About Brazilian Beats
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balanço não pode parar! Something began to happen in England back in the 1990s. Out of the increasing confusion that was international dance music, numerous UK independent record labels began releasing expertly chosen re-issue compilations, offering definitions of the peak of musical achievement within individual dance music sub-genres and accompanied by weighty and informative booklets. Releases from the likes of Master Cuts, BBE, Soul Jazz, Ace Records, Harmless, and Mr Bongo began to achieve what no other compilations had ever done before. They selected and labelled modern dance music as 'classic' music and soon these definitions began seeping through onto the worldwide web to form international common standards. As other labels from around the world joined in (Irma in Italy and Ubiquity in the US to name just two), modern dance music was soon awash with endless compilations defining 'classic' music within more and more sub-genres. New Orleans Funk, Nu Yorican Soul, Philly Sound, and so on and so on, bringing us to present day where dance music genre categorisation has again moved beyond the knowledge of most (Wikipedia lists 16 genres of Drum and Bass music alone). From a new organisation had now come a new confusion. Brazilian Beats offers an alternative. Originally a term instinctively conceived by Kenny Dope (Masters at Work) to label a DAT box storing his newly composed Brazilian inspired track, the term soon transformed into something else. Together with David Bongo (owner of Mr Bongo records) an idea was hatched to make Brazilian Beats not just a single track release, but the name for a whole compilation of Brazil inspired tracks (Brazilian Beats 1999 including MAW original). With a unique outlook open to Brazilian artists playing international forms of music and international artists playing Brazilian forms of music and equally embracing all newly emerging sub-genres of modern music, the concept of Brazilian Beats was born. The Japanese grasped this concept first where Brazilian Beats Vol.1 sold in great numbers (Japan is the biggest market for Brazilian music outside of Brazil), as later did the community on Last.FM where the Brazilian Beats group represents fans interested in all Brazilian music. However, for many the breath of the new concept was lost, helped in no way by a lack of (the now obligatory) explanatory cover notes. Initially attracting a wide and diverse range of dance music enthusiasts, the scope of the Brazilian Beats project only became increasingly visible with the issuing of more and more volumes. The series, now up to its 8th volume (2007) is only just expanding enough to cover the range of its source materials. In fact, perhaps it is only with the release of all these volumes together in a massive 8CD boxset (2008) that the term Brazilian Beats can be done justice. Brazilian Beats has been a bold and innovative experiment in new ways of comprehending and categorising modern dance music. Let's hope the term remains in use for many years to come! (Advertorial)
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Quotes on Brazilian Beats
Boxset: “By the time you reach CD 8 you’ll be a bonfide expert on Brazilian music” IDJ “few series have done more to consistently bring quality Brazilian music to the dance floors of the world than their Brazilian Beats” Phonica Records |
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And on individual releases
in Brazilian Beats Series: “Latin party excess. The Mr Bongo label have really outdone themselves” Q Magazine “This compilation series just keeps getting better and better” 24/7 Magazine “Anyone with even a passing interest in Brazilian music needs this” DJ Magazine “Every track is a
highlight” Time Out |