Musica Do Brazil VI

Hard to believe this has gone to six editions. Mostly me rambling on about music! But still, there were three threads before the crash and maybe the IV'th you can still see on this site from 2002.

Why the new thread? Figured it would be good to freshen it up a bit and start from scratch - I didn't think I'd be finding a lot of music lately since my tastes have altered a bit but that honestly hasn't happened. I think there's still plenty of new artists, new releases from old artists, featured interviews, kwinkidinks of cds and songs, stuff like that to make this as good as the other threads. The format will be the same though as far as what I add to it. And as always please feel free to drop your own lines, reviews and questions! There's a lot of music coming out this summer. From Bebel Gilberto's highly anticipated sophomore release, a remix project on Rosalia De Souza's "Garota Moderna", Trio Mocoto's "Beleza Beleza Beleza" and of course, Brazilectro and the folks from Schema will chip in too!

First few items I hope to pick up soon are a compilations. The first is titled 'Brazilation'. Should be interesting. Next one's Rio Lounge vol 3. Amazing - that one's 10 bucks in Germany... 20 something here. Also have to review Fernanda Porto's last release and hopefully Soul Bossa Trio's tunes too. And then between now and the last thread a good friend hooked me up with some tunes from Brazil with some classics from a couple of all-time greats - Miucha (Bebel Gilberto's mother, Chico Buarque's sister) and Sonia Rosa.


Brazilation

Don't be shy! Bossa isn't just from Brazil, so there will be tunes here from all over the world. Whether it be from Japan or Germany or Italy or France... wherever.

 

Compilation, Compilation, Compilation!

Man, I wish I had - I'm gonna check it out now though. Thanks for the hook-up! If you do check it out let me... heck let all of us know how it is. I'm pumped that she's coming out with a new album. I heard she's using a few of the producers that worked with Dido, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, etc. Hope that doesn't scare anyone! lol It won't have Suba, but heck, it's Bebel! Hey, here's a website that I go to where you can find out who's coming out with new albums. The label is Ziriguiboom/Crammed, and in the US they release their music under "Six Degrees Records".

http://www.crammed.be/

Here's one that I picked up sometime earlier this month. It's called "Brazilounge II". The first one I never got but figured I'd give this one a try to see how it is.



It's two discs of electric laced Brazilian tracks. But IMO, it's nothing to really get worked up over. Track 1 of CD 1 starts out pretty smooth actually, I can dig the first song. But some of the tracks overdo it on the gimmicky side and I found myself skipping over quite a few tunes... to the point where I was thinking... "Damn, I bought a dud." But then there were some redeeming tracks later on in the CD, like Kaliedoscopio's "Tudo Passa" and "Meu Guarda Chuva". But since a better version of Meu Guarda Chuva is available on a cheaper... and better... compilation titled "A Rough Guide to Brazilian Electronica" that's not so redeeming after all. In the end I'd say give it a pass because CD two was forgettable to me altogether. What's the point of having a double disc set if only 2 of the 25 or so tracks are any good? In the end I'd say pass and go for "A Rough Guide..." or check out some of Compost's artists like "Faze Action" or the "Nova Latino" series. But if you do want it - get it cheap at a local shop... used. lol

On a more positive side, I've been digging Nova Latino vol 1 lately although it's sort of old hat now. This series wasn't too organized compared to the higher level Brazilectros or Break & Bossa's. But still they put out some good tracks with a mixed vibe. Nova Latino vol 1 has many of the familiar faces: Mark De Clive Lo, Bebel Gilberto, Nicola Conte, Stratospheric, Mo Horizon's, St. Germain, Rinocerose, Da Lata, etc. So chances are you're going to have some overlap if you collect cd's like Brazilectro, Rio Lounge, Brazilified, Bossa Brava or Bossa Mundo even. But it's still got a few good tunes that might otherwise be overlooked:



I'd been considering picking up Nova Latino III which was released in the US this winter. But I hadn't because of the gross overlap in cuts. But CHECK THIS OUT!



But then again, I guess I should say don't be too excited. This was just released on Monday in Europe and has stuff from Brazilectro 5, Rio After Dark, etc. What puts this series behind is that the tracks aren't so fresh and they don't have the exclusive releases that Break & Bossa/Brazilectro/Glucklich/Brazil 5000 usually have. I'll still check this one out though and review it- I'm curious about the "Falsa Bahiana"... and if they take cuts from "Rio Lounge" too now!

 

BRAZILUTION Edition 5.2

Sorry... it is 1 AM, I did some music searching and check this out!


Brazilution 5.2

Brazilution II! So not only will there be a Brazilectro 6, there will also be a new Brazilution!

Brazilution is different from the Brazilectro series for three main reasons. It's produced/distributed by Ministry of Sound Germany instead of Audiopharm. It has its tracks mixed instead of stand alone. And the vibe is more of a chillout feel, whereas Brazilectro has some upbeat cuts, soakin' up summer sun songs. When these came out, I think there was a miscommunication between the labels - Brazilution called itself "edition 5". Meanwhile, Audipharm release another Brazilectro a month later which they titled Volume 5. So in a way there were two Brazilectro 5's! I guess MOS is going for the 5 label and making this one "5.2".

I have no idea what the track selection will be but do know it will be released in Europe on May 17th. Most likely it will have some original artists and acts like Justin, Janice Andrade, Moodorama and a few new acts and artists that Audiopharm/MOS want to promote who have latin touches. Brazilectro 6 will be released in the US on July 6th. The core of this series is still Audiopharm's guys, so you will see some unreleased and exclusive cuts that the piggy-back commercial comps will release next summer... that is, summer of 2005. lol Good stuff! I will keep everyone updated when I can find more information.


Brazilution 5
Brazilution 5

 

Milton, Tours and Track-listings

You stumped me with Milton - I don't own his individual albums! I've seen a few and always meant to but just never did. The style of singing he performs, I'm not sure what to call it. Where he uses his voice as an instrument. But I did find some links about him. The first is in English, the second in Portuguese.

http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/feature/nascimento.html

http://www.cantinho.com/MiltonNascimento/

Labdarugo's more an expert on Trio Mocoto than I am too. He's right - check out www.crammed.be. It's the label that they're with right now. Thanks for the tip with Cibelle - I'm trying to make arrangements to check her out but doubt I'll be able to.

I did find out the tracklisting to Brazilution 5.2. The ones with a * are the exclusive cuts not yet released. Here it is:

Disc 1
01. Marcos Valle – Parabens
02. Patricia Marx – Submerso
03. Ian Pooley – Sentimento*
04. Nature’s Pan feat. Azymuth and C. Andersson –
Somewhere Beyond
05. Tricatel Inc. – Alegria*
06. Concorde à L’Orange feat. Rye – Ailton Ligeiro*
07. Jazzinho – Constelação (quant rmx)
08. Hacienda feat. J-Ross – Sleepin’ Stone*
09. Janice – O Avesso da Vida*
10. Max de Castro - Samba Raro
11. Cibelle – Só Sei Viver No Samba
12. Sound Surgeons – Mi Siento Muy Feliz*
13. Justin – Salinas do Mar*
Luna Side – mixed by Arndt Kielstrøpp

Disc 2
01. P’taah – Become Who You Are
02. Vuca – Bossafrica
03. Los Amigos Invisibles – Bruja (MAW)
04. R. Gabriel – Live At The Nugget
05. Banda Favela – Samba De Ile
06. Aaron Bingle – Voare*
07. Vertente – Chuva (seiji’s oreja rmx)
08. Ive Mendes – Natural High (sumo rebounce rmx)
09. John Beltran – Felicidad Nova (jimpster rmx)
10. Ursula Rucker with Lil Louie Vega – Release
11. Nicola Conte – The In Samba
12. Hipnosis – Black Forest Stomp
13. Xaver Fischer Trio – I Sing This Song Just For You

If you remember Brazilectros of the past, Justin, Janice, Aaron Bingle, Tricatel Inc and Sound Sergions are nothing new to putting out quality cuts. I'd put money that the Hipnosis cut is the Gerardo Frisina re-mix since its preceeded by Nicola Conte's "The In Samba". It's an awesome bossa re-work. Ive Mendes is okay -I do have her album but honestly have listened to it maybe once since last summer. Marcos Valle's "Parabens" is okay... I wonder if this is a remix though because the one on "Contrasts", his feature album, doesn't seem like a good opener for a comp. It's still a great song, just like Cibelle's song. Vuca's another schema act (forget what Schema guys are in it... Cesare Malfatti maybe) but this isn't their best song. I am impressed that they put on Submerso by Patricia Marx. That's a great tune.

Judging by the songs, Brazilution is downtempo. And Brazilectro will be kickin' uptempo stuff.

 

Bebel Gilberto

I think I have the track listing for Bebel Gilberto's new album. It is scheduled to be released in Europe on June 8th, 2004! But who knows... Cibelle's release was pushed back a good couple weeks and Rosalia De Souza's was pushed back in Europe by 2 months, then didn't come out in the US until 5 months later!

1 - Baby
2 - Simplesmente
3 - Aganju
4 - All Around
5 - River Song
6 - Every Day You've Been Away
7 - Cada Beijo
8 - O Caminho
9 - Winter
10 - Ceu Distante
11 - Jabuticaba
12 - Next To Yo

I think it is self titled, or simply called: "Bebel Gilberto". Probably this is the cover:



I am a a little guarded about putting too much faith into this one. I bet it'll be good, but I dont' want to overhype it and then say it's only okay because of lofty expectations. Look what happened with "Da Lata"! Their second full album though really did suck.

So I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Only one month to go!

 

I didn't think I would have anything for a few days but no way I could hold off on this one!



Here is the track-list, but I haven't had a chance to really look at the songs to see if I could recognize the artists. At first glance, it looks like mostly new stuff, which against keeps them ahead of the plethora of compilations coming out.

Disc 1
1.Tanto fax
2.The brazilian hipster
3.Ai mi morena
4.Freestyle love
5.Vai e vem
6.Parabens
7.Terra nova
8.Change
9.To the dawn of the day
10.Imploracao
11.Galactic Jack
12.Hip hip chin chin
13.Torch of freedom

Disc 2
1.Dama dada
2.Instalacon do samba
3.Inner love
4.Brazil
5.Peregrino
6.El ninho
7.Beside brazil
8.Tudo esta previsto
9.Falador passa mal
10.Porque
11.Discotheque brazil
12.White
13.Sereno 04

Only worries... Brazilectro 5 made a correction from Brazilectro 4 in that it didn't have such tremendously shortened tracks! (Arejar remix, I'll Be There, Play it Back, Summer Sun). However it wasn't as high quality through and through, and included some cuts that were already popular and featured elsewhere (Arabesque remix, Samba De ile, On Line, Friday Night remix). However don't be fooled - that's hardly enough to keep me from giving it a chance as it, along with Break & Bossa, are really the only comps that I'll take chances on without hearing because of their reputation for quality work. Can't wait to hear anything by Janice, Justin, etc.

So you have been informed! Brazilectro vol 6 will be out in Europe on June 1st, 2004. No idea when it will happen in the US - probably the same time Brazilution will be released in the US like last year - July 1. Guess we'll just have to see. But if you're like me and can't wait that long... you can order it from Amazon.de... but please note that the value of the dollar is less than the Euro when calculating any orders. AND remember that it's only really worth ordering from there if it is not your only scheduled purchase. My suggestion - at least wait until the date Brazilectro's released, and get both it and Brazilution if you can. Shipping's about 15 bucks...

Peace and Enjoy - I'm absolutely PUMPED at what's coming out this summer!

 

Bebel Gilberto, Mosquitos..

Someone sent me an email a while back from Amazon.com about a group called "Mosquitos" that I reviewed. For a little history I picked up their disc like in January and reviewed it in the last Musica Do Brasil thread. They're a weird band - two New York guys and a Brazilian girl on vocals. If you live in Massachusetts, you can hear their song "Boombox" on a CVS Drugstore commercial where the old woman has a dollar bill in her prescription cap. And if you've watched Malcolm in the Middle, "Boombox" is in the scene where Dewey goes nuts with a Cotton Candy Machine.

Anyway, this person told me about their live shows, and how they had a concert out in San Fran along with Air. I guess their friends went there and described them as "Bossa on Crack". Somehow I'm not surprised. Their songs on their cd clocked in at like 2 minutes each, and it had a very very amateur feel. Outside of a few tunes, I'd say give it a pass. But I thought that was sort of a funny description of them.

I should start getting in a few cool tunes - Freedom Jazz Dance, Brazilution 5.2, Brazilectro 6, Soul Bossa Trio, Brazilation and a few others are all on the way. And finally, the official release for Bebel Gilberto's cd is June 8th. The title can be found on Amazon.com right now and probably several other venders. Don't pay a lot if you want to get it - it's being released in the US under www.sixdegreesrecords.com so it should be on sale within a week or so after it's initial release if it isn't on the day of the release.



I hope to pick up Versioni Particolari from The Dining Rooms over the next month or so along with a few other spontaneous comps that come out over the summer, around July or so.

 

Nu-Bossa Cafe

Thanks for the hookup footix! I tried to give favorable rep points but I guess I already had. lol I can't wait to check out the full cd too. only a few weeks left! re Mosquitos - it's strange. Some of their cuts I do like - if you're in the right mood, and take it very light I think they're pretty cool. Juju's voice though was definitely up my alley; very cute. Its definitely cool that she's a nice girl.

I did get one cd already. It's called "Nu-Bossa Cafe". First off, don't go by the track listing you see on Amazon.com - it's wrong. I have no idea what cd they have listed there. Some songs are from Brazilectro 1-3, others are from Ian Pooley albums, etc. But I don't even know if it even exists. The real track listing is:

1. Better Place [Afro Gigolo Mix] - Victor Davies
2. Toda Tersafeira [Jazzanova Rework] - Soul Quality Quartet
3. Sunday City Sequence - A Forest Mighty Black
4. Vooga Vonge - New Sector Movements
5. Me Gusta - Rollercone
6. Colours [Freeformfivemix] - Tim Hutton
7. Felicidade [Juryman Mix] - Suba
8. Elysian Fields - Minus 8
9. Tel Aviv - Fauna Flash
10. Commanche - Precyz
11. Space and Time - Soul Drummers
12. Brazylou - Dr Drak

It's a pretty solid bossa cd. Good summer stuff. But it's VERY Compost Records heavy. A Forest Mighty Black (Compost) is the group that really got me into Rainer Truby, who's huge on that label. Rainer Truby is the guy that does all 5 of the Glucklich compilations on Compost records and figurehead of Truby Trio, a group that also consists of labelmante Fauna Flash members who are ALSO featured here. Confused yet? lol Minus-8 is also on Compost Records, Victor Davies may as well be, and there's a slammin' Jazzanova (Jazzanova-Compost) remix on this album.

In fact, that's probably my favorite track on this cd. The Jazzanova rework of "Toda Tersafeira". It's soooooo Jazzanova. That beat, and then those small touches that somehow keep you hooked on the tune just when you're starting to nod it off - it puts you in a dreamy state. They're masters at that IMO. I really dig that track. Forest Mighty Black's cut is also good, and New Sector Movement's "Vooga Vonge" has a mad nostalgic vibe to it that'll mellow you out.



I'd have to recommend this cd. It's got some funky bossas that ain't all that new (from 1998-2002), but that fell through the cracks. In otherwords, its the sort of cd that may have a couple songs you heard in a club or cafe, fell in love with, but couldn't find anywhere. It is NOT Schema styled, like Nicola Conte, etc. Give it a go! I couldn't find it in the local shops, but used a 3rd party vendor and it was like 10 bucks. Do NOT pay 20 bucks for it - you should be able to find it cheaper. And be careful about the Amazon.com listing if you do go that route.

The label is "Apricot Records" - I'm ignorant about this one so you know as much about em if not more than me.

 

Freedom Jazz Dance & Brazilectro Artists...

Did get Freedom Jazz Dance, the schema comp.



This has some pretty good jazz cuts. But it doesn't really fit into the mold of this thread. Nicola Conte has a couple pieces including a somewhat original called "Nefertiri". Doctor Abstract (aka Gianluca Patrella) also has a funky cut here. And of course Gerardo Frisina chips in with a tune from his Hi Note cd - a track that he actually did with the Lo Greco bros. (Soulstance). But this is hardly "Brazilian". There are a few songs here and there but it's honestly just some jazzed up cuts.

Check it out - the full artists with the tracklisting for Brazilectro 6.

1. Maga Bo - Tanto Faz ( TM Juke Mix )
2. Fort Knox Five - The Brazilian Hipster
3. Mo Horizons - Ai Mi Morena ( Chocolate Restyle )
4. Stereo Maracana - Freestyle Love
5. Ikon - Vai E Vem ( Rephill Remix )
6. Marcos Valle - Parabens
7. dr. beatnick - Terra Nova
8. Da Lata - Change
9. The Capoeira Twins feat. Kae Dee - To The Dawn of The Day
10. Soul Surfer - Imploracao
11. Briskey - Galactic Jack ( Buscemi Beat To Beatnick Mix)
12. Club Des Belugas - Hip Hip Chin Chin ( Yaziko Club Mix )
13.re:jazz feat. Joy Denelane - Torch Of Freedom

Disc 2
1. Cool Hipnoise - Dama Dada ( Marga Mungwambe )
2. S-Tone Inc introduces Toco - Instalacon Do Samba ( Acoustic Version )
3. Ty - Inner Love ( Samba )
4. Democustico - Brazil
5. Zuco 103 - Peregrino ( Spacer Remix )
6. Moodorama - El Ninho
7. Petgroove - Beside Brazil
8. A Bossa Eletrica - Tudo Está Previsto
9. Sambasonics - Falador Passa Mal
10. Flamingo Star - Porque
11. Groove Galaxi - Discotheque Brazil
12. Minus 8 - White ( New Vocal Version )
13.The NonMaterial vs. Marc Amadeus Sereno 04

It looks pretty different from Brazilution - only carryover is the Marcos Valle track from what I can see. I've heard the Toco cut - this one's pretty good. But there's quite a bit of new tunes here.

 

Latin Deluxe II

This is a little compilation on a Dutch label - at least I think it's really Dutch - that I picked up some time the end of 2002. The label is called "Cinq Etoiles. The DJ that mixes and puts their compilations together is Monte La Rue, and this is the second of the Latin Deluxe cds. They've also done quite a few "Lounge Deluxe" cds too, but the covers are so bloody weird I just can't get myself to get them. I question posting the cover to Latin Deluxe here... even though its just art. The Lounge Deluxe's seriously freak me out...

The Latin Deluxe though is another story. I really picked this up because it had a full edition of an S-Tone Inc. track as remixed by labelmates Soulstance. It has incredibly breezy vocals and a great bass line.



Other artists on this cd include Praful, Bossa Cuca Nova, Mr. Hermano, Intuit, Mato Grosso and a few others. Unfortunately for me, the cd is mixed so the track I really wanted was not stand-alone, which makes mixing it a very big challenge. But otherwise this cd is true to its name and has some pretty cool, sophisticated latin tracks. Not much bossa, not specifically Brazilian - just latin inspired house. It has a cheesy intro/outro but even they aren't over the top. Check it out! The first one I have too - but I've only listened to it about 3 times. It is also pretty good.

For the S-Tone Inc. cut, check out the vinyl version here:

http://www.ishtar.it/frameschema.htm

And it looks like this:



There is a maxi-single of it, but it isn't sold in the US. I have since tried tracking it down elsewhere... unfortunately it ain't cheap either. Schema's also releasing a 7 track maxi of Toco's "Instalacao Do Samba" This should be pretty good - the acoustic version's really cool. Fortunately we will be able to hear it on the new Brazilectro 6 out next month. But I'm thinking of springing for the maxi too, given the cool mixes of it. You can sample the tracks, again, on the ishtar.it website.

 

Samplin' Brazilectro 6, Gettin' Bebel Gilberto this week, Listenin' to Buscemi

This week, Bebel's CD is coming out! Be warned, it may be priced higher on opening day than maybe 1 week or so from then. It will be on sixdegreesrecords so it will not be too expensive - regular price, maybe less.

Also, there's a website that I use to sample a few cd's and tracks. I checked out the new Brazilectro there to get a sense of what the general vibe of the cd would be. Here it is:

http://www.tunes.co.uk/tunes/featured/8621.html

Brazilectro 6 is out now, as is Brazilution 5.2. So far so good for Brazilectro 6. Some tracks are on various other comps - the Buscemi remix is on Saint Germain Des Pres Cafe vol 4, so that wasn't so original and Parabens is on Brazilution 5.2. But the Toco cut is pretty sweet so you can get hear it there. Richer, more mature sound. Can't wait to fully check it out - from the clips it sounds pretty good - way different from Brazilectro 5.

Speaking of Buscemi - I reviewed his "Camino Real". What a cd that is! Great beats, good vibe and some cuts on there that I'm surprised never made it to some of the other compilation series. "Obrigado!" stands out - it's a cut with Isabelle Antena on vocals. Thievery Corporation fans or fans that have been to ESL in DC know this French diva as the voice of one of their theme songs "Antena". But it's a very good cd. If you managed to pick up Break & Bossa 6, two cuts from the mixed cd side were taken from this cd. Not necessarily Brazilian but more along the lines of latin influenced with good beats and rythms. Buscemi is a DJ out of Belgium that's been around for quite some time. He has two other feature cd's: "Mocha Supremo" from 1998 and "Our Girl in Havana" from 2000, which featured that popular cut "Ramiro's Theme".



Kind of funny - Buscemi says one of his inspirations is "Beautiful women" and takes pride in the women on his covers. Maybe it's just me, but i didn't think she was particularly "beautiful". But maybe it is more of an artistic thing. This one on the other hand is pretty good:



If you like Minus 8's music like "Elysian Fields" you'll dig this. Minus 8 is a dude on Compost with Rainer Truby/Fauna Flash/Jazzanova/Koop. And finally, Minus 8 has a track on Brazilectro 6! It's a track taken from his cd titled "Minuit", but is a vocal version as the one on Minuit is just the tune. Ian Pooley did something similar with one of his cuts (I think it was "Balmes" or "A Better Life") from the album "Since Then".



Bad cover, but good cd. "At the Beach" was a solid tune, "Badman & Throbin" was pretty popular and while not my favorite cut, "Bossanova Feelin'" was okay too.

 

Bebel's CD - First Glance

Bebel's CD is out now and at first couple listens, it's pretty good. I'm not as wowed as from the first one, but at the same time it really is good. The musicianship is cool, the vibe is very mellow and relaxing and the ballads are nice. If you enjoyed Tanto Tempo, you will probably enjoy this one too. There aren't as many old Bossa Nova remakes, and there is no real Suba influence or Amon Tobim influence (remember - Amon Tobin was the one that did that background to Samba De Bencao that Bebel Gilberto sang over - it is on his CD titled Permutation, which is a DJ classic).



She has some good guests on it too. Carlinhos Brown (Tribalistas), Miucha (her mother), Joao Parahyba (Trio Mocoto/Suba), Joao Donato and many others. I definitely recommend it. I will put up a more formal review sometime later. She's definitely trying to sex it up a little bit in this cd. And one thing's for certain - you will hear some remixes in a few months and probably a remix project sometime next year.

Speaking of DJ's... has anyone heard Gilles Peterson? This dude is one of my favorite DJ's. He's done loads of compilations and sets, like Journey's by DJ's and the acclaimed "Trust the DJ Series". He has I think 4 releases there alone! This summer he has released another comp which is dedicated to Brazilian influenced and Brazilian tunes:



I saw it in the shop last night but didn't get it... it was $31.00 as an import! But I really want it, so since I didn't get anything but Bebel's CD this week (it's on sale - you might be able to get it for $10.00 - 11.00)... maybe... I regret not getting it right now because the guys at the shop mismarked it - the cd's not supposed to be out until next week... and that's in Europe! Damn! But I bet this is awesome. If it's affordable I try to get anything by him.

Actually, the style can be similar to Patrick Forge's (Da Lata, Batu). Good latin influenced club cuts and tunes. I honestly have preferred Patrick Forge's Trust the DJ series better; it was where I first heard WaiWan's remix to Los Ladrones "Mi Amor Es". But I am rambling now... if anyone has heard the GP release, let me know how you like it.

 

For hittin' the lounge in the summer nights, I put together the first prototype compilation of Bossa and Lounge cuts to pass out to a small circle of friends (ha!). I put the original together for a bud and have just re-arranged the order and subtracted and added some alternative cuts. Only downer is that my burner's been on the fritz, so it's all on the hard-drive which houses massive mixes, comps, tunes and etc. Fun! Hopefully I can fix it soon! These are cuts from artists all over the world. The first 5 are pretty strong. It took a while, but now folks are really seeing how great Gerardo Frisina's remix is to "Black Forest Stomp", let alone how Big Bossa's tunes stack up. They kick!

Doesn't really matter if they're old or new, if they groove together and I don't have to hit the FF button I'm good to go with my comps. But this one's diverse - bossa influence in modern lounge which features artists from everywhere. Japan to Europe. Canada to Brazil.

1: Buscemi: Midnight Sessions
2: Soulstance: Zenith
3: Hipnosis: Black Forest Stomp (Frisina Mix)
4: Big Bossa: Carnival Espirito
5: Gerardo Frisina: Sophisticated Samba
6: Yoshinori Sunahara: Love Beat (Fez Mix)
7: Reminiscence Quartet: Peace of Mind
8: Les Hommes: The Fourth Home
9: Paula Tesser: Arma De Abandono
10: Zuco 103: Q Baiano!
11: Freetempo: Incidental Montage
12: S-Tone Inc.: Ainda Sonhar
13: Coralie Clement: Samba de mon Coeur
14: Balanco: Theme from Cocktail Nova (Bossa Mix)
15: Banda Favela: Samba 2150 (original edit)
16: Rosalia De Souza: Tempo Futuro
17: Mo Horizons: Foto Viva (radio edit)
18: Mr. Scruff: So Long
19: 4 Hero with Tek 9: We're Gettin' Down
20: Jaffa: Elevator (Nicola Conte Remix)

It ain't really like my normal lounge cd's - there's ar more bossa here than my normal lounge cuts. Gone are the usual Fertile Ground, King Kooba, Tricatel Inc., Solar Sides cuts. Staying is Jaffa, 4 Hero, Coralie Clement, etc.

Downer though - I can't get S-Tone Inc's "Arejar" remixed maxi single even from abroad. Looks like I gotta get it on 12".

 

Brazilation and samplin' tunes

The first post on this thread was regarding a mixed cd titled "Brazilation" that I'd found on a few European sites. Well, while it will be tough to find it stateside, that doesn't mean you can't sample a few tunes. Here's one of the vendors that has quick clips of the cuts.

http://www.musicexpress.com/bin/nph-main/ddG0027qA17Z.b

I wouldn't really recommend picking up many cds from there - they're quite expensive! And the track listing isn't full - this is a double disc set. Rotten sound quality but at least you get a general sense of what to expect - and you'd want to if you plan to fork out the dough that this one costs. These artists are pretty different from the Brazilectro folks. Except Rainha Do Mar is on Brazilectro 5.

Speaking of which - Brazilectro 6 is going to have a DVD come out with the CD too. Not with the CD, but as a separate item. It will be released at the end of this month. They're pretty adamant about being the "pioneers" of the whole nu-bossa double disc compilation series and preach about how they're not like the other commercial compilations. Someone should have told them to remember vol. 4, and to give credit to Boss-A-Troniq, Glucklich, Break & Bossa, ESL, Red Hot, Caipirissima and a few others that existed before them. But yeah, they're bigger than Rio Lounge, Caipirinha Mix, Nova Latino, Latino Cafe, etc.

You can check out all of these tunes if you have a mild understanding of German at www.amazon.de.

I'm pretty excited though about Brazilution 5.2. It's better than the 1st one... which was really "Brazilectro edition 5" with a gross oversite by Ministry of Sound and Audiopharm. It has more of a deep house with a latin vibe kind of flow. Which is perfect for me! I dig the Bargrooves cds so its right up my alley... in fact they even swiped a remix thats on the last bargrooves from the winter: Samba de Ile (Belladonna mix) by Banda Favela. You can sample some cuts on the same website as Brazilation.

 

Nicola Conte & Rosalia De Souza

Nicola Conte's new album is set to be released in September! It will prbably be titled: “Other Directions” according to www.ishtar.it. It is being released on the "Blue Note" label everywhere except in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I couldn't tell if the site meant the CD wouldn't be released in those markets right away, or if they meant it wouldn't be released by Blue Note in those markets. Nicola Conte had his last two cds, Jet Sounds and Jet Sounds revisited, released in the USA by Thievery Corporation who re-named the original release: "Bossa Per Due" after the most popular song on the cd. I wouldn't be surprised if ESL release's this one too. Other possibilities include Guidance Recordings, which released The Dining Rooms and Rosalia De Souza in the USA.

So for the die-hard Conte bossa fan, this might be a pretty expensive pick-up sice you might have to order it from an independent importer unless you can wait to see how it's released in the USA.



Also, Rosalia De Souza's remix album is due to be released this fall - I'd say November, early December. I honestly can't say if it'll come to the USA right away or not - Garota Moderna did pretty well here so maybe it won't have a big lag. They've just released a few remixes on 12". According to Schema, the artists remixing the works will be Gianluca Petrella (aka Dr. Abstract), Buscemi, Truby Trio (Glucklich Series, "Carajillo") and The Dining Rooms among others. The title will be: "Nicola Conte Apresenta Rosalia De Souza: Garota Diferente". How original!

 

Nova Latino IV, Maria Rita, Brazilectro 6, Brazilectro 6 DVD

What a week for tunes! Picked up a few this Wednesday - Maria Rita, Nova Latino IV and Marcos Valle's classic "Samba 68". Then the other day, I finally got my big order from Europe in with Soul Bossa Trio, Brazilution, Brazilation and Brazilectro 6. *whew*. Needless to say I haven't cracked open all of them - I let a friend unwrap one of them and she chose Brazilectro 6 since she really liked the 5th one... so that was what we listened to the most.

Maria Rita

I will review this one later - but this was one of the biggest albums of 2003. You might be able to find it relatively cheap in the right shops that feature imports. Maria Rita is the daughter of legendary vocalist Elis Regina... and Maria Rita's voice is beautiful. Just enough attitude, and just enough sweetness. An awesome tune from this is "Cara Valente"... wow.



Nova-Latino vol IV... I mentioned it on the first page, and I was having a tough time deciding on getting it or not. I was eligible for a free cd, and since it was discounted (costs more on Amazon, etc.) I picked it up anyway, despite seeing quite a few tracks on various other compilations. But I went for it - and that was the best decision!

It's great! I was apprehensive after the first two cuts - De-Phazz is more lounge grooved, and Thievery Corporation's "So Com Voce", which has Bebel Gilberto on vocals, is wildly overused. But right afterwards you have a cool cut by Bobby Brazil, and an extremely underrated samba/jazz cut by one of my favorite DJ's, DJ Cam, called "Cricket's Sing for Anamaria". Right afterwards, you're taken on a road trip through Brasil with "Voce Abusou". Anyone that's a fan of the cut "Apocalypse" as done by Bruna Lopez and Bossa Nostra will love this song. Waiwan's remix of "Mi Amor Es" follows, adn then there's a pretty sexy cut by Incognito titled "Stone Cold Heart", which is probably my favorite song on the first disc.

Yup - it's like the others, two discs of tunes. And I honestly haven't even made it to disc two - just keep hearing the first one. But on disc two, I can tel you it has some cool cuts by Trio Eletrico, Eli Goulart, Mo Horizon's and Mark De Clive-Lowe, just to name a few.

I'd highly recommend this. Nova Latino usually suffers from not having exclusive tracks, which Brazilectro and a few nu-Brazil comps by Wagram can boast. But this was a mixed commercial compilation with some very very strong songs. I was impressed!



Brazilectro 6 didn't just come out with a 2 disc summer cd, as usual. Audiopharm released a DVD on Monday in Europe. I'm not sure though if it would be compatible with USA DVD players. But it has a few more exclusive cuts, scenes, videos, musician features and some of the inspiration which made Brazilectro such a strong staple in the whole nu-Brazil genre. I'm dying to see it! Oh yeah - and from what I've heard of Brazilectro 6 thus far, it's a bit different from the others. It's funkier, if that makes any sense.

Last but not least - there's very little crossover this time from Nova Latino 4 and Brazilectro 6... if there's any at all. Which means that once again, Brazilectro is in the forefront of the comps. And Brazilation has some crossover, but it really is its own separate entity from the Brazilectro/Brazilution franchise.

 

Finally, About Brazilectro 6...

Okay. I've hyped it up enough, and have it, and have listened to it quite often over this weekend. I plan to put a few cuts on my playlists. The verdict on Brazilectro Vol. 6? Definitely a bangin' double disc set... again.



But be prepared for a VERY different vibe. Checking out the difference between the 6th volume and the 1st... they're totally different! This one has some serious funk in it, gets into Afro-Brasil from the get-go and what else... it sounds more Brazilian than any of the others... including Brazilectro 5th when they decided to change the format. Fort Knox Five's cut, Stereo Maracana... good stuff. I'd say if you were into the Favela Chic series (that's you Ombak), you might dig a few tunes here. And it's not just an "Afrotronik" sort of sound, some tunes have a soundtrack vibe to them... like Ikon's "Vai E Vem" remix. On down the road of CD 1 you have more great tracks... Marcos Valle's Parabens, Soul Surfer, and there's even a [re:jazz] cut on here. Dr. beatnick's "Terra Nova" has a good little Italian bossa flavor with funk mixed in there... good tunes!

CD2 though kicks it up a notch. You have S-Tone Inc./Toco with the acoustic version of "Instalaçon Do Samba". It was only available as a 12" with about 4 takes on Schema, but here you have it in CD form. Ty's Inner Love is pretty fresh, Moodorama's "El Ninho" will hook you in too. But probably my favorite cut in Brazilectro 6 was A Bossa Eletrica's "Tudo Esta Previsto".... my goodness... when you hear it, and close your eyes - this song is the summer. Sambasonics, Petgroove's and The Nonmaterial vs. Marc Amadeus's cuts were also fantastic.

Like any other Brazilectro, this has its fair share of original tracks on it. You won't find Fort Knox Five's, Mo Horizon's, Ikon's, Dr. beatnick's, Capoeira Twins, Soul Surfer's, Moodorama's, Pegroove's, Flaming Star's and maybe a few others on any compilation CD for a long time... maybe not until this winter or next summer when the new Rio Lounge, Nova Latino, Cafe Latino, etc. come out! This is what always makes these, Glucklich's and a few others so special - they don't just have exclusive cuts, the exclusive cuts are class. Glucklich gave me an introduction to Wagon Cookin and a few others, and Brazilectro's will open you up to all sorts of different styles and musicians from around the world focusing on Brazilian music. It's not without fault... I love Da Lata, but honestly hated their newest album, and not every track will grab you. And you can tell they swiped a track from Saint Germain Des Pres Cafe (French Lounge series on Wagram) when they put in a Buscemi bossa remix to Galactic Jack... good tune but I wait for the mixed version with the DJ Cam influenced cut to come in, like on Des Pres Cafe.

Haven't even cracked open Brazilution 5.2 yet or any of the others... but both come with fantastic packaging - they're both like books! Seriously - they're thick for cd protection. But sometimes the cd's don't sit in the casing well so if you find it slipping out, just slip it into a jewel case b'cause this doesn't snap shut... and definintely don't take the beautiful book packaging to the beach! You'll screw up your discs.