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Back in the 15th century, Portugal's traders were traveling all over the world to new continents and horizons. You might think they were transporting slaves in those boats, but in fact this documentary makes another assertion: they were transporting cultural ambassadors. We at the Red Bull Music Academy have known for time that if you throw people from different cultures together, you can get some very exciting hybrids. Leave these people to stew over hundreds of years, and like a hand-made rug that feels soft on the feet, these interwoven hybrids become the foundations that modern artists and musicians build their expressions upon today.

The Lusophonic sphere and its history wouldn't be so rich if it wasn't for the cultures that have helped shape each other. Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, and Mozambique are just some of the cultures that have put their rhythms and dances into the pot, and helped create a unique axis of music. It wasn't all sunshine, though - dictatorships in Portugal and Brazil, and colonial regimes in Africa, had their hand in capoeira and the Tropicalia movement, as musicians, poets, artists and performers created in protest, and made missiles out of melodies. It's hard to claim the moral ground when you're clouting someone for whistling a tune. However, individuals and generations might pass, but a song can last millenia. When the lyrics deal with a battle for human rights, you've got a message that people will still be thinking on even when they're about to send their spaceship into hyperdrive to visit their relatives on Jupiter.

Fast forward to today and half the world resounds with the lusophone influence. Whether it's Creole Hip Hop, samples of Angola’s bangin’ Kuduro, or Portugal’s Fado folk music on 4/4, the global ‘Lusophony’ has trembled the bass cones of the Red Bull Music Academy sound system in Lisbon and all around Portugal. The 'Lusofonia A Revolucao' documentary gives us a history lesson on where we're coming from before bringing us smack up to date with the latest Afro-Brazilian-Portugese music. Capturing performances from a host of producers, musicians, singers, and MCs, and insights from journalists, historians and radio DJs, 'Lusofonia' gives us a glimpse into how a rich musical heritage has developed, and where it might going. The revolution is now!