Since 2018, BaBaDan Banda de Rua (BaBaDan Street Band) has been a vibrant presence in the alleys and streets, theaters, cultural spaces, and carnivals of the great Belo Horizonte area, in Brazil. Their mission is to create an afro-mineiro sound while emphasizing the need for aquilombamento (communitarian connection based on the historical model of Quilombos) and reconnecting with our ancestral roots.
Babadan Banda de Rua was born from the desire of musicians to create a sound that blends three important traditions of the State of Minas Gerais: Congado, Candomblé, and the traditional sound of Minas Gerais bands. Babadan Banda de Rua is grounded in the musical practices of the colonial era in Brazil, when wind instruments’ sonority prevailed. The base of their percussion section features instruments like atabaques, djembes, Reinado snares, patangomes, gungas, and reco-recos, used in the Reinado Mineiro and in Candomblé. The repertoire is predominantly instrumental, focusing on original compositions and re-readings of works by renowned Brazilian musicians, with the Band’s own arrangements.
Musical influences span afro-mineiro rhythms, the sacred beats of Candomblé, samba, afrobeat, afro-cuban, jazz, funk, soul, among others.
The Babadan Banda de Rua Collective offers a range of artistic products, including stage shows, parades, educational concerts, and workshops/lessons in wind instruments, percussion, and dance. They also participate as guests in collaborations with other artists.
In 2020, Babadan Banda de Rua released their debut album titled "Anunciano." In 2021, they released the singles "Sete Ondas" and "Zamba Ben," in partnership with Sérgio Pererê and Júlia Ribas, respectively. Additionally, the collective contributed to the songs "Manganá" and "Labareda" on the album Mozamba by Josy.Anne, released in 2022.
