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Over the past few decades, there has been a seismic shift in Brazil's musical landscape. A plethora of varying musical undergrounds has developed across the nation. While Rio and São Paulo have been overwhelmed with networks of talented musicians for a long time, creative life is now bursting all over the country. Amplificador exists to document and propagate the wonderfully diverse music currently blossoming from Brazil's vivacious and geographically varied musical undergrounds. Presenting an up-to date insight into Brazilian music, this compilation draws together some of the components of 'Novíssima Música Brasileira' (brand new Brazilian music), ranging from afro-grooves to rock, to modern samba and MPB. The music reaches back across Brazil's incredibly rich musical and cultural traditions, while also taking in influence from other movements around the globe.



Having begun life in 2012 as a Brazilian music blog run by Marcelo Monteiro, Eduardo Rodrigues, Mateus Campos, and Ricardo Calazans, the aim of Amplificador is to document and propel to wider audiences, Brazilian music of the '00s and '10s generation. This is a task made more significant by obvious changes in the way music is consumed. 'People are no longer obliged to listen to what the radio and TV are presenting. There is a whole new generation that wants to listen to new bands and new sounds and we try to connect those bands with other bands, producers, fans and even the mainstream.' These changes in technology and the way music is discovered and shared have developed parallel to the proliferation of these emerging scenes. The ostensible decentralization of the music industry means the promoting and filtering work of journalists and blogs, like Amplificador, have become increasingly important, as people try to keep up with the tsunami of new music and media flooding the country on a daily basis.



Marcelo uses the example of the Mangue Beat movement to explain a trend in contemporary Brazilian music that looks both inwards, to Brazil's own musical traditions and outwards, to movements around the world to create a novel, localised identity: 'The 90's Pernambuco art-social movement was inspired by Coco, Maracatu and Forró all mixed with modern riffs and grooves. The mythical

revolutionary Chico Science, his Nação Zumbi, Mundo Livre, Siba, and many others do this blend perfectly. There are also the references to the older generations and masters - Gil, Caetano, Luiz Gonzaga, João Gilberto, Tim Maia, Jorge Benjor - as a constant inspiration for all bands.' This is very much the case for the Brazilian artists of today.



Music is unquestionably informed by place. Brazil has always been famed for its regional differences in this sense. Indeed there are still pronounced variations between the scenes of Rio, Sao Paulo, Natal, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte and Belém for example, there are also great divergences within cities and while technology has brought changes to the way musical influences are shared, there are cultural differences, rooted in folkloric traditions, that aren't going away. Expressing his appreciation for this fact, while highlighting the potential of Brazil's spread of musical flavours, Marcelo explains that 'what we have now is new ingredients to make an even better mixture.'

This compilation heavily features music from a scene in Brazil's current musical make-up, which draws inspiration from African music, particularly Afro-beat music. Abayomy Afrobeat Orchestra from Rio formed because of their shared love of the music of Fela Kuti, uniting initially in 2009 for a jam session in his honour. But what sets Abayomy apart from other groups of a similar nature, is the fact that their sound also brings with it the songs and rhythms of candomblé. In this sense, Abayomy was the first band of its kind. The thirteen members of the orchestra have a palpable current of Rio's musical heritage - its rhythms and culture - running through them. So while their sound is distinctly African, it is also inherently Brazilian. Similarly, Zebrabeat Afro-Amazônia Orquestra draw upon traditional guitarradas and carimbos from the state of Pará and fuse these with the poly-rhythms of Afrobeat to create another regional hybrid, which stays true to both its Amazonian and African roots, yet which results in a very fresh, Brazilian sound. From Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais), Iconilli are another key band on Brazil's Afro-groove scene. With influences as varied as funk, jazz and psychedelic rock, congado, mining harmonies, maracatu, coco, ijexá, carimbó, Iconilli somehow manage to balance all of these sounds in such a way that makes it impossible to pin them down. From the Northeastern city of Joao Pessao, Parayba, Burro Morto's pshychadelic afro sound leans more towards rock and funk influences, with hint of regional Brazilian rhythms such as frevo and forro. They add another flavour to the Brazilian afro-groove scene: just one of the many exciting facets of Novíssima Música Brasileira.



While African-inspired music features heavily on the compilation, it is just one of the many styles within. Ive Seixas has a fresh approach to MPB, based on traditional rhythms and instrumentation, punctuated by a pop sensibility, coupled with a powerful female vocal. As an artist she is a product of a 'Do It Yourself' outlook to creativity, taken from her love of rock growing up. In 2013 she embarked on a project of street performance: wandering, like a lonely troubadour with just her guitar. Ive and her project began to gain notoriety and shortly after, her first EP was recorded, featuring some important names of South Rio's underground scene. 'Cervejas Populares' taken from the EP, is a beautiful, sombre piece of modern Brazilian pop, with a traditional samba rhythm. Another artist of the new MPB scene is Fabricio, from the city of Vitoria, who's 'Feito Tamborim' melds rock and funk and is also clearly reminiscent of the old Brazilian masters. It's an appreciation for the national musical heritage, alongside a keen ear for melody and an acceptance of foreign influences that results in these promising new sounds of Brazilian MPB.

Sao Paulo's super group of the underground 'Passo Torto' have been at the helm of an emerging scene in the city: an innovative approach to samba which draws in and experiments with afro grooves, jazz melodies and rock structures. Their sound is naturally very Brazilian, but the nylon twang of Faira Lima Pra Ca, interspersed with ominous strings and light rolling percussion, seems reminiscent of Captain Beefheart or Tom Waits, as the band lament their frustrations with their native city through their music.



The Future of Novíssima Música Brasileira looks very bright. The main challenge (and purpose of this album) is to get the music beyond Brazil's underground and into view of international audiences. In the last 10 years this goal has become somewhat more attainable, as the Brazilian government has begun to see the internationalisation of the nation's culture as a strategic objective, with public projects gaining increased investment and backing. The continuing project of Amplificador is to reinforce this international bridge by writing, filtering and promoting the scene as a whole. There is a wealth of great music currently blooming in Brazil and using new media tools, Marcelo and the team, alongside many others, will passionately continue to get the voices of Brazil's underground heard.

Clip! steps up to the plate as FINA White continues to set out its stall as a go-to label for top quality techno.

Second up on FINA White is a four tracker from rising Barcelona producer, Clip! Since being cherry picked by RBMA back in 2011 Clip! has quickly established a name for himself in and amongst the city's growing pool of electronic artists and further beyond. Diverse releases on on Discomaths, Classicworks, Sweat Taste and JD Records, coupled with his signature 'hardware only' live shows, showcase his sound shifting style and impressive knowledge of sound design - unsurprising perhaps given his classical and jazz music roots.

Clip! is a chameleon of sorts and for FINA White, he puts on his thick skin and offers up a package of pure and unadulterated peak time cuts.

The title track is an absolute sonic stonker. Its menacing bass line, low end throb and sharp edged hats roll and slice with a galvanized intent whist the old Chicago house sample and gradual layering of pumped up beats and sustained synths give it an unmistakable groove with attitude.

Meanwhile, long drawn out synth tones, distorted vocals and broken beats make up the stirring intro of 'R36'. The calm is short lived of course as the steady beat gives way into the track's defining hard-hitting bassline; one that is enveloped and then let loose again by a carefully crafted fusion of atmospheric sounds.

On the flip side, 'Forward' is, well... forward; a no messing, relentlessly percussive banger. And wrapping up the EP is 'Dissonance's Technique' an equally straight-up, rough n ready belter which once again showcases Clip!'s skills in the studio. Watch his space.

'Brotherhood EP' is out on FINA White.

Seattle/San Francisco based Techno label, From 0-1 issue "Time Dilation", a 12" vinyl/digital EP by label director, and co-owner Milkplant (Justin Pennell) of the San Francisco Bay Area. Andrei Morant and From 0-1 co-owner Sone join in as remixers. Including an endless groove and two locked grooves, this piece of vinyl is meant to be as utilitarian for the vinyl DJ as possible. 'Dimension 4' starts off the EP with a classic big room percussive Techno vibe, closing in an endless groove. Following is Andrei Morant's absolutely punishing treatment of Dimension 4, a tearing lead, and searing percussion point to the main room. Two locked grooves, one percussive, the other synth based close out side '0'. On the flip side Milkplant's 'Spherical' reps a tight "future-retro" vibe; elements of old Motor City Techno dominate with a bit of grit to keep it dirty. Sone dials in a perfect toned down, more expansive and hypnotic interpretation of Spherical showcasing slowly evolving filters and modulation fit for the wee hours of the morning. 'Plasmic' is included only as a digital extra in this release- tough, noisy, and a little tripped out with a bit of swing to keep them on the floor.


All12" vinyl jackets are custom screen printed by Bloom Press in Oakland, California, with design curation by label art director, Rubidium. Mastering and distribution by Dietrich Schoenemann of Complete USA. Marketing and promotions by Pullproxy Berlin.

New York City-based DJ, producer and The Corner label owner Anthony Parasole makes his debut on Ostgut Ton with three new percussive-heavy Techno tracks on the My Block EP.

"Percussive music, that's my ground, my foundation but I am missing the feeling of tribalism in Techno today. I've been using a lot of different drum techniques over the past years, implementing them to Techno. The record 'Quickstrike', that I've released on my own label The Corner, was an edit record of an old sample-based house release. To me this was a test if people would gravitate to this sound and it was the biggest record on The Corner so far. From there I knew I could do this and two tracks off my new EP on Ostgut Ton work like this: 'Typhoon' features bongos, congas and all kinds of skin percussion, 'My Block' uses a different kind of percussive color.

HipHop in general and the Cut-up technique in particular have also heavily inspired me as a producer. During the 1990s music seemed really profound - a little bit tougher too. I listened to a lot of HipHop when I was writing the music for this new release and applied its methods to my own music. Many producers at that time were very forward-thinking. Wu-Tang Clan's RZA uses a sixteenth note technique that made me realize that I wanted this kind of hypnotizing sound to work in a Techno format. Another big influence were late 1970s Horror movie trailers. I was watching them while I was working on 'Bizarre' in the studio, I was inspired to capture the eerie tones and textures of those short clips in 'Bizarre'.

At the end of the day I work within certain parameters. Everytime I make a sample, I drop it into my personal folder - so all my music has a similarity of up to 50 or 60%. Maybe I'll use the same drumkit or kickdrum. I apply limitations to myself, but doing this also gives me my own voice. When I was learning how to produce, Levon Vincent taught me to make my own drum kit, to make my own synth kit and to work within this. Sample-based music is inspiring, and creating something out of found sound is very interesting to me. I think a sound signature is something that will always refine ones sonic pallet and skill set."

- Anthony Parasole, Berlin, September 2014 -

Darshan Jesrani's new project Funn City continues to break open the notion of modern vs. retro and challenges the listener to categorize what is found inside. Extending the experiment in modern disco without re-treading already explored ground, Funn City offers a playful and rebellious approach to the recombination of old and new. Funn City sticks lightly to the fusion of live and electronic instruments, and heavily to its varied influences from rock and r&b to house and techno, yet casts them in a delirious, neon-lit sheen. 'All-Night People,' the project's first offering, is a relentlessly-upbeat, vivid, saturated trip of a maxi-single inspired by that liminal area of late-70s dance music which existed between shitty, bluesy rock, new wave and disco. Otherworldly, gurgling synths surf atop truncated, slashing guitar and thick, pattering congas. Taut synth sequences spar with sinewy lead lines and trashy vocals, bound together by a precise, modern sensibility, enticing you to waste your time inside a glorious, pinball machine dream. The dub on Side B works most of the same features but empties out the arrangement and infuses the mix with a bubbling, techno-inspired sequence and phaser-licked synth to create a new, more streamlined groove for the track-oriented dancefloor and style of play. Startree is proud to present this first release as a mission-statement in musical form and an indicator of things to come.

MCDE proudly presents the debut works of 22 year-old Canadian, Michael Gracioppo. Featuring a remix from Fred P (Mule / Underground Quality)..very limited edition.
The label's first 10-inch is headed by My So-Called Friends-the Montrealers deeply personal ode to an over-indulgent past lover.

The fluid drum work and violent bass line sit alongside the words of a punkesque inspired vocal sample. My So-Called Friends tells the story of a sincere and vulnerable young woman facing an inner battle between excessiveness and self-restraint. These drugs they are making me so sad I can't stop taking them.

A2 is a testament of Gracioppo's focus on maintaining a balance between songwriting and sound design.
Sailing unpredictably back and forth in tempo, A2 has been left untitled so as not to taint the piece.

Enlisted on remix duties, the always excellent Fred P flawlessly Reshapes Gracioppo's A1 into a hymn suited for the early morning comedowns.
Fred Ps vibrant pads resonate up and down in frequency and wrap the wavering vocal in warmth and comfort.

DKMNTL letting out the celebration 12"s like fireworks ..this time it's the turn of Hundred20 (MCDE & Praterei team up!) and one of our personal favorites, Hunee turning in two awesome tracks...TIP!
Hundred20 - Minke Whale Congregation
Aka Felix Bergleiter and Danilo Plessow (Motor City Drum Ensemble). Analogue Chicago sounds for this one, resulting in a cut-the-crap-and-get-on-the-floorand-dance record. Pure bliss.

Hunee - The Lowest Animal Rising star Hunee digging up some oldschool sounds for his The Lowest Animal.
Nine-o-nine action and a string-laden climax do the job properly here. The 7.38 minutes are gone before you know it.

Coming out with one of the most anticipated and long-awaited albums so far on Brainfeeder is Samiyam aka Sam Baker. 'Sam Baker's Album' is 40 minutes of pure listening pleasure, a series of woozy, off-centre hip hop instrumentals drawing heavily on Baker's love of electronic funk but never in hock to it. Intensely detailed and carrying considerable emotional weight, this is not 'Rap Beats Volume 2' but an album of fully-realised pieces of music which stand on their own without the need for an MC's intervention.
Ann Arbor native, Samiyam (born Sam Baker) moved to Los Angeles in 2006. In his short time out West, he has become one of the city's most progressive and recognized producers, a man who has spearheaded the revival of interest in instrumental hip-hop music over the last few years. Baker's 'Rap Beats Vol.1' collection was the very first release on Brainfeeder. He has also collaborated with old friend Flying Lotus as Flyamsam as well as having releases on Hyperdub and Poo-Bah records.Samiyam describes the work contained in his "Debut album" simply as, 'my favourite stuff' - and what could be better than that

The old stager and Stuttgart-representative of the minimalistic House and Techno scene Vladimir Corbin and his ally Peddy collaborate on Mo's Ferry number 55.

Iggy goes West! Soda Gong welcomes back Kansas City-based musician Iggy Romeu with his latest collection as Mister Water Wet. "Cold Clay from the Middle West" is a (characteristically) sharp left turn from his last two records, with Romeu offering up a surprising and addictive melange of crackpot Americana and smoky noir beat science. “Cold Clay Suite” opens the record, a five-part ride into the sunset that features Cooder-esque guitars, cat-gut fiddle, horse-hoof percussion, stadium organs, penny whistle, and bleary-eyed polysynth ruminations, among sundry other ephemera. Multi-instrumentalist Will Yates, known to most as Memotone, shows up three times on the album, lending clarinet, keys, guitars, banjo, sarangi, and vibraphone to these kaleidoscopic productions. It’s a wild ride of a record akin to following a dotted bridleway on a crumpled old map, marvelously variegated and stitched together as only MWW knows how. Get along, now.