Following on from their much-acclaimed Putaria Maxima mixtape last year, Venus X and Asmara are back with a second volume. Subtitled Trouble In Paradise, Putaria Maxima Vol 2 once again features baile funk beats mixed with rap, trap... Read Article
For his latest video heavy baile producer Leo Justi has turned to an old friend, Julio Secchin (they worked together on the incredibly-good “Sniper Queen” video), for a startling portrait of passinho, a dance craze that in the space... Read Article
More than 20 years ago the so-called favela funk (or funk carioca) scene grew out of a few basic elements: banging 808 drum beats – indebted to the Miami Bass scene – short berimbau-looping patterns, porn samples, salacious... Read Article
“Gata, you’re going to have to earn your way up by playing the bars”. These are the words that greeted the carioca Flávia Coelho when she first decided to follow her idols and move to Paris. Nine years... Read Article
When Frente Bolivarista entered the global scene earlier this year they instantly got our attention. Their first release, Vol. 1, contained not just Spanish-speaking or Portuguese-speaking music from around Latin America but a glorious mixture of the two.... Read Article
If you want to know what’s happening with “urban dance music” (for want of a better phrase) in Colombia at the moment then you really need to look no further than El Freaky. The Bogotá-based collective are responsible... Read Article
If you’re a regular reader to the site you’ll know that we’re big fans of Rio de Janeiro’s Leo Justi. The producer/DJ has yet to release an album, but boy does he keep putting out great tracks… and... Read Article
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
Zuzuka Poderosa and Kush Arora have just dropped a mixtape of heavy tropical beats titled Carioca Bass that will surely appeal to anyone out there with a taste for ghettotech, baile funk or general mind-melters. The mixtape features... Read Article
Here’s the new single from João Brasil. It’s called “Funk do iPhone”, features Marina Gasolina (previously of Bonde Do Rolê), and will be released on Man Recordings on December 5th. Marina’s vocals definitely fit in with the funk... Read Article
Formed in 1976, Banda Black Rio is one of the most important names of Brazilian music history. Being one of the pioneers of a new music genre that began to fuse samba with soul music, Banda Black Rio... Read Article
After getting everyone all excited with the free screening of Favela on Blast on Pitchfork.tv back at the start of July, the film is now available for purchase. Conceived by Leandro Hbl and Wesley Pentz (aka Diplo) the... Read Article
