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With
the current craze for remixes of Brazilian and international music
sweeping Brazil,this Putumayo release is pretty timely. The music
of that vast territory has always been cannibalistic, turning
the world into a reflection of itself, rather than vice-versa.
“Brazilian Groove” takes the contemporary electronic
groove obsession and uses it as a creatively flexible template
for presenting some very convincing club-friendly pieces that
contain enough samba, bossa nova, soul, jazz and funk performance
elements to keep all but the intractable purist happy.
Bossa is recast in a distinctively contemporary mode, bearing
hard on the backbeat and with sympathetic electronica given a
comfortable space in the mix without sacrificing the music’s
original delicate charm on the opener “Maria Moita”
by Rosalia De Souza. There’s also a powerful, unforced ambience
and Brazilian melodic sensibility that drive “Consolacao”
by Bossacucanova and Sylvio Cesar.
The same goes for Zuco 103’s “Outro Lado”, a
piece of sassiness that was a huge hit in Europe a couple of years
back. Max De Castro sounds a bit like a young Jorge Ben boldly
knocking on the door of clubland with a full-blown bossa-pop band.
Indeed, Jorge’s enduring classic “Mas Que Nada”
performed by Bab & Rolando 808 survives the refurbishment
without losing its melodic warmth. Master percussionist/vocalist/composer
Carlinhos Brown is swept along on “Lagoinha”, juggling
the pumped up drive with some thunderous afro-bloco. On paper,
the sensuousness and intimacy of bossa and the anonymity of beat
box figures might seem like chalk and cheese yet they complement
one another well on Dos Santos’ “Laura”. All
12 selections are varied and of musical interest.
