DOWNLOAD: Céu - Bubuia
Brazilian singer Céu nabbed a Grammy nomination for her self-titled 2007 debut, so like, no pressure on her new one, Vagarosa, which came out yesterday through Six Degrees. Despite my best efforts, I'm not the foremost expert on all things Brazilian (could be 'cause I've never been), but what I do know is this song sounds like unwinding tension in the Southern hemisphere, where there are Speedo-populated beaches and vast quantities of rum for me to stick paper umbrellas into. I almost feel inclined to wear sandals for the rest of the day, but I fear I might get called a hippie when I go eat lunch. The label told us the song is about "floating on the surface of life," so I guess I got the vibes right.
Céu hits the States next week for shows in Seattle, LA, San Francisco, and New York. All those dates can be found here.
DOWNLOAD: Norman Cook - Siente Mi Ritmo
(Photo: Richard Cannon)
It's been more than a decade now since Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, introduced America to Big Beat with the debut album, You've Come A Long Way, Baby. Although you can still hear "Praise You" or "The Rockafeller Skank" on radio every now and again, Mr. Cook has largely faded from public consciousness even after 2004's Palookaville. But look closely at Revolution, a compilation pairing UK/US producers with young Cuban musicians, and Norman's name peaks out from the tracklist. Even more surprising, the sensual somba of his track "Siente Mi Ritmo" is the record's most traditional cut. Where Cook diverges from tradition is the vocals, which he dunks in space-creating dub echos to give the tune a spectral edge. After this, one wonders where we'll find Norman Cook in 10 more years.
Sounds like: Bebel Gilberto, Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Curumin - Caixa Preta
Who doesn't like Brazil? Even when reduced to its finer stereotypes: beaches, carnivals, coffee, rain forests, soccer, models, fiery foods, and waxes, Brazil is richly endowed. Not to mention the crazed amount of sizzling electronic groups oozing out of Brazil these days......(CSS, Bonde do Role, etc..) But Brazilian soundmaster Curumin escapes most stereotypes by weaving manifold influences into a passion pot of electro samba-funk flavor. Born of Japanese and Spanish parents (Sao Paulo has one of the highest populations of Japanese outside of Japan), Luciano Nakata Albuquerque goes by "Curumin", a Portuguese term reserved by indigenous Brazilians for their more precocious children. His song "Caixa Preta" (i.e. "Black Box" in Porguese) will remind you of the energy of Manu Chao, with more street, hip-hop fire, and splashes of native Brazilian samba and baile funk.
Sounds Like: Bonde Do Role, Novos Baianos, Manu Chao, Mexican Institute of Sound
