Essential Compilation: The Brazilian Boogie Connection – From Rio to Sao Paolo (1976 – 1983)

Brazilian music has always found a way to musically borrow from other cultures, while remaining true to its national heritage. From Bossa Jazz to Tropicalia Pyschedelic Rock, o som brasileiro resonated loud and clear, but with the advance of the Disco era it was increasingly harder to stay distinctive.

Boogie music’s emergeance allowed for a return of the perfect mixture of samba and synth and Cultures of Soul Records have released a comprehensive compilation of infectious boogie gems that touch on all the great releases of the era.

Given the current collector interest in rare Boogie, this compilation is the perfect primer on Brazilian Boogie and make hard to find tracks accessible to dancefloors all over. Marcos Valle, Jorge Ben & Tim Maia are Brazilian legends that have covered many styles of music but they managed to maintain their relevance in the late 70s and early 80s. Valle’s Estrelar is the standout track from the comp that immediately transports the listener to a Copacabana beach stroll with its thumping bassline and solid synth line. I was also very pleased to see the inclusion of both Banda Black Rio and Cassiano, as their records have been nearly impossible to find in recent years.

Thematic comps are hard to assemble and Cultures of Soul have done a very solid job putting together this super cohesive and DJ friendly compilation. Looking forward to volume 2! Até mais galera!

DJ Asma

A Montreal native with West-African roots, Antoine started developing a love for records when his father passed his collection of French, African, Caribbean and Brazilian classics onto him. Ever since, the collector turned selector has spent countless hours in musky basements both here and abroad (Dakar, Lima, Paris, Quito, Rio) in the never-ending search for the perfect beat!