Blocos/batucadas from working-class neighbourhood in Madrid. Colective percussion as a social class culture

Abstract

Influenced by Afro blocos and European anti-globalization movements, the first Brazilian drum blocos (batucadas) were formed in Madrid during the first decade of the millennium. Their continuous presence in the streets in the years of the crisis and later in the 15M movement has turned them into a cultural and essential phenomenon in any popular progressive claim. Some of them, whether located at or linked to the neighborhoods and / or anti-capitalist movements of the working-class districts in the city, become part of their daily environment by participating in local demands and festivities. Their music, intended as a tool for social transformation, contributes to the neighborhood network and its citizen coexistence. This essay traces the history of the blocos which are born or located in the working-class districts of Madrid city, both in the northern area (Hortaleza and Fuencarral) and in the southern area (Carabanchel, Vallecas and Usera); while analyzing their organization, development and connections from their beginnings in the early years of the millennium to the present time.