It would be hard to say that 2009 has kicked off on a very dull note – what with Obama’s inauguration, a sweltering heat wave and the best line-up of Oscar movies in years. The Harbour City was also in full effect – holding the beloved Sydney Festival. Friday 30th was bringing about the end of such an epic month. There was one last act that needed to be seen, and that act was the Buraka Som Sistema, prophets of Portuguese Kuduro.

After hearing much admiration for the Beck’s Festival Bar, I was eager to see how the location turned out to be. The main performances kicked off at 9, with the KillaQueenz coming onstage to a relatively small crowd of whom I am guessing were dedicated fans. A few tracks in and it became obvious to tell that starlets from Sydney were screaming for more attention. After playing tracks such as Bitches and Sweaty Wet , KillaQueenz said their sweet goodbyes to a very solid set. The crowd was getting restless in anticipation for the Portuguese trio.

Buraka stole the stage at 10, starting their performance with the epic track Kalemba, better known as Wegue Wegue. It wasn’t hard to tell that the attendees were real music lovers ranging from late teens to late 50s; all of whom were having the time of their lives. It didn’t matter if you were a dedicated hip hop homie, a reggaeton honey who wanted to booty shake, or even just an average Joe on the lookout for something different; Buraka had something very special in store.

After energy levels seemed to peak during Wegue Wegue, the boys from Portugal took its crowd into whole different levels, mixing outlandish anthems with regular Buraka tracks. Songs from The Prodigy’s Breathe to Guns and Rose’s Sweet Child of Mine to Lil Wayne’s Millie were dropped, all containing hints of Buraka. Only from the Som Sistemas would you hear a reggae version of The Prodigy’s No Good (Start The Dance) mixed with Marina Gasolina and then metamorphosised into the Som Sistema’s IC19. That, my friends, if you couldn’t imagine it, was pure euphoria.

Buraka ended their performance with an extended version of Sounds of Kuduro, during which the MC was calling ladies to the stage. I guess I didn’t want the night to end on a very misogynist note, so I took it upon myself to get on stage as well. Boy was the security guard quick to jump into action.

After Buraka had finished, Ro Sham Bo came on. Sadly enough for them, there was a massive exodus of the crowd to the bars. An hour into the set, after some solid mixing, Killaqueenz came back on stage and collaborated with the boys, spicing up the late hours of the night. As a whole, Ro Sham Bo played a decent set, but Buraka had already played most of the prime material, so songs were often being played twice.

FBI’s showcase with Buraka Som Sistema was the perfect end to a marathon month. My only hope is 2009 continues the momentum. Funnily enough, we saw the boys from Portugal walking home. That’s right – walking home – and I gave them my fist of approval. I’ll leave you now with the only Portuguese I learnt from the gig: “Boom-cha-cha-chiki-chiki-cha!”