Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany, have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7”s and three critically acclaimed full length albums, they have set a high bar for themselves—one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their fourth album “BRSB,” Bacao are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to underground album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago.
While part of the allure of a new Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band album is finding out what covers they do, it is equally intriguing to see what original tunes they cooked up, and this record is full of stand out originals. The album opener, “In the Crosshairs” is a rough and tough mid tempo head nodder, while both “Grilled” and “Treasure Quest” pick up the tempo, with heavy African Funk influences on both. Bacao goes deep with “Hazy Memories,” a bass-heavy slow burner that walks a line between hypnotic and hype. All these originals stand as testament that the term “cover band” is a shoe that could never fit Bacao. However, in the tradition of steel pan music, they do a heavy amount of covers. This time around there is a big West Coast Hip Hop influence with covers of Game & 50 Cent, Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg, and Tupac, all of which take on new energy and lend themselves to the Bacao steel treatment, and of the contemporary smash hit section of Hop.
Bacao takes the listener on a journey spanning a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while keeping it all under one umbrella.
Tickets are CHF 28 and CHF 32.

Website
kaserne-basel.ch/en/events/bacao

Where
Rossstall, Kaserne Basel
Klybeckstrasse 1b
4057 Basel

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