The history of funk carioca tells the story of Rio’s favelas and their place in the city. It’s a story of creativity, oppression and resistance. Although those from outside as well as inside the favelas criticize its current... Read Article
In 1992, in the Bar de Dona Edna, in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, the musician and cultural agitator Francisco de Assis França announced to his friends, “I mixed a hip-hop beat with a maracatu groove and it turned out... Read Article
Accompanied by highly percussive drumming, the ritualistic ceremonies of the Afro-Brazilian candomblé religion have distinctly shaped the musical soundscape of Brazil, influencing many contemporary styles such as the samba and bossa nova. Indicative to a popular dance found... Read Article
It’s impossible to spend anytime in Montevideo, Uruguay, without suddenly feeling like you’re in the middle of a parade. The sound of drums are everywhere … maybe even more so than in Brazil. It all has to do... Read Article
Chicha or Peruvian cumbia, as it is often known, is on the rise. Since Barbes Records released The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru in 2007 the popularity of the genre has grown both internationally and in... Read Article
“In my land people dance to cumbia with candles and the drum gets happy.” Muchachas Cumbiamberas, Andres Landero During my first visit to South America I held Cumbia in nothing but total disdain. It seemed to be a... Read Article
Forró is music for dancing! Developed in the North-east of Brazil, it is characterised by its weaving accordion and insistent rhythms and is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. In fact, although samba is... Read Article
MPB is an acronym for Música Popular Brasileira or, in English, Brazilian Pop Music. It’s an amalgamation of styles that really took hold in the 70s and now accounts for a significant amount of the music made in... Read Article
