Dendê Macêdo is a multi-instrumentalist, percussionist, and vocalist who also composes and arranges music. His first steps into the musical world were taken when he was only 14 years old. Currently, he divides his time between the United States and Brazil. Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, is where Dendê was raised by a single mother in an Afro-Brazilian household. Dendê’s rich musical tradition was set out by Candomblé ceremonies, which included singing and dancing. As a young man, he credits his religion with keeping him on the straight and narrow and helping him achieve success in his career today. So much so that his latest album, “Agô,” is heavily influenced by the religion’s numerous deities.
The album’s title track is derived from the Yoruba word “ago,” which means “to ask permission.” Priests and practitioners of Candomblé in Brazil use this phrase as an expression of reverence for the Orixas, which are deities that are associated with the religion. This is the reasoning behind why Dende chose this song and this phrase to serve as the album’s title. It features hypnotic percussion that helps transport you to a different wavelength all together. Other tracks on the album feature similar spiritual themes, such as “Epê Babà,” which revolves around a deity that represents peace and purity, and “Yemanjà,” which is about the deity that represents motherhood and fertility. The politically heated “Black Lives Matter” is nonetheless one of the album’s most notable tunes. The track utilizes afrobeat as its primary rhythm to honor the victims of police violence in the United States and Brazil. It advocates justice and equality as its central topics, detailing how this movement has affected black communities in both nations.
Often, excellent work needs a lot of dedication, perseverance, and time, and as you listen to the album, you can hear how much attention, passion, and effort went into crafting each song. The album fuses elements of Afro-Brazilian culture with upbeat songs and an eclectic palette of sounds to form invigorating universal themes and grooves that are as mesmerizing as they are energetic. As his joyous melodies and contemplative voices are accented by euphoric incantations, Dendê transports the listener further into the transcendent realms of the subconscious. It is accurate to state that Dendê’s music has a dreamlike quality. This is a potent hymn to the Orixas as a result of the interplay between the myriad of distinct components.
Edited by: Viola Karmy