Product Description

A warm, inviting integration of Brazilian music and a left-field DJ production, SAO PAOLO CONFESSIONS is a dance extravaganza that quickens the pulse as effortlessly as it deploysa hazy, narcotic, digital bossa/lounge vibe. Suba was a Yugoslavian expatriate living in the polyglot Sao Paolo before he was killed in a fire in November 1999, so it's no surprise that his only full-length release embraces cultural diversity. This document of his final work is stocked with futuristic music rooted in centuries-old cultural patterns.
At times the futurism in SAO PAOLO CONFESSIONS contests with Brazilian traditionalism, and piano flourishes share space withsynthetic sonic indulgence, but his finest productions are a hybrid of sensual timbres and athletic rhythms. "Cannibals" is an Amazonian take on deep house, with an orgy of percussion careening around a sonic black hole, while in "A NormalDay (in Sao Paolo)", syncopated funk guitar licks propel a rhythmic cannonball of hi-hat loops and dirty beats. SAO PAOLO CONFESSIONS is a soundtrack to the tumultuous life of South America's most densely populated city.

Track Listing

1. Tantos Desejos
2. Voce Gosta
3. Na Neblina
4. Segredo
5. Antropofagos
6. A Felicidade
7. Um Dia Comum (EMSP)
8. Sereia
9. Samba Do Gringo Paulista
10. Abraco
11. Pecados Da Madrugada
12. A Noite Sem Fim

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29118 in Music
• Released on: 1999-09-27
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
First heard on the Brasil 2Mil compilation, the late Suba was part of a new generation of South American musicians (although he was originally from Central Europe) who married airy melodies and percussion with the electronic scene. His music worked especially well because he was a trained musician, and he contributed not only programming but also keyboards to this record. Aided by various vocalists and percussionists, he created grooves that were a million miles from Latin dance but spoke both to Brazilians and club goers. There was a lushness to his sound that captivated, and when the percussion exploded, it came on like fireworks, not a firestorm. This is the sound of one of the world's biggest cities, where darkness can lurk even under the blue skies. It's a shame there'll be no more music from Suba. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews

Big surprise...
I'm Brazilian and I had never heard about Suba until yesterday when I watched a program from BBC4 that showed Brazilian music through the 80's and 90's and I downloaded the album and just loved it! The way he mixed the Brazilian rhythms with foreings ones is just great! I recommend to everybody.

The starting point
The creation of Zirguiboom records heralded a relaunching of Brazilian music for the twenty first century at a time when it was struggling to relive the glories of the sixties and early 70's. Suba was a key man in the stable. He was Serbian who, when he was in Paris won a 3 month music scholarship to Brazil and never came back. He managed to combine a real feel for Brazilian music with modern studio technology to create a fabulous ambient dance sound. What is great is that the music could not be anything but Brazilian. It features Bebel Gilberto and Cibelle before they cut their own records and expertly samples, among others Chico Buarque.

Suba is dead, rumoured to have died while trying to rescue the tapes for the follow up from a studio fire. He, alongside Nacao Zumbi, Otto and a few others have relaunched the fabulous Brazilian sound for us and we should be grateful for the role he played in doing that.

I think I've missed the point
Having read the rave reviews I was looking forward to hearing this. I love music which melds different traditions and sounds into a convincing fusion, but I'm sorry to say this didn't do it for me. I found it a bit muddy and there was just too much going on for my taste. I also found some of the repetitive trance-inducing stuff, rather than creating an ambience or transporting me into a different place or whatever, just a little irritating.

That could just be me, of course. If this were a little more up at the world-fusion end of the pool, and a bit less at the techno-dance end, I'd probably like it more. But there's no doubting the cleverness of the layering that goes on.