Feature photo by Érre Ortega. Photo above by Prefeitura de Olinda.
I thought my collection of Brazilian music was pretty impressive… until I went to Brazil.
“Do you like our music?” someone asked me. “Love it!” I said, ticking off the names of Brazilian icons: Caetano Veloso, Joao Gilberto, and Astrud Gilberto. Sure, I knew they were old school, but there’s something about Joao Gilberto whisper-singing “‘S wonderful, ‘s mahvelous, that you should care for me” that’s timeless, right?
Um, no. My utter uncoolness was revealed. Saying I listened to Veloso, Gilberto, and Gilberto was like a Brazilian coming to the States and saying he listened to Paul Anka, Elton John, and Joni Mitchell.
Brazil’s music scene is more—much more– than bossa nova and samba. Here are just a few samples of the artists and kinds of music Brazilians are into right now:
O Funk Proibidão
This raw but hyper danceable music started in the early 90s in the favelas in Rio. It’s basically constructed from Miami bass and booty beats with MCs rhyming.
Funk Proibidão is the underground music that is recorded and played at parties and spread through cd’s, mixed tapes. As far as lyrical content however, “that shit is laced in with the gangs and narcos” is how one one Matadorian puts it.
Similar to when The Chronic was dominating US clubs in the early 90s, one group Brazilian group, Mc Cidinho e Doca, had the hottest song last year.
Marcelo D2
Hip hop is going off in Brazil. Down there they call it hippe-hoppe. One of the most innovative rappers is Marcelo D2 (check vid above), who mixes samples of bossa nova and other traditional forms into his music.
Alceu Valenca
At 62, Alceu Valenca might seem better classified in the greatest hits section, but what keeps Brazilians listening is the artist’s obvious love of music and his ongoing experimentation with form, genre, and… performance.
Valenca, who’s been referred to as the “Brazilian Bobby Dylan” and the “Brazilian Mick Jagger,” is able to blend folk, rock, and traditional styles into a sound that’s distinctly his own. His shows are characterized by elaborate costume changes and crowd-pleasing favorites, like “Morena Tropicana.”
His 2009 release, “Ciranda Mourisca,” isn’t available in the US yet, but a promotional CD hints at mysterious gypsy-like sounds, yet another addition to Valenca’s repertoire.
Photo by writingjulie.
Siba e a Fuloresta
Siba e a Fulorestais the 40 year old founder and front man of this 10 person group, whose youngest member is 19 and whose oldest is 75. Siba’s musical trajectory might seem backward to those obsessed with the-next-big-thing: after moving from his hometown to the city, he then moved back home to discover his musical roots, building his performance cred in hardcore street shows.
“Street music prepared us for everything,” he said to me in an interview, “improving the relationship with the audience, our ability to deal with problems, everything.”
Siba cites jazz, North African music, 60s and 70s rock, and the troubadour poetry of Brazil as some of his persistent influences, and these genres exert themselves subtly in a musical niche that he and his group-mates are carving out for themselves.
Three of our recommendations come from Alex Robinson, Brazilian music aficionado, former resident of Sao Paulo, and author of Footprint’s Brazil Handbook.
Coletivo Radio Cipó
“I’m currently listening to loads of music from Belém in the mouth of the Amazon. It’s one of the most exciting places for music in Brazil at the moment. I particularly like Coletivo Radio Cipó, who fuse local carimbó beats with reggae, rap, and penetrating social commentary.
Photo by Festival Calango.
La Pupuña
“I also love La Pupuña, who play a kind of psychedelic Amazonian surf rock broken by sound effects from the river– like the chug of long-tail boats and the call of birds. They have just released a carimbó version of “Dark Side of the Moon” called “Charque Side of the Moon,” named in honour of the local beef jerky.
Madame Saatan
“And then there’s Madame Saatan, fronted by Sammliz, a delicate, wispy singer with a face like a model and a voice as big and rich as Mariah Carey. But she’s no R’nB diva – Madame Saatan’s Devorados is as fast and relentless as Metallica. And it paints a bleak picture of the self-destructive lives of many in poor urban Brazil.”
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Marcelo D2 has the sort of popular, mainstream hiphop style, but Racionais MCs deserve a listen. Funk is too raunchy and violent for me, so I listen instead to the funny white boy funk of Bonde do Role. Cansei de Ser Sexy deserves a mention in this sentence (they did an iPod commercial), if anything, for the spirit of modernity. For more refined electronic, catch Suba (now deceased). Siba e a Fuloresta was preceded by Mestre Ambrosio, part of the Manguebeat movement with Chico Science & Nação Zumbi and Mundo Livre S/A. Mundo Livre and Nação Zumbi are still making great music today. Siba e a Fuloresta would not exist without the musical traditions of the rural northeast. Learn more by reading "Brazilian Music" by Larry Crook. Along the same lines catch Comadre Fulozinha, Maciel Salu, Renata Rosa and Tiné. Coletivo Radio Cipó is part of a growing generation of musicians in Brazil, mixing styles, innovating. Check out Guaraloop, Academia da Berlinda, DJ Dolores, Orquestra Contemporanea de Olinda, Bonsucesso Samba Clube, Cinval Coco Grude, Eddie, Mula Manca & A Fabulosa Figura, Otto… Indie rockers should listen to Los Hermanos, Marcelo Camelo and O Teatro Magico, while Cordel de Fogo Encantado is a must for fans of progressive and hard rock. Alceu Valença is not one of my favorites. He's become quite repetitive after so many years of music (unlike Caetano Veloso or Gilberto Gil), but he wrote some good songs at his peak. He's being slowly replaced by the much younger Silverio Pessoa (formerly of the group Cascabulho). Going back in time, Os Mutantes are an obvious choice for the 60s and Os Novos Baianos for the 70s. Tom Zé if you feel a bit experimental.
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I grew up in Florida and was weaned on 2Live Crew et al; I totally dig the raunch of Funk Carioca, and like Florida Bass, there's nothing like dancing to it at a crowded, sweaty house party. Still…where's Ivete? Vanessa da Mata? Max de Castro? Ana Carolina? Mart'nalia? I know it's all MPB, but it's called MPB for a reason, no? Also, I picked up a R$4 disc on the bus in Sampa over the holidays: a reggae-fusion group called Julgados Culpados, with pan-Latin beats and lyrics in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Check 'em out on MySpace.
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Hi, Ernesto and Fly Brother– Thanks for your additions. No doubt– this list could be more than a mile long. Brazil's a huge country and trying to reduce the list down to 3-5 artists is impossible (just begging people to write, "Hey! You forgot…." That's the best feature of an article like this, though– it invites people to add their favorites. I included artists I met and interviewed and who drew enormous, enthusiastic crowds in Recife and Olinda when I was there, as well as recommendations of others who know a thing or two about Brazilian music.
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Thanks for the article and the comments, I love looking into new bands from other countries and listening to fresh tunes, gives me more of a reason to go there, and Brazil right now is a huge name on my must go to list.. just need a lot of time..
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Try “O Rappa”, “Farofa Carioca” and “Los Hermanos”.
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Interesting point made above by Fly Brother: “I know it’s all MPB, but it’s called MPB for a reason, no?”. I’ll elaborate.
/// If we judge strictly by the music that is popular in TV shows (soap-operas), in music videos, on the radio and in concerts as our basis for “what people are listening to”… then, yes, the list is radically different. We must then mention axé (e.g. Ivete Sangalo), electronic forró, modern sertanjea (or “romaneja”, e.g. Victor e Leo), pop-emo-punk (American-influenced, e.g. NXZero), pagode (watered-down samba), MPB (e.g. Vanessa da Mata) and Anglo music (quite strong in Brazil, as around the world).
/// Alceu Valença and Siba get special treatment during Carnaval because their music is folkloric (and not pop) in nature. Cipó and a lot of the groups I mentioned have (still) underground followings, but many haven’t achieved commercial success.
/// It happens in every country. “What people are listening to” is not always going to necessarily equate to “what music is going to be interesting for foreigners”.
/// PS: I have not having line breaks in comments.
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