Lima, Pedro
Recordar E Viver: Antologia, Vol. 1 (2lp)
Rare and unreleased '80s bangers from Sao Tomé & Principe's most iconic singer. Pursuing their work with their friend DJ Tom B, Bongo Joe Records is proud of sharing the fourth effort on their Sao Tomé & Principe series: 'Recordar é Viver,' the first volume of an anthology dedicated to the one and only Pedro Lima, "A voz do povo de Sao Tomé" (the people's voice of Sao Tomé). 'Recordar é Viver: Antologia Vol. 1' features some previously unreleased tracks and gives a comprehensive look into the discography of one of the islands' biggest stars, known for his political outspokenness as much as for his soft voice, delicate rumbas, and high-energy puxas. With his band Os Leonenses he built a brand new genre around the strong rhythms and infectious energy of Sao-Toméan samba socopé ("only with the feet" in Portuguese), but with the influence of Congolese soukous, Cape Verdean coladeira, elements from French West-Indies cadence/compas, and Brazilian afoxé, it soon developed into the infectiously danceable style known as "puxa." The band kept playing together up until Pedro's death in 2019, performing at large events around the islands and on the continent. But Pedro shined also on his own. Alone, he demonstrated his compositional skills and ability to balance the band's powerful rhythm section with Sao Tomé & Principe's harmonic backing vocal traditions, creating strong, dance floor ready puxas or melodic, delicate rumbas. Pedro Lima died in 2019, leaving behind the 23 children he fathered, with thousands of mourners accompanying him to his final resting place. The public funeral, paid for by ex-president Pinto da Costa, was one of the biggest the islands have ever seen. Lima, "O cantor do povo" ("the people's singer"), was buried with his wireless microphone, so his powerful voice would always be heard.