Premiere: Branko ‘Impulso’

Branko will release a new album, ‘Soma’, later this week via his Enchufada label. Have an exclusive first listen to ‘Impulso’ below.

The fourth LP from the Portuguese producer channels the vibrant grooves of his hometown of Lisbon, where for the past decade he’s been championing underground artists as one of the minds behind global bass label, Enchufada. Recorded in the capital over a series of jam sessions, ‘Soma’ features an assortment of Lisbon’s premiere musicians, as well as global vocal guests – including Ghanaian producer Gafacci, London-based rapper Jay Prince, and Portuguese singer Teresa Salgueiro – improvising over Branko’s distinctive rhythms.

“It was like night and day, from collaborating through Zoom to being surrounded by talent,” Branko shared on the creation of ‘Soma’ in comparison to its Covid-era predecessor, ‘OBG’. “The intention is to bring the studio to the stage and show why this album really is a sum of all its parts.”

On the project, the producer – who is also a co-founder of Portuguese electronic collective, Buraka Som Sistema (BSS) – taps into a web of global club music sounds from the sun-soaked Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) grooves of ‘Cinzas’, featuring Teresa Salgueiro, to the pan-flute theatrics of ‘Impulso’ – a late album highlight that we dare you not to dance too. Branko is back and with his growing army of underground talent from Lisbon and beyond, he’s unstoppable.

Catch the Portuguese DJ and producer at Sónar Lisboa later this month (March 22nd-24th), where he will perform tracks from ‘Soma’ for the first time. Other artists on the bill include Nia Archives, Helena Hauff b2b Imogen, Bonobo (DJ set), Grove and more – check out the full line-up here.

‘Soma’ is out 15th March via Enchufada. Pre-order the LP here, and have an exclusive first listen to ‘Impulso’ below.

Read DJ Mag’s feature on the eight artists taking kuduro and batida to the next level here.