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Brazilian Beat Artist Spotlight: Mônica da Silva!

Putumayo recently released Brazilian Beat, a new album that uncovers the roots-influenced contemporary Brazilian music scene. Glittering break beats are at home with bouncing berimbaus while rolling Afro-Brazilian rhythms, retro samba soul and velvety bossa nova vocals mesh and groove organically. The songs featured on the collection aim to raise listeners’ moods and introduce even die-hard fans to a new crop of Brazilian music innovators.

With this thought in mind, we want to introduce our readers to a young new artist featured on the Brazilian Beat named, Mônica da Silva. Check out the interview and get a sneak preview of her song featured on the album below.

Who are your influences and/or inspiration in regards to your music?

My favorite of all time is probably João Gilberto.  His music is just so chill and has that “less is more” perfection I love.  My biggest influence when I was a child was probably my mom.  She would always have music playing in our house, The Beatles, Francoise Hardy,Gal Costa, show tunes, etc.  I was obsessed with musicals and watched the movie Annie hundreds of times.  I also loved Nikka Costa.  She was such an inspiration, being that she was a child singer. As I got older, I really got into bands like The Smiths, The Pet Shop Boys, Everything but The Girl.  Now I’m listening to a huge mixture: Nick Drake, Kings of Convenience, Keren Ann, The Bird and The Bee, Seu Jorge, Adriana Calcanhotto, to name a few. The list could go on, trust me!

Brazilian Beat has an impressive roster of Brazilian artists chronicling the vibrant indie music scene in Brazil. How does it feel to have your song featured as representative of this burgeoning scene?

When Putumayo contacted me about wanting to include my song “Aí Então” on Brazilian Beat, I was really excited.  I’m so honored to be part of this group of awesome Brazilian Artists.  I’ve grown up listening to Marcos Valle, and his song “Samba de Verão” (Summer Samba).  So cool to be on the same CD with him!

Could you provide some more background about your song “Aí Então” featured on Brazilian Beat for our readers?

Aí Então is my first single from my album Brasilissima.  It’s sounds like a happy, little song, but there’s a lot behind it.  It’s about remembering the happy times. Wishing the things that are pulling you apart from the one you love would change. The first line really sums it up: “Never do anything only halfway. I give it all I got or else I won’t do it at all. I gave you all my love and it was for real. All that I got back was disillusion that I feel”.

As a recording artist, you have multi-lingual music productions that span five languages and your new album is in English and Portuguese. How do you decide on what language to write in?

Languages have always attracted me.  I grew up with Portuguese and English, and my mom taught Spanish and French.  We always had exchange students staying in our house from all different countries.  After you know a second language, others come more easily.  Writing in different languages is so fun for me.  I don’t think I consciously decide which language to sing in.  It’s more like I feel the music, feel the vibe, and the idea comes.  I do think that some things are better expressed in one language over another.  For example, lots of the translations of famous Bossa Nova tunes just aren’t as cool in English.  Someone once told me that Portuguese is such a sexy language, that I could be saying “trash can” and it would be beautiful.

Your music is described as a blend of Bossa Nova, World Music and Indie Pop. Do you think this is an accurate description?

I guess that is an accurate description of my music, although sometimes I even incorporate Country and Folk into my writing.  Bossa Nova stole my heart from an early age, and I think it comes naturally to me.  It’s my natural tendency to write slow, pretty songs.  I sometimes have to force myself to write something upbeat and happy, although I’m a really happy person.  As for World Music, I’ve always loved it.  I’m a huge fan of Arabic, Indian, and African music.  I love the beats and organic rawness.  Brazilian Music is really influenced by African rhythms.  Especially where my family is from, in the north of Brazil, on the Amazon.  The Brazilian Indians have such cool dances and music.  As for Indie Pop, I’ve always liked it.  Bands like the Kings of Convenience are such a good example of the beautiful melodies, harmonies and the acoustic sound I gravitate toward.

Putumayo was established to introduce people to other cultures through music. How does Putumayo ’s philosophy of exposing people to new cultures, sounds, and ideas, relate to your own music?

I think that Putumayo’s philosophy and my own sound are one and the same.  I love exposing people to different cultures, sounds, and new ways of thinking.  There are so many people that haven’t had the opportunity to travel.  Some even lack the interest to leave their comfortable surroundings.  I really want to inspire people to make this world their playground and their school.  There’s so much to experience and learn from other cultures.  I try to share my passion for music and life with everyone I come in contact with.  I hope it’s contagious!

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Putmayo Presents: Brazilian Beat!

Glittering break beats are at home with bouncing berimbaus while rolling Afro-Brazilian rhythms, retro samba soul and velvety bossa nova vocals mesh and groove organically. This is the unstoppable Brazilian Beat .

Selected from tens of thousands of songs collected by the pioneering label created to introduce new global music to broad audiences, Brazilian Beat chronicles the vibrant indie scene in Brazil and around the world. Musicians are taking samba, bossa nova, and MPB (Brazilian popular music) and deftly incorporating electronica, soul, funk, and just about every other music imaginable.

Sultry or upbeat, the tracks on this compilation of hip, rootsy artists aim to raise listeners’ moods and introduce even die-hard fans to a new crop of Brazilian music innovators.

“You can really hear the intersection between past and present in the music of Brazilian artists,” Storper reflects. “We didn’t make an effort to seek it out; this is what musicians are doing. They respect their traditional music but are adding new flavors with real passion.”

Check out the new Brazilian Beat, and visit our website now to download or purchase the new CD!

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Putumayo Classic CD Sale Ends Tuesday, Jan. 31st!

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Things You Should Know About Brazil’s Rio Carnival

We at Putumayo have been immersed in Brazilian music and culture in anticipation of the new albums Brazilian Beat and the re-release of Brazilian Playground (updated with 3 new songs), set to be released on Tuesday, Jan. 31st. As part of the discovery process for our song collections, we research not only the music coming out of a specific region, but also the culture and history associated with it.  We would like to share with you a few things you should probably know about Brazil’s Rio Carnival.

Brazil is known for its beautiful scenery and rich culture. One of its greatest highlights is the annual Rio Carnival festival. Celebrated 40 days before Easter, Carnival is a four day party full of music, dancing, and elaborate costumes. Not only is it the biggest holiday for Brazilians, the celebration attracts party-goers from around the world. It was reported that in 2011, 4.9 million people attended, 400,000 being visitors.

The Meaning of the word “Carnival”

Since Carnival is celebrated before Lent (the Roman Catholic/Christian practice of abstaining from eating meat), the word “carnival”, from carnelevare, means to remove (literally, “raise”) meat.

Samba Schools and Parade

The greatest attraction of the Carnival festival is the Samba Parade. Samba schools from all over Rio go through a year’s worth of preparation and compete against each other at the Carnival. Samba schools, which are neighborhoods or communities and not actual dance institutions, start organizing for the celebration shortly after the previous Carnival festival has ended.  A plot and theme are chosen for every school, followed by composing a song, practicing choreography, and the design of custom made eye-catching costumes. Their performances are judged based off of costume fashion, theme, flow, the band’s musical quality, and overall performance.

Sambadrome

Sambadrome is where the samba school competition takes place. Designed by architect and modernist Oscar Niemeyer, Sambadrome literally means “the Stadium of Samba”. It is a permanent parade structure that stretched 700m with bleachers on both sides and hold up to a capacity of 90,000.Each school has about 90 minutes to perform from one end to the other. The Sambadrome will also be a key venue in the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Who’s who of the Samba Parade

While the samba performance requires many talented hands, there are important characters to spot for during the Samba Parade.

• Carnival King (King Momo)

“Momo” is the name of the god of mockery in the Greek mythology, and according to Carnival tradition, King Momo should be jolly and as big as a house. The Rio Carnival officially kicks off when the chosen King Momo is presented with a key to the city. He opens all major Carnival events including the Samba Parades.

• Queen and Princesses of Carnival

A contest is held for Queen of the Carnival and the winner is picked based off her beauty, grace, samba skills, and overall represents the “carnival spirit”. The first and second runner ups are named Princesses of Carnival.

• Vanguard Group

The Vanguard Group of a school consists of 12-15 people performing a highly choreographed routine. They parade in front and introduce the carnival audience to their school. Since first impression is everything, a school’s introduction is important for scoring in the samba competition.

• The Flag Carrying Couple

Every school chooses a man and a woman to hold the school’s flag. It was a past tradition that the woman was responsible for carrying the flag while the man would protect her by carrying a knife so that other schools would not damage the flag, making them lose the competition. Their dance is very elegant and considered to be very elaborate.

• Percussion Band (Bateria)

The Bateria is once of the largest parts of a schools performance and consists of 250-350 percussionist, mainly made up of drummers.  Since they carry the beat, they are considered to be the most energetic and lively part of the performance. To participate with the Bateria, one must go through an extensive audition process and many months of band practice.

Practice your samba and dance moves with Brazilian Beat (to be released on Tuesday, Jan. 31st) and transport yourself to this vibrant country and celebration.

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COMING SOON ~ Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Beat!

COMING SOON ~ Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Beat (to be released on Jan. 31st, 2012). Glittering break beats are at home with bouncing berimbaus while rolling Afro-Brazilian rhythms, retro samba soul and velvety bossa nova vocals mesh and groove organically.

Selected from tens of thousands of songs, Brazilian Beat chronicles the vibrant indie scene in Brazil and around the world. Musicians are taking samba, bossa nova, and MPB (Brazilian popular music) and deftly incorporating electronica, soul, funk, and just about every other music imaginable.

Check out the video for “Ferriado Pessoal” below by Bruna Caram featured on the upcoming Brazilian Beat collection!

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The New York Times Says Celtic Christmas is one of Year’s Best Holiday CDs!

New York Times: Celtic Christmas one of the year’s best holiday CDs!