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Connection Espírito Santo – Europe

15 August, 2011 | Music Market

Eduardo Louzada is a key figure in the music scene of the Espírito Santo State, in Brazil. Without false modesty, he knows he was largely responsible for the appearance and encouragement of many independent bands and even the rescue of the local folklore like the Congo music. This cultural agitator works with music for over 20 years, has been an entrepreneur of some artists, producer and today he is a creator of opportunities for new artists. Edu Louzada is the director of Espírito Mundo project, a cultural exchange between Brazil and the world  that includes music, workshops, business roundtables and Festivals Espírito Poitou (FR), Espírito Provence (FR), Espírito Brum (UK), Hay Espiritú Madrid (ES) and the Espirito Mundo Brazil. “That’s what moves me, but this is not what sustains me (unfortunately),” he says.

Next Wednesday, 17th, the festivals starts: Espírito Poitou – Celles Sur Belle, FR (17-20 August), Espírito Provence – Aix-en-Provence, FR (August 30 to September 5 ) Hay Espiritú Madrid, ES (Sept. 6), Espírito Brum – Birmingham, UK (14-18 September). Among the Brazilian artists are: Alexandre Lima & Radio Experienza (ES), Babilak Bah (MG / PB), Flavia Bittencourt (MA), Forró BEM TIVI (ES), among others. During a conversation with BRMusic Exchange,  Edu explains how he could raise so many festivals in Europe.

How did you start making music?

For 20 years I was a shopkeeper and I started sponsoring some shows in Vitória City Then, I was already producing the events. I worked with great artists such as Roberto Carlos, Lenine, Maria Rita, Cidade Negra, Skank, Olodum. But I decided to do something for the music of my state because I realized that the Espírito Santo had great potential, but his musicianship was totally unknown in Brazil. I met a band called Mahnimal and dropped everything and work with them. Mahnimal threw me in the world and allowed me to do what I do today. I am also sure that with these Mahnimal trips to Europe, i gained experience to help many independent Brazilian bands to position themselves in the European market. In 2005 I joined the BM&A and started to attend international music fairs, where I had a new vision of the market.

How did the Espírito Mundo Program began?

The project began in a very unpretentious way. In the summer of 2005, French filmmaker AntoineViollet came to Vargem Alta, a mountain town in the interior of the Espírito Santo state and we were there playing with Mahnimal. The french was excited by what he saw, made a documentary with the band, which mixes world music with the popular culture of the Espírito Santo. Just the other year, we were on tour in Europe, when suddenly we were out of money and no place to sleep, so we decided to do a “visit” to our french friend … With this single visit to Antoine’s house in the village of Celles sur Belle, we started to go back oftenly. In the early years the house was simply a “shelter” for the group, and after a “little show” in the backyard, another in the central square, a largest one at Abadia Real, we received an invitation from La Ronde des Jurons Association to participate in government events. After a few years, in a concert in the Abadia Real, the mayor of Celles sur Belle became excited, and offered us the “key to the city.” Soon we got a festival in the city.

Back in Brazil in 2008, I was still Mahnimal´s manager and I joined Aline Yasmin and founded the Quorum Institute, which is responsible for a project  called “Espírito Poitou.” In 2010 we created the project “Espírito Mundo” with the same concept of Poitou. In these four years, we took over 100 artists from Espírito Santos to France. In 2010 the city of Aix-en-Provence hosted the first extension of the festival. This year we will have (in August and September) the fourth edition of Espírito Poitou in Celles sur Belle and the second edition of the EspíritoProvence in Aix-en-Provence, France, and even the first releases of Espíritu Hay Madrid, in Spain and Espírito Brum, in Birmingham, England.

Why the band Mahnimal pleased France that much?

The Mahnimal is modern with popular culture. The rhythm, the drums, called the unprecedented attention of Europeans since the first presentation at Expo 98 in Lisbon. Where we arrived with $ 50 dollars to do only one show and ended up doing 11. After 34 days of travel, the Portuguese press regarded us as the revelation of Expo 98. Long before that, the Mahnimal had also won the prize of RFI (Radio France Internationale) as the best work in Latin America and the Caribbean.

What is the importance of BM&A in all this project?

BM&A was one of the first partners to believe in the project and was also responsible for introducing us to a large market in the world. Before we know the BM&A, we were all  without the knowledge of the mechanisms available in the foreign market. It was through partnership with BM&A we decided to turn a simple Espírito Santo music festival in a program called Espírito Mundo, involving artists from all over Brazil and conquering new countries.

How is the selection of artists to perform at each of the festivals?

Will be around 30 Brazilian artists for music festival areas (Classical, Choro, Pop / World, MPB, Forro, Electronics), poetry, visual arts, video and dance.

We seek artists through a cooperative research in national and international fairs, and we receive material of artists interested in us through site of the Quorum Institute. As soon as one festival ends, we begin a pre-receivership, where you select an average of 100 bands and send to international partners. From there we begin to adjust according to interest / profile of the local public.

And you have a fifth  festival in Spain, right?

I am a producer and director of The Cantos Na Maré -  Brasil, Festival Internacional da música Lusófona that happens for eight years in Galicia, Spain. The intention is to form a network of agents leading the festival to all countries of the Portuguese language. But with the current crisis in Spain, our partners have delayed the event. Let’s hope we go back to Galicia in 2012.

The cities hosting the event are 100% prepared to receive our musicality?

What the world is.


Brazilian music on international press

31 May, 2011 | Coluna da Jody Gillett

Jody Gillett, the PR of the BM&A in the UK, lives in London for over 15 years working with the local independent music scene. He has worked with marketing and manages at various record companies and labels like Hannibal Records, Ryko disc, Luaka Bop, Plot, etc. Jody still edits the world music news at the site and magazine Mondomix.com (France), and while she was doing some musical researches, she sent us the following news:

The sudden success of A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade has gone beyond the borders of Brazil and went into the Jungle Drums, a site/magazine in London about Brazilian music. Click here to read the article about the band from Curitiba.

You know the Bottletop Band? It´s the musical wing of a British charity called Bottletop which supports projects in education and training of young people in Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Mozambique and the UK. The project aims to unite British, American and Brazilian musicians in compilations whose sales are rolled back to charity.

The next album will feature collaborations of Brazilians Kassin, Domenico, Nina Becker and Rodrigo Amarante. To help the project, and learn more about the disc, watch the video here.

Ny the way, the ONG Bottletop has a small accessories factory in Salvador, Bahia, from where products are sold in the UK. Kate Moss, Paris Hilton and Rachel Weisz are among the client’s brand.

Some recent articles about Brazilian music at portal Mondomix (a multimedia electronic magazine, which features news from music, film, literature and arts from around the world. The printed version of Mondomix is ​​distributed free to 740 points in France):

- The New Brazilian Music featured on a playlist of 10 videos. Among them are the inedit partnership of Gaby Amaranthos (from Pará) and Catarina Dee Jah from Pernambuco), the band Cidadão Instigado (from Ceará) and the Baiana System (from Bahia)

- The publication of the video from Seu Jorge and Almaz – project of the singer with members of Nação Zumbi – performing “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” by Roy Ayers. This show took place in March in São Paulo, after the Almaz returned from a tour of the USA and Europe.

- Red Hot + Rio 2, is the name of the new Red Hot collection, the new yorker institute which aims to raise funds to help HIV-positive people. Under the slogan “fighting AIDS through popular culture for over 20 years”, the ONG Red Hot was inspired – for the second time – in Brazil for his next release, out on June 28. In the first collection bank in 1996, figured Sting, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, George Michael, Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento, David Byrne and others. The 2011 edition will feature Devendra Banhart, Seu Jorge, Beck, Of Montreal, Mayra Andrade, Bebel Gilberto, Prefuse 73, Vanessa da Mata, Madlib, Joyce, Os Mutantes, Aloe Blacc, Ceu, Mia Doi Todd, Carlinhos Brown and more.