause you’ll hear from us very soon!

Enchufada Agency – www.enchufada.com/agency