Other Music
Portuguese pop-rock has grown particularly after the 1974 revolution. Other genres include a local version of hip hop, the Hip Hop Tuga (or Portuguese hip hop), mostly performed by the African Portuguese community - descendants of immigrants from former Portuguese colonies in Africa . Hip Hop Tuga is very popular among the younger and urban population in Portugal . The soft-pop music more common in Portugal is sometimes called Pimba, popular in the rural areas and among Portuguese immigrats in other countries. Other musicians include the globally recognized classic pianist Maria João Pires and the Portuguese guitarist Carlos Paredes.
As for dancing, Portugal has the traditional folklore (Ranchos Folclóricos), with many varieties from each region: Fandango, Corridinho and O Vira are some of them. Portugal shares with Angola a shared rhythm known as "Kuduro", a sort of 'hard samba' with fast movements and extreme sensuality and strong African rhythm.
It will be obvious that Portugal sustains a rich variety of traditional music, some of it still an integral part of a traditional way of life, some of it the result of conscious processes of preservation, and some of it partaking of both attributes. It also seems evident that, whatever dubious attempts at political co-option were made in the past, traditional music, revivalist and otherwise, is an important marker of both national and regional identities.
Some people defend, of course that, in fulfilling those roles, Portuguese traditional music must have political dimensions and implications, which are doubtless of considerable importance to the democratic regimes that have happily succeeded the long rule of the military; but it seems likely that the mechanisms by which ideology interacts with folklore are considerably healthier and more respectful now than in former times. It's also clear that, both for their variety and their quality, Portugal 's folk musics are among the most interesting and enjoyable to be heard in Europe .