The 28th of February to the 3rd of March marks the Carnival season in Brazil. I got to visit a small carnival celebration outside of Brasilia when I was living there but that is nowhere near what people in Rio and Bahia are going through right now. Man, I wish I was there. The Brazil themed year continues apace then, can’t wait till world cups in Russia and Qatar.
Knowing the Brazilians, they may well keep going till the world cup. Brazil’s music landscape is as varied as it people so picking out any track is particularly difficult. While living there, I tried to find as much Brazilian Hip-hop as I could. I came across Sacassaia – mostly because his album was free to download. I still find myself listening to it on occasion.
I am a big fan of instrumental music. Mostly because I like to have music on no matter what I am doing. If there are lyrics, I am always too tempted to listen to deeply or sing along. With instrumentals though, there is a slow seeping into the brain and with every listen, more depth is added. My Sacassaia tune for you is called Ululai. It feels like a Latin infused J Dilla beat. Too much praise? Check it out yourself.
Next up we go much more classical Brazilian into the caverns of Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 with Batucada. It just has that samba beat that makes you want to move your hips.
For more carnival themed tunes, take a look at this article from the Guardian.