Cassie - "Me & U (King Kong 90 BPM Remix)"

Today, Lisbon, Portugal's King Kong releases a genre-free (yet classified as 90 BPM) remix of one-time superstar Bad Boy Records diva Cassie's 2004 hit "Me and You." Similar to other R & B by way of zouk bass remixes of late, the slowed groove and sensuous vocal combine here in a hyper-sexualized way, making for a calming and near ambient listening experience.

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Complex Original

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Today, Lisbon, Portugal's King Kong releases a genre-free (yet classified as 90 BPM) remix of one-time superstar Bad Boy Records diva Cassie's 2004 hit "Me and You." Similar to other R & B by way of zouk bass remixes of late, the slowed groove and sensuous vocal combine here in a hyper-sexualized way, making for a calming and near ambient listening experience.

Maybe one of the most intriguing stories in dance that nobody is following (but should be) is the global infiltration of Portugal's hyper-localized love of zouk bass, tarraxho, tarraxhina, kizomba and so many Angolan zouk derived genres. Different than moombahton's accidental tourist trip from reggaeton to cumbia to Dutch house to Dave Nada making a deft change of pace to keep a skip party alive, zouk bass (and it's related genres) is a much more intriguing tale. Portugal's relationship to Africa comes from Angola once being a colony of Portugal. Thus, the influence of African immigrants directly upon Buraka Som Sistema's creation of "Zouk Flute" is apparent. As well, if you listen to producers like King Kong, the DZC Crew, and other local-to-Portugal names, watching their sounds hit SoundCloud and then influence a direct spread of the style really informs this scene with a much more "root to the fruit" vibe than moombahton which preceded it.

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