NEW CURUMIN ON WAX!

The new Curumin album (his third) entitled 'Arrocha' will be released by Vinyl Land on April 18th. A limited run of 500 copies are available for pre-order now: BUY IT NOW! In the meantime, check out a cut from the record.... LISTEN

BIXIGA 70! MODERN AFROBEAT FROM BRAZIL

It's no secret that Afrobeat has enjoyed a resurgence over the last ten years, with bands from all over the world taking cues from the sound Fela Kuti created in Nigeria forty+ years ago. Bixiga 70 hail from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The band, while clearly influenced bu Kuti in both sound and name, also mixes elements of jazz, funk, soul, latin and dub into its heady musical stew.





LISTEN/DOWNLOAD TO THEIR ENTIRE ALBUM: CLICK HERE

SAMPA VIA CHICAGO - SAO PAULO UNDERGROUND

The third and best album yet from Sao Paulo Underground – formed by Chicago scene veteran and sonic adventurer Rob Mazurek – with a sound that's informed by the rhythms and creatively boundless possibilities of Tropicalia era Brazil and well beyond, along with the cosmic spirit of other Mazurek projects such as the Exploding Star Orchestra. This is hypnotic, attention seizing work that pushes boundaries and challenges tradition while still respecting it – it's never less than fully engrossing and pulls you right in, but it also skirts convention on just about every level. Mazurek's on coronet and electronics that fracture and fuzz out the atmosphere, creating some really dynamic interplay with instrumentation. Mauricio Takara is on cavaquinho, drums and percussion, Guilherme Granado on keys, loops, samples and percussion and Richard Ribeiro on drums. A pair of excellent tracks feature fellow modern greats with roots in the Chicago underground – vibes player Jason Adasiewicz and drummer John Herndon on "Just Lovin'" and "Six Six Eight" – the latter also featuring bass player Matthew Lux.

Cop it where we lifted it DUSTYGROOVE

BACK IN BLACK! (The Return of Banda Black Rio)

A brilliant new vision for the legendary Banda Black Rio – the pioneering samba, soul and funk combo that broke so much ground in the 70s and remain vital to this day – led here by William Magalhaes, in a mode that celebrates decades of the best Brazilian music, while fearlessly moving it forward! William's father Oberdan Magalhaes was a driving force behind the original Banda Black Rio, and we couldn't really imagine a more appropriate new vision for the group than his son's. William wrote or co-wrote each track and he sings, plays keys and synth, guitar, bass, drums and more. The expansive group brings a depth of percussion, horns, strings and vocals – delivering timeless and dexterous jazzy Brazilian funk and dancefloor soul. The guest list includes classic and contemporary greats like Seu Jorge, Elza Soares, Marcio Local and others.


Lifted from & available at Dustygroove
On LP or CD

AC CLUBE

Two new tracks from AC Clube, aka me and a friend. First up is Brazil Mouth, which welds a Candeia beat to baile funk. Staying in the same groove, Fogo bumps in the valley of the cheap beats.

Brazil Mouth_AC Clube by Clark Quente

Fogo_AC Clube by Clark Quente

February 2: Iemanjá Day

February 2nd is Iemanjá Day in Brazil. She is the Queen or Goddess of the Ocean, the patron deity of the fishermen and the survivors of shipwrecks, the feminine principle of creation and the spirit of moonlight.

Below is a clip from the excellent documentary Saravah, which was filmed by Pierre Barouh in 1969. The documentary features Baden Powell, Maria Bethania, Pixinginha and Paulinho Da Viola. Baden Powell plays the the song 'Canto de Iemanjá' from his classic Afro Sambas LP with Vinicius De Moraes.

You can watch it on netflix.

BK-ONE: Rádio do Canibal

Warm weather concepts from a cold, cold city... 'specially since it's dumping the white stuff all over the States at the moment... Rádio do Canibal dropped in 2009 (Rhymesayers), but it's still in heavy rotation 'round here. Brother Ali's DJ, BK-One joins forces with Twin Cities beatmaker Benzilla to create a wicked Hip Hop record which rocks a ton of beats from vintage Brazilian joints. Cut Chemist has done the same on his last two records, though mostly on the instro' tip. (Next post perhaps?) But the trainspotting beats is only part of the equation here. The rappers are all top shelf featuring appearances by Scarface, Slug (Atmosphere), Black Thought (The Roots), Brother Ali, Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan), Murs (Living Legends), Phonte (Little Brother), Haiku D' Etat (Aceyalone, Myka 9 & Abstract Rude), Blueprint, P.O.S. (Doomtree), The Grouch (Living Legends), I Self Devine, Toki Wright, Aby Wolf and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

Head over to youtube to check the other cuts featuring the rappers. Meantime here is Hypnotic Brass Ensemble with a slightly shorter version of 'Tema Do Canibal' from the album. Sweet promo video with great images of Brazil's legendary performers. Boom bap on samba beat!

Available on LP/CD/i tunes

HOW SOON IS NOW: BRAZIL ON 60 MINUTES

You may have your political opinions, but there is no doubt the nation of Brazil is on the big come up! Samba, soccer, beaches and world economic domination?! (Brazil is poised to jump England and France as the world's fifth largest economy.) As a former seven year resident of Rio de Janeiro, I really hope they can rise to the occasion and finally bring education to the masses as well as narrow the enormous gap between the rich and poor.

TRACE GOES TO BRASIL!

Trace magazine's latest (and final) issue is dedicated to Brazil! One of our favorite mags goes in on one of our favorite countries. It's win-win! The issue focuses on Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. Just in time to whet your appetite for carnival! On news stands now. Sad to see it go, though....

HARDCUORE YOURSELF

Hardcuore is the logo/company of Brazilian graphic artist Breno Pineschi, who has been working with art direction and graphic design since 2002. Breno and his team work in diverse fields, such as music, fashion, publishing, installations, motion graphics and visual identity among others. He has a major in graphic design and spent some time at New York’s School of Visual Arts. Hardcuore creates work that goes from underground graphic projects to installations for major companies, creating visuals for any possible media.

The firm also created work which was featured in Rio's successful bid for the Olympics.

I bumped into a kid at Lollapalooza with Breno's logo tattooed on his forearm and showed him the necklace. He freaked, asking me where he could buy one. (Kicking myself for not snapping a photo to document this serendipitous event...) Seems the necklaces have become a must have for musicians and DJs around the world. Stay tuned to find out how/where to purchase one...!

Check out the necklace below, as well as the stop motion animation he put together using Baile Funk.




Kele from Bloc Party and Dirt from The Bravery.

Limited series for Blue Man. Photo campaign (Brazil)

James Murphy from LCD SoundSystem and Anthony Rother.

DIG THE SITE: HARDCUORE

BRAZIL ON FILM / SIMONAL: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TOUGH IT WAS

When Wilson Simonal sings, “Girls in miniskirts are cool,” and a colorful photomontage splashes tropical club-hopping 1960s Rio de Janeiro across the screen, you’ll want to jump up and dance. But a drama of classical proportions ultimately unfolds in this exploration of the spectacular rise and infamous fall of the undisputed king of Brazilian popular music. A towering and much-beloved presence—no other black entertainer in Brazil had his own television show or performed so many concerts—Simonal held his (mostly white) audience in the palm of his hand. Archival footage shows Simonal—smooth, satirical and sarcastic—as he sings and hobnobs with a stream of celebrities, including memorable moments with an evidently smitten Sarah Vaughn. But a military dictatorship ruled his country ruthlessly, with daily arrests, torture and murder. Simonal enlisted the dreaded National Information Service to resolve a dispute with his accountant and then, whether from arrogance or naïveté, declared he was one of them. True or not, his career was finished. Family members, musician contemporaries like Paulo Moura and Tony Tornado, football legend Pelé, journalists, editors and television producers all give voice to the cultural and political complexities of the period, while addressing vital questions: Was Simonal a tropical happy face for repression and censorship? Were his critics ideologues and racists? Was he self-destructive? Even the abused accountant weighs in. From this masterful, multifaceted account emerges a modern-day Icarus, his downfall coming only after ascension to the dizziest heights of fame.

—Kathleen Denny

SEE A CLIP FROM THE FILM: CLICK HERE