Taynah Reis – Brazilian highlight of Midem 2012

08 March, 2012 | Artists

Just as most musicians in the beginning of the career, Taynah Reis has to share her attention between her musical dreams and the reality of a working internet programmer for a NGO. So why not mix both her passions into an unique project? That’s exactly what she did.

Taynah Reis was the creator of the winner project of this year’s Midem Hack Day, part of Midem Festival’s official program, that happened last January, in Cannes, France.

All be tuned

All be tuned is an app created by Taynah Reis, a project that preaches the union between composers all over the world, using the internet as a tool so all can create together.

Using the same concept as websites like Myspace, the main idea of All be tuned consists on eliminating the immediate need of a record label in the process of music making. According to Taynah, the technology available online today facilitates the production of quality content at an extreme low cost – and that belief is what motivates the project.

But what is it, exactly? How does it work?

The composer posts a video or an audio file of his new song on the website, specifying the kind of collaboration he is looking for. Drums, base, lyrics, whatever he thinks is necessary to complete his work. With that description also posted, interested artists then send in their suggestions, and it is up to the main composer, the one responsible for the project, to then “hire” the artists he believes are the best for what he wants.

When finished, the song is then posted online at a pre-established price set by the author. The profits are then shared between all the musicians involved – to be fair, a bigger amount of it stays with the main author of the project, the one who posted the idea. If the project is an online success, labels and managers have the opportunity to participate on an online auction of the song, or it’s main author can choose selling it directly to one of the partner labels of the website.

The project is now being developed by Taynah’s crew of programmers and is scheduled to be officially launched in a couple of months.

Musical career

Taynah grew up in a family of musicians, and  couldn’t avoid the influence that those loved ones had in her life. Since young she started to study ballet, making here way through the piano, the guitar and, finally, singing.

Today, together with friend and musical producer DJ Atha, she travels around Brazil with a live electronic project, called House Music Live – 4SUN, where she performs covers of great names of international pop music, besides some of her own creations.


 

Featured Artist # 4: Banda Black Rio

19 January, 2012 | Artists

One of the most important Brazilian bands is back! On the road since the 70s, Banda Black Rio brought innovation to the music scene mixing jazz, funk, samba and gafieira.

Synchronized instruments, contagious rhythm and a very powerful sound are all elements that ensured the success of the band since their first album, Maria Fumaça, 1977. A year later, in 1978, Black Rio released what would be considered one of the best Brazilian albums ever, Gafieira Universal. In the same year, they also release Saci Pererê, which was reissued in 1980. After a long period away from the stages, the band returns in 2000 with the album Movimento, reissued in 2002 in England, by Mr. Bongo, under the name of Rebirth.

In 2011 the group released their new work, Super Nova Samba Funk, produced by William Magalhães – son of Oberdan Magalhães, leader of the first version of the band – bringing the best of black music, with influences that go from rap to jazz. Super Nova Samba Funk shows that the original concept of Banda Black Rio is still alive, but now redesigned. Already released in Europe and Japan by label Far Out Recordings, the CD arrives in Brazil through the Cosa Nostra Recordings and is available in stores all over the country.

The new project counts with well known special guests, great names of the Brazilian music such as Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Elza Soares, Seu Jorge and others, besides the Americans Flame Killer (Mobb Deep) and GOD Pt3 (Infamous Mobb).

Tour 2012

Banda Black Rio will be on an international tour starting on April 2012, visiting London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. Another tour is planned for the summer, but there is no definite date, because musicians are still waiting for support for the trip.

Discography:

Maria Fumaça – 1977

Gafieira Universal – 1978

Saci Pererê – 1980

Movimento – 2001 (BR) / Rebirth – 2002 (UK)

Super Nova Samba Funk – 2011

Tones:

Jazz / Groove / Soul / Funk / Samba Gafieira

Influences:

Pixinguinha, Coleman Hawkins, Cartola, Stevie Wonder, James Brown

Links:

http://www.bandablackrio.com/

http://www.myspace.com/bandablackrio

http://www.facebook.com/bandablackrio?ref=ts #! / bandablackrio? sk = info


 

Featured artist #3: Thiago Phetit

03 October, 2011 | Artists

In 2010, much was spoken about the new “music scene in São Paulo” with young talents baptized as “representatives of the new folk” or “indie pop”. In this creative crop is Thiago Phetit, who launched in the same year his debut album Berlin, Texas, where he sings and plays the piano accompanied by delicate notes of the accordion, cello, flute, clarinet, guitar, ukelele, drums and percussion. In October, it was he who opened the show by French duo Air, in Buenos Aires. He returned to the Argentinian capital in March this year for the Musicas Del Sur festival. His lyrics are simple and melancholic, and treat human relations with care and emotion.

Still on the international issue, Thiago told he was selected for the South by Southwest festival 2011 (TX, USA), but failed to board. “I did not receive approval in time for my visa in the United States. Being a soloist who works with hired musicians and therefore require a lot of my investment, I learned that it is necessary to organize and have a local production on which to rely, in terms of structure and distribution”, he explains. But his international agenda remains high: next month he travels to Lisbon, Portugal. “I present in an event called “Avenida Paulista”, in October 14, in São Luiz theater. Will be a parallel night from Sintra Misty Festival, organized by the same producers”, he says. This time he has an invitation from a good local production, that´s providing everything, from the basics, such as lodging and meals to the disclosure of interviews. If all goes well, “Berlin, Texas” will be released in Portugal. We hope so!

Thiago Pethit is:
Thiago Pethit  – voice, piano and compositions
Pedro Penna  – guitar, ukulele
Camila Lordy – piano, accordion
Gustavo Machado – drums, percussion
Ana Elisa Colomar – cello, flute, clarinet

Discography:
2008 – Em Outro Lugar (EP)
2010 -  Berlim, Texas

Sounds like:
Indie-Pop / Cabaret

Influences:
Kurt Weill, Mariannne Faithfull, Tom Waits, Mutantes e Leonard Cohen.

News

“Nightwalker” videoclip starring Alice Braga, competing as clip of the year on MTV Brasil´s Video Music Award.

First Brazilian to have the show videotaped in the French site La Blogotheque.

In the midst of negotiations to launch and distribute the album Berlin, Texas in Portugal.

Links:
Site
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter

Get to know the previous featured artists:

DJ Tudo

Black Drawing Chalks


 

Featured Artist # 02: DJ Tudo e sua gente de todo lugar

01 September, 2011 | Artists

Alfredo Bello is another Brazilian with a more established career abroad than in his native country. “In seven days in Portugal I did more shows than in two years in São Paulo.” Today, the Minas Gerais born and raised in Brasília bassist and producer is known as DJ Tudo and his specialty is condensing traditional music from Brazil and from around the world into a pop repertoire. “He brings to the dance floor unusual ancestral rhythms and reprocesses them electronically” praised the journalist Lauro Lisboa, from O Estado de S. Paulo.

DJ Tudo is a music archaeologist. Through his label Mundo Melhor (an incredible source of information), Alfredo maintains the largest audio collection of Brazilian popular culture. From the recordings he gets during his travels around the country and the world, DJ Tudo – armed with samples and electronic beats – changes the regional sounds into modern dance tracks, and captivates attention wherever he goes.

In 2007 he released his first album, Garrafada. In 2010 came Nos Quintais do Mundo, which was nominated for the Brazilian Music Award in 2011, with a DVD recorded in July.

It was in 1998 that Alfred Bello debuted overseas in Berlin with his band Os Cachorros das Cachorras. In 2000 he went to Portugal and Spain as bassist with the singer Otto. In 2003 he went to England and Scotland with the Orquestra Scotland Brazil, but it was in 2008 that DJ Tudo took his own productions to Europe for the first time. Initially he went as a DJ, but nowadays he performing shows with his band. This year has seen him perform in Portugal with shows slated for Belgium and England (see schedule here). It may be cheaper to travel abroad as a DJ, but he has established enough good contacts to be able to tour with his whole band of nine people.

His passport has stamps from the USA and various European countries. Abroad, DJ Tudo is a World Music artist and not a Brazilian one. He says: “In every place I go I find people interested in my work.”

His CV is extensive. DJ Tudo won a scholarship from the British Council to do an artist residency in London and Glasgow in 2009. He worked with dub masters Mad Professor and Adrian Sherwood in Nos Quintais do Mundo. Recorded bass, moog and percussion on the last album of Lee Scratch Perry, Dubsetter, 2010. he has also produced albums by such artists as Junio Barreto, Cérebro Eletrônico, Porcas Borboletas and Pedra Branca. And made soundtracks for Brazilian movies “O Amor Segundo B. Schianberg” e “ Eu Receberia As Piores Notícias Dos Seus Lindos Lábios” de Beto Brant.

DJ Tudo also recently produced his first DVD: DJ Tudo e sua gente de todo lugar, recorded on July 29 in the Auditorium Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo.

The DVD will be brought to Europe in October for the tour and released in Brazil in November. He’s happy and optimistic, but still feels great difficulty in promoting his work in Brazil. “We have a colonial mentality, where power is still controlled by the few,” he says. “The New York Times has reviewed the album Nos Quintais do Mundo, and here I did not have the same impact”. He expects the DVD to help change this.

DJ Tudo e Sua Gente de Todo Lugar is:

DJ Tudo: bass, computer and vocals

Gustavo Souza: drum and sampler

Estevan Sinkovitz: Guitar and vocals

Ricardo Prado: accordion and keyboards

Marcelo Monteiro: sax tenor and flute

Amilcar Rodrigues: trumpet and flugelhorn

Mestre Nico: percussion and vocals

Graciliano Neto: Vocals and percussion

Guest: Fernanda Cabral: Vocals

Discography:

2008 – Garrafada, (Mundo Melhor)

2010 - Nos Quintais do Mundo – My community is humanity, (Mundo Melhor)

Compilations

2010 – Elektropik – French compilation of Latin Contemporary Music compiled by RKK.

2010 - Oi – A Nova Música Brasileira, (Mais Um Discos)

2010 – The Rough Guide to Brazilian Café, (World Music Network)

2010 – Album Remix for Luiza Maita, track Lero Lero, (Cumbancha)

Sounds like:

Brazilian Music talking with the world.

Influences:

Brazilian Music of all times and regions, electronic, jazz, dub and funk.

News:

In July he performed 6 shows in Portugal.

In October/November he embarks on the second leg of the European Tour 2011. There will be 4 shows and 2 seminars on Brazilian culture at Europália in Belgium, and one show in London. The schedule is here: http://bma.org.br/brmusicexchange/en/agenda/

The DVD, recorded last July at Auditório Ibirapuera, São Paulo, will be released in October. A preview of the new material is in the video below, which has the song “Baque Forte”:

Links:


 

International tours: Juliano Zappia reports his experiences

08 August, 2011 | Artists

Juliano Zappia is a journalist and producer. He lives in London for ten years, where he serves as publisher of monthly and bilingual JungleDrums Magazine. In the British capital, he already had organized the first Brazilian Film Festival (New Brazil in 2005), and the largest outdoor event with Brazil as a theme, “Tô Dentro!” by the river Thames in 2006. He also produced and promoted several shows of great Brazilian artists such as Maria Rita, Vanessa da Mata, Adriana Calcanhoto and Céu.

This cultural agitator is another character in the series of our ” International Tours” interviews.

- What is the right time to try a Brazilian artist an international tour?

There is no formula, but having the CD released in Europe or the U.S. helps a lot, mostly to draw the attention of local media.

- What is the greatest difficulty in terms of production? Are there are striking differences in relation to the Brazilian market?

Depends on the artist and the stage of career. A Maria Rita may want to bring the same tour of Brazil and it´s gonna be the same to make the show. But smaller artists surely have found conditions like never seen in Brazil. The greatest difficulty is to understand that the artist has to adapt his show out.

- In general, what is the most difficult to organize an international tour?

Nowadays with the crisis in Europe, falling dollar and strengthening of the real, is the high amount of tickets that the producer needs to sell to avoid losing money. Getting support from the press in some countries is also very complicated (the competition with African music gets in the way Brazil. Costs are high and the return pro producer and band, low.

- The internet is an ally in these cases? Is it easier for the planning and distribution network account?

Totally. Facebook is a major tool, as well as the Spotify player. Most ticket sales are made online. And today sites like Mondomix, Sounds and Colours, blogs and everything else, helps to sell tickets.

- What is the advantage of attempting an international tour? What kind of precautions must be taken not to throw money away?

In recent years it´s hard get good reasons to invest, since the domestic market (Brazil) walks in expansion and the foreign, in shrunken, but depending on the stage and style of the artist, is worth a lot. For example, if a good band percussion find the partner / right audience, can play in various festivals / locations around the world, something that in Brazil sometimes wouldn´t be possible. Others may have a foreign sound (rock band singing in English) and the market outside of Brazil may be essential.

- Which foreign market opens more space for Brazilian artists today? Are there places where brazilian music penetrates more easily?

France remains a strong partner in Brazil, and Portugal. Already other countries is more complicated. Even in England, Latin music and other African countries seem to have more public than that of Brazilian.


 

International Tours: Felipe Julián reports his experiences

27 July, 2011 | Artists, Exchange, Music Market

Felipe Julián is a producer and member of Axial. With three albums released, he has travelled over Brazil and some countries in Europe with this project. Besides being a musician, Julián also works as a professor of Music Production at the Anhembi
Morumbi University and is the creator of Bagagem, an application that distributes digital music and unites bands to visual artists. He is the first character that opens a series of interviews on international tours here. What did he learn on these trips? Read below!

What is the right time for a Brazilian artist try an international tour?

Hard to say. Now I’m believing he has to generate a good structure in Brazil before traveling. At least need to go with a good portfolio of achievements here and a well-organized presence on web (links, interviews, videos etc. ..) because if he intends to travel again, he must ensure that the people he meets in that first trip continue in touch with his work. With Axial, we decided to set up a series of shows here in São Paulo so could generate sufficient material and arguments to tour in Europe or Latin America better than we did before.

How far in advance do you need to plan the tour? Which are the steps?

If you find out let me know. I’m currently thinking that six months is very short time. And what are the steps? It depends on the prior existence of invitations or not. If a local producer is already helping out there, everything is
easier.

Is there a specific type of financing option to fund a tour like that?

Not that I know. I know there is help for tickets via Culture Ministery. I thought banks could provide credit lines for export cultural goods. But I think it is quite complex because most of this money will be spent outside the country.

What is the greatest difficulty in terms of production? Are there striking differences in relation to the Brazilian market?

I think Brazil is very professional in production of shows. If you know how to produce a show here will be like that out there. The biggest difficulty I see is the gap with Europe and the USA. The distance and makes everything more expensive. If there was a consistent Latin American circuit things would be much easier. And if there is train between the countries here then we would have a cultural phenomenon happening in Latin America. That traffic difficulty here is very serious. In Europe you travel by train very easily, from one place to another, carrying all your equipment without extra cost and in perfect condition. In fact, being in Europe (I only know Germany, Portugal and Czech Republic) the production of a show or more seems easy. The difficulty is to be there.

In general, what is the most difficult point to organize a tour internationally?

Distance. Little access to people and places being so far away.

As usually, the artist is not well knowned out there as here. So, the investment in promotion has to be bigger?

I swear I feel the opposite. It seems that you need to promote outside less than here! Perhaps the fact that being a foreign group arouses more attention.

The internet is an ally in these cases? Does the production plan gets easier because of the web?

Absolutely! But MySpace is not the same. But there are many new tools. I’ve been using Sonicbids, Reverbnation, BandCamp and ArtistData. All very interesting but not very useful in Brazil. I think there should be some equivalent service here that could foment the internal market and help to trip abroad. The ArtistData would be fantastic but it only makes sense to use it when you’re already there.

What kind of precautions must be taken not to throw money away?

My experience is not so big to answer this. But I would say you should never book a show on the same day you will arrive by plane in the city. Anything can go wrong. Also one should not underestimate the distances between cities. Otherwise … do not know what to say.

In which markets there is more space for Brazilian artists today? Are there places where the national music penetrates more easily?

I feel that Germany like Brazilian music. I am sure that Argentina too. But it’s easier to go to Argentina than Germany.

The participation of Brazilian musicians / bands has been growing in international market? It is possible to account for that?

That only you can answer! ;)