Following Synthesize the Soul, Ostinato Records’ second compilation, Grupo Pilon represents the second chapter of the Krioulu diaspora story.
In smaller pockets, second generation musicians were independently contributing to one of the most lush periods of cultural innovation by immigrants in Europe. In Luxembourg, in 1986, a group of teenagers formed the largely unknown (outside of Cape Verdean circles) but consistently brilliant band named after the blunt instrument used in the islands to pound corn for the country’s national dish, cachupa.
Pilon combined searing estilo Krioulu drumming and the hybrid ColaZouk style with blissful synth work and rugged guitar licks, creating a stripped-down, addictive sound that masterfully straddled two worlds, a seductive electro-Funaná carnival.
This LP draws from the six most powerful songs from Pilon’s three-album catalog.