I always liked Brazilian music from the late 90s when I picked up a couple of the Mr Bongo compilations and later Azymuth albums and mixes. Brazilian music covers such a diverse base of Jazz, Samba, Bossa, lounge, Tropicalismo, MBP, Funk Carioca and many more sub-genres. And I don't even speak much Portugese! However, I'm trying to still learn a little after my first visit there in 2012. Thanks to Rodrigo, Thiago, Patricia, Anje and others for trying to help teach the language!
Trying to get started on explaining the rich musical heritage would challenge the most talented musical historian - which I'm not nor claim to be. But I'm a passionate enthusiast for Brazilian artists and with the country being beamed into my house daily with the World Cup and various UK artists playing Brazilian music on TV and radio, the time seems right to try and pass on what I've picked up in the last 2 years in case you want to find out more. This is aimed to be a living repository of musical history and mixes for you to get your teeth into. So if you have any mixes that I've missed that you think are 'must have', please get in contact so I can add.
Brasil Brasil! Was a great series on the History of Brazilian music on BBC4 (now on YouTube):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-a_-GGaq3w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcw_Ts6eYDM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApJ3devpU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttACv0yuVbM
As ever, the RBMA have in-depth 1 to 1's with the artists themselves that are worth checking out. Red Bull Music Academy Brazilian artists Fireside chat show is a series of 1 hour shows interviewing key artists from the country whilst showcasing their musical career. These include:
Airto Lindsay
Arthur Verocai
Azymuth
David Nerattini
Eumir Deodato
Gilberto Gil
Marcos Valle
Milton Nascimento
Os Mutantes
Sergio Mendes
Tom Ze
Toninho Zorta
Having dug around a number of collections, spoken with Aaron Fitzgerald and met Kym and Anje from 'The view from Madelines Couch' (an Australian Brazilian music group we met in Rio), I pulled together a comp of the Brazilian music that left a dent on me covering music from the 60s to the present day.
My mix on Spotify
http://open.spotify.com/user/nossomvos/playlist/3E4kh554j7tpyxEAhtwI8X
DJ MIXES
I then went to the source! As well as the 'Gilles Peterson in Brazil' compilations, he's been all over TV and radio promoting artists from the country. The man played a big role in turning me on to Brazilian music about 10 years ago. What I provide here and below are some highlights from him and then other UK/European DJs...
DJ Nuts mix: Dj Nuts from Brasil
R1 Essential mix
Gilles Peterson NTS mix
http://www.mixcloud.com/NTSRadio/gilles-peterson-brazilian-special-10th-june-2014/
Beyond Peterson, here are some friends and aficionados Brazil mixes to enjoy:
Aaron Fitzgerald/One Vice left
http://www.oneviceleft.com/?p=1047259212
Luke Howard
https://soundcloud.com/luke-howard/brazilian-boogie-vol-1
Sassy J
Swiss DJ, part of the Patchworks collective delivers 2 great mixes:
http://www.mixcloud.com/soulsociedad/get-down-show-124-24052007-brazilian-guest-mix-by-sassy-j/
http://www.rbmaradio.com/shows/sassy-j-musica-da-lagoa
Floating Points Brazil mix
https://soundcloud.com/floatingpoints/floating-points-back-in-brazil
Dom Servini Brazilian Special
http://www.mixcloud.com/dom-servini/unherd-radio-show-012-with-dom-servini-on-back2back-fm-brazilian-special-pt1/
And finally... An out there Brazilian boogie mix by Lincoln Olivetti
https://soundcloud.com/theambassador/lincoln-olivetti-boogie-mix
