2009 was a good year for Buraka Som Sistema. The Lisbon, Portugal-based crew put progressive kuduro on the map in 2007 with their M.I.A.-assisted track “Sound of Kuduro” and spent the past year promoting their acclaimed 2008 studio debut, Black Diamond, with electric live shows that can only be described as epic.  Their electro Afro-funk sound, soca rhythms, and—of course—kuduro-rave energy has swept the club scene around the world, so it’s no surprise that London’s legendary Fabric nightclub would call on BSS to head up FabricLive 49.

“The bass keeps coming, and coming, and coming and coming… and going and going and going and drops,” we’re informed on “Hey.” And drop it, they do; BSS assembles a mix that wades through grimy dubstep, electro, dancehall, Peruvian funk and features artists from across the globe—Angola, Portugal, France, Jamaica, Peru and the UK, among others. This is what we expect from the internationally-minded group, but it takes awhile for the styles to gel and for the mix to hit its stride in flow. The album opens with all the promise of building up to a peak of dancehall ecstasy, but peters out prematurely, only to pick up again thanks to Diplo and Laidback Luke with “Hey.” But even then, though the track features an epic bass drop, the mix doesn’t run with the same intensity that one would expect to follow.

Luckily, the album takes off running once we hit Skream’s “Fick” and the BSS we know and love is at it again. On album standout “Mermaid Dub,” BSS’ own DJ Riot slows it down to an almost magical pace, complete with twinkling harp sounds and echoing winds, effortlessly handing off the baton to Zomby, who continues the otherworldly exploration in the jungles of dub with “Dynamite Sandwich.” “Rock Yo Hips” serves as a welcome break from obscurity, with Crime Mob somehow making Lil Scrappy feel right at home amidst the glitches and more frenetic landscape of the album.

The latter half of the album continues along at a brisk speed, but avoids the pitfalls of the slightly disjointed beginning. By the time BSS hits the Buratronic mix of their “Deize Trigrona Acqyu Para Voce,” the party is in full swing. Djedjotronic  brings us back to more familiar territory with pulsating blips and breaks, and it’s hard to imagine anyone could sit still during Harvard Bass’ infectious “Caked.”  Just when the electro-fest seems to be taking over, however, BSS reminds us that this is an international party not limited to straight electronic, breaking with a truly lovely, melodic track from Peruvian band (though the members are  based in cities ranging from Hong Kong to Barcelona) Novalima entitled “Machete.”  Album closers by Major Lazer and BSS tie up the album, but in no way end the party—if these kids had their way, morning would never come… and with all their globetrotting and jet-setting, maybe it never has to.

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