Brasil Music Exchange
The Brasil Music Exchange show is a brand new city-hopping trip across Brazil. It’s the sound of Brazil right NOW, featuring independent artists from all over the country. From tropical rock to indie pop, bass beats and hip hop, Brasil Music Exchange brings you the best new tracks direct from the source, all selected and presented by Brazilian music expert, Jody Gillett.
The first Brasil Music Exchange show launched in February and showcases new music from each of the 12 host cities of this year’s summer of sport in Brazil. Each subsequent show will focus on the music and artists from the 12 host cities and beyond, starting with Recife and Rio de Janeiro in March, Salvador and Sao Paulo in April, and Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal & Belem (Amazon/North) in May.
Below Jody gives us the lowdown on each of the artists featured in the first show, one from each of the 12 host cities. Take it away Jody…
1. ‘Tá Amarrado’ by OQuadro (Salvador, Bahia
Hip hop crew OQuadro do old school, with Brazilian rules. They mix conscious rap with funky rock and Afro-Brazilian candomblé rhythms. Bahia, in north-east Brazil, has the strongest African heritage in the country and OQuadro deliver that culture upfront to the dance-floor.
2. ‘Maná’ by Rodrigo Amarante (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)
Rodrigo Amarante’s first band, Los Hermanos, were bonafide platinum pop stars in Brazil in the 90s. Since then he’s worked with Devendra Banhart and Fabrizio Moretti from The Strokes and is a featured singer with Rio’s samba super-group Orchestra Imperial. This is a track from his first solo album – a really beautiful introspective set called Cavalo.
3. ‘Qasida’ by Siba (Recife, Pernambuco)
Recife is way up in the North-East. Musically it was considered a sleepy backwater until a creative explosion called Manguebeat put the state of Pernambuco on the map. It was a real celebration of the local, hooked into international sounds, and it had a pivotal influence on Brazil’s contemporary musical identity. Siba was a Manguebeat original, and he remains a key figure. His new album Avante is a kind of tropical rock trip into his mind.
4. ‘Cretino’ by DuSouto (Natal, Rio Grande do Norte)
DuSouto is a DJ and producer from the coastal city of Natal. He mixes up Brazilian dance rhythms with electronic beats and comes up with new sounds, like bregatón (brega + reggaeton). This track Cretino is a ragga-xote crossover.
5. ‘Mundo Loco’ by Karol Conka (Curitiba, Paraná)
Karol Conka is one of the very few female Brazilian hip hop artists to break out of the underground. She is touring all over Brazil right now with her award-winning debut album Batuk Freak. She mashes up hip-hop with baile funk, trap and Afro-Brazilian beats – a uniquely Brazilian mix.
6. ‘Iracema Hot Sound’ by DJ Guga de Castro (Fortaleza, Ceará)
DJ Guga de Castro has been rocking Fortaleza beach parties for years, creating new tropical dance crazes like house-carimbó and ska-tecnobrega. You can hear the accordion on this track which is a typical North-Eastern sound – it’s the trademark of forró which is the most popular party music up there.
7. ‘O Homem Sem Face’ by MC Sombra (São Paulo, SP)
VIDEO – O Homem Sem Face by MC Sombra
MC Sombra is from Brazil’s hip hop capital, São Paulo. It’s an incredible megacity, home to over 20 million people. MC Sombra is one of the rising stars on the scene, with a really diverse sound. This is a track from his amazing second solo album Fantástico Mundo Popular.
8. ‘Estive’ by Vanguart (Cuiabá, Mato Grosso)
VIDEO – Estive by Vanguart
Vanguart are leading lights on Brazil’s huge indie rock scene. Their new album Muito Mais Que O Amor has a more poppy feel than their previous two releases. One of their songs – Meu Sol – has been picked up for a soap opera soundtrack which is a big deal in Brazil for an independent band. Maybe that’s why they’re sounding so upbeat!
9. ‘Cartão Postal’ by Apanhador Só (Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul)
Apanhador Só are from way down south in Porto Alegre. Their new album, Antes Que Tu Conte Outra won the 2013 APCA best album award, a really prestigious Sao Paulo critics’ prize. They have a very experimental, discordant sound which is a world away from the much more straight-ahead rock and country music that their state is famous for. This track is a gentle introduction!
10. ‘Sai Fora’ by Flavio Renegado (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais)
Flavio Renegado is a really good example of how open Brazilian hip hop is to embracing different influences. This track is essentially a samba. It’s kind of a natural fit with hip hop in Brazil, as originally samba was sung by and for Brazil’s most marginalized communities. So in a way hip hop there is taking on that mantle.
11. ‘Churrasco de Gato’ by Os Tucumanus (Manaus, Amazonas)Os Tucumanus are from Manaus, one of the biggest cities on the Amazon River. They have a great, loose, party feel, with the twangy guitar sound that comes from a style called guitarrada that’s played all over the region. This track translates as Cat Barbecue, it’s a jokey recipe for a fun night out in the jungle!
12. ‘Loro on Loro’ by Sexy-Fi (Brasilia, D
We’ve arrived in the capital! Brasilia is an incredible city, bang in the centre of the country. It was built as a kind of utopian mission in the 1950s, with amazing modernist architecture designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Sexy-Fi are appropriately cosmopolitan, mixing alt-rock with tropical-chic, and a swinging horn section on this track from their new album Nunca Te Vi De Boa.
And stay updated on their twitter feed here…
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