Neon Colonialismo is the new album (the first under his own artistic persona since 2014) by Batida aka Pedro Coqueñao, the Angolan born, Lisbon-raised artist who has been working and interacting with way more than a single medium (radio, music, dance, visual arts) and is viewed as a major catalyst of the Afro-electronic scene.

As with most of Batida’s work, this album is built around a collaborative ethos, and features legendary figures, from Bonga and Botto to Branko (to name but the “Bs”…). It’s provocative, intended to be danced to, to think to, and probably also to smile to. Colonialism seems to be (literally) a centerpiece, both from visual and  thematic viewpoints. Neon Colonialismo is about light, and is coming out on Crammed Discs on the 21st of October 2022.

“I could talk about a new Lisbon that blinks and shines, but that’s not the idea. Acknowledging history is the only way to honour its beautiful natural light”, says Batida.

The intention of the new album is clear: to provoke both movement and thought, while directly pointing to the colonial past.
Neon Colonialismo aims at evolving from darkness to light. As indicated in the sleeve notes:
Reparar: to repair, in Portuguese, is the same verb as to notice, perceive and become aware of as it is to restore.

Batida’s songs operate simultaneously on two planes: a historical approach which is concerned with social changes, and a personal & biographical dimension, as is the case with Bom Bom, the magical song (and video) written and recorded with Mayra Andrade, which introduced the album in the spring of 2022.

Batida’s modus operandi has always been to meet and collaborate. This album features his old-time friend Ikonoklasta, as well as an impressive list of guests including past, current and future legends from Angola, Portugal, Brasil, Cabo Verde and the UK. By order of appearance: DJ Satelite, Bonga, Mayra Andrade, Poté, Nástio Mosquito, DJ Dolores, Octa Push, Lia de Itamaracá, Mário Lúcio, Botto Trindade, Pedro da Linha, João Morgado and Branko.

Neon Colonialismo thus connects both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and this is reflected in the way the album was made: even though Lisbon is Batida’s base, the ten tracks were created during travels between Luanda, Évora, Berlin, Recife, London and back to Lisbon. Carried by subtle, refined production, they use real instrumentation and electronics, alternate between vocal and instrumental songs, and touch upon several genres along the way, from afro dancefloor music to kazucuta to semba house and other styles yet to be defined.

Batida will be performing all around Europe and beyond. If you don’t catch one of his sets, tune in to WorldwideFM to listen to his monthly show, entitled… Neon Colonialismo!


“There’s certain types of music that come out of Portugal, Lisbon, over the years... All of this is sort of linked together for me by this one producer who goes by the name of Batida. It’s just on another level in terms of how he presents his show, how he approaches his music making, whether he is DJing or performing live, or adding visuals, philosophically just how he goes about his business.”
Gilles Peterson - BBC6 Music

“It’s as if the ‘global sound’ tag had been invented to describe his work. Born in Angola and raised in the melting pot that is the Portuguese capital, Pedro Coquenão’s moniker, Batida (“beat” in Portuguese) evokes rhythm in its most proteiform definition. He’s immersed himself in the flux of cultural exchanges which irrigate the shores of the African and European continents, approached them through an electronic music prism and made them his favourite playground.”
François Moreau - Les Inrockuptibles