Thursday, April 26, 2012

Short Step

Afro Brazilian musical culture, as most of us know around the world, is represented by samba and other stylized forms like bossa-nova. Contrary to the USA's African American culture, the Afro Brazilian culture has suffered a great deal with third world economical resources and the poor geo-political environment. Afro Brazilian youth has an amazing uphill struggle to develop their music under a climate of extreme violence with a lack of musical instruments, studio resources and musical education. Rio Funk or Funk Carioca is the greatest expression of this reality, loved by many and hated by equal amounts, it is something that divides the nation and brings together several different social classes, doing their erotic dances, singing gang war chants and many pornographic lyrics. Short Step is an experiment into this musical style produced by Nanogiants and released by Quantitum Records. Find out more on www.quantitum.net and see their video on youtube http://youtu.be/t2YlAcgYgW4.

Friday, April 20, 2012

A Long Way To The Top

Day 3, Friday 3pm and I arrived in Itaipava, a mountain city one hour away from Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. I'm here to meet one of the 100 greatest guitarists in the world...but it's a long way to the top in the rock and roll song book of fame. Itaipava is like a subtropical Swiss Alps, it is high, green, green and green. I leave the bus and meet Coppos the bass player and Vianna the lead guitarist at the city station. They are dressed in their informal rock and roll song book look, but tropical style, the kind of gear needed to brave the summer at 41C outdoor. Even in the mountains aircon is required, especially for those arriving from much cooler climates like the Northern European winter I just left behind. We are driving to Vianna's studio - by the way Vianna is among the 100 greatest guitarists in the world or perhaps even the 50 greatest, or even higher. We are going to meet Leila Maria to record her vocals on a new rock and roll song, Rio style. We cross the check point at the gated community and start climbing the condominium's pretty, well paved road with polished rocks and nice looking coarse tropical grass. We pass this big house, then that even bigger house, climbing higher and higher and a question springs to mind - are we there yet? No, I don't care how long it takes. The view is stunning; the conversation is nice and animated while Vianna steers his muddy green VW up the hill. After another tree and another house, we arrive; here we are at the very top of this luxurious condominium surrounded by bountiful, lush green. Rocky and Bucylady come to greet us barking and wagging their tales, two very welcoming hosts. The happy mongrels follow us all the way to the studio, a little yellow bungalow beside a huge rock surrounded by high, fruit filled trees. As soon as I enter the studio I see Leila and her smile for the very first time. A tall and elegant person, what a reception, great fraternal vibes and there and then I know I am among talented people, not only with one of the 100 greatest guitarists in the world, but vocal talent and creative talent. I have no doubt. We spent a couple of hours, tweaking, listening, commenting and recording Leila's vocal on our rock and roll song. Actually is is not a rock and roll song and it is not a bossa nova song. The song requires a certain unusual mood and we have to create that from scratch. Vianna, in his 100 greatest guitarists' style, records a new guitar solo, Coppos records a new bass line and we were all very satisfied with the final result. A new not quite rock and roll song is born, it is digital bossa, bossa blues, blues bossa and it's Groove n' Bossa at its best. The band is faithful to its Brazilian rock and roll song and blues-rock early origins and Rio's bossa roots, they try to make sure it's all there. I help to produce it and today a new single is born. Now I have the tune on my Android phone, that is fun to have one of the 100 greatest guitarists on my phone and knowing that soon it will go out as an itunes download. We also shoot a video to register the encounter and just days later it will be on Youtube to delight viewers. The not quite rock and roll song is called "Sexy" the same title as Groove n Bossa's new album. We made 3 versions available for download; Portuguese, English and instrumental. The name says it all, it is called sexy because Itaipava is sexy, Rio is sexy, our not quite rock and roll song is sexy, airplanes are sexy, champagne is sexy, sexy design, sexy feelings and Marco Vianna's 100 greatest guitarists' sexy solo style is sexy.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Nilson Batata - I Hope You Come


Latin percussion has come a long way since arriving in Afro-Cuban New York and its vibrant melange with Jazz. It was first introduced in Rock and Pop music by Carlos Santana’s Band in the late 70’s and since than percussion (congas, bongos, bells and effects) has become the way to bring a touch of Latin and Afro flavour to all kinds of musical styles. We already have learned to appreciate and understand all great Brazilian percussionists like Airto Moreira, Nana Vasconcelos and Paulinho da Costa. Now in the 21st century Brazil is giving us another inspiring musician that is innovating in the use of percussion, placing it into a new variety of in vogue musical styles, thus adding the Afro-Brazilian percussive sounds to electronic dance from Lounge to Trance. Nilson Batata is an extremely talented musician, singer and composer. His music has a very contemporary feel and he is also blessed with the spiritual vibes of Bahia and the sensuality purveyed in Rio de Janeiro. If you have been to the beach night clubs in Morro de Sao Paulo or experienced a sunset in the trendy beach cafes of Ibiza, you know that feeling; you can easily understand the vibes and sounds coming from Batata’s music and his collaboration with promising DJs. Not only DJs are interested in Batata, some well know jazz musicians have noticed this man’s musicality and invited him to collaborate. Batata has participated in projects with people like Stanley Jordan, Hermeto Pascoal, Milton Nascimento, Stanley Clack and many more. He will be releasing his first single in the UK on this spring/summer 2012 -the release is called “I Hope You Come”. We hope he will come to Europe to give us his live performance and maybe he will add a few workshops for those wishing to learn and get infected with his vibes. The song on the single was composed by Batata and Glauton Campello and also enjoys the participation of Arthur Maia on the bass. It sounds like a trip to heaven inside a spaceship with a club, health spas and many awesome surfing beaches. Check out the mix on Quantitum Records’ site, his healthy attitude and vibrant sensual sounds are truly contagious.