Al de Leon

Imagine mixing the bottom-heavy hip-hop of Miami bass music with Brazilian rapping and rhythms and adding killer samples. That's the concept behind "baile funk," quite possibly the proverbial next big thing in club music. The name refers to the "funk balls" held in the shantytowns outside of Rio De Janeiro, attracting thousands of Brazil's youth on a weekly basis. Often held in giant, non-descript buildings rather than posh nightclubs, the soundtrack to these parties is equally raw, oozing with sexually charged lyrics and dirty bass-driven beats. Although baile funk has been around for many years in Brazil, its recent emergence Stateside is partly due to Diplo, a Philadelphia-based DJ who has incorporated the Brazilian dance music into his wildly eclectic style, which also includes electro, underground and commercial hip-hop, eighties pop hits, and Baltimore club music. But don't confuse Diplo with the cheesy mash-up sound that puts 50 Cent lyrics over an Usher track. Diplo's mixing showcases the sensibilities of a DJ who simply loves songs that get booties shakin' and hands in the air, regardless of their genre, release date or country of origin. He's like a mad scientist with an iPod Shuffle-full of the hottest dance tracks of all time. This disregard for coloring within the lines is evident in his upcoming mix CD, "Fabriclive 24," due out in December. Diplo takes listeners on a wild ride, starting with a smooth helping of Southern-fried hip-hop with Killer Mike and Big Boi's "My Chrome," easing into electro with Freestyle's "Don't Stop the Rock," and then jumping into a sick blend of Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker" and Cajmere's "Percolator." All that is just a warmup to the baile funk that hits toward the middle of the CD, which, to the average American listener, sounds part strange, part familiar, and 100 percent danceable. If the baile funk of "Fabriclive 24" piques your interest, then your next stop should be DJ Marlboro, the godfather of the genre and an institution in Brazil. Marlboro is a throwback to the art of DJing before DJs were celebrities--his only goal is to rock the dance floor, hard and funky. There will be a party going on at Sonotheque on Friday, and don't bother bringing a watch because Marlboro and Diplo will make sure it's always peak time up in there.

DJs Diplo and Marlboro spin at Sonotheque, 1444 West Chicago, (312)226-7600, on October 28.

(2005-10-25)

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