Sonzeira - Brasil Bam Bam Bass (Gilles Peterson Presents Sonzeira) (2015)

In the middle of 2014, with all roads leading to Brazil, DJ, tastemaker and cultural curator Gilles Peterson embarked on the project of a lifetime, his most ambitious to date: setting up camp in a recording studio in Rio to record a sort of love letter to the nation under the artist name “Sonzeira” (meaning a joyful / killer sound). The resulting album “Brasil Bam Bam Bam” was a deeply personal work, bringing together the many authentic sounds and traditions but always through the eyes of an enthusiast inspired by 30 years of DJIng and record collecting. As Gilles said at the time: ‘Brazil’s music culture is massive..There’s the North – Bahia, Recife, the afro-brazilian sound. There’s batucada, the heavy sambas. Then bossa nova - Tom Jobim and all that history. There’s baile funk. There’s Tropicalia and the more soulful, funky scene championed by groups like Banda Black Rio, Trio Mocoto and icons like Gilberto Gil. Such a huge amount of stuff to fit in. I wanted to try and cover it all – to make a kind of Buena Vista meets club culture, but to keep it sonically very modern.’ The album included star turns from Brazilian superstars young and old, including ‘City of God’ actor and singer Seu Jorge, the grande dame of samba, 76-year-old powerhouse Elza Soares, and world-renowned percussionist Nana Vasconcelos. Of course, this was a Gilles Peterson record and so there was also many left turns - who else would come up with Emanuelle Araujo’s bossa nova take on the 80s UK jazz-funk hit Southern Freeez, or draft in Seun Kuti (youngest son of Fela) to join the dots between modern day Brazil and the slave ships that bought poly-rhythms from Africa 400 years ago.

Of course, with roots so deep in the interesting edges of club culture it was natural for Gilles to continue this journey into new sonic territories. As such he has spent the last 6 months curating this new album “Brasil Bam Bam Bass” drafting in some of his favourite producers, friends, and associates to reimagine tracks from the album, with all the taste and good judgement you would expect. Much like the original record this is a very personal curation, a considered work that saw Gilles hand pick producers to re-imagine the album track by track - these include At Jazz, FaltyDL, DJ Oil, Kyodai, Max Graef and many more. Also included on this double CD are some wonderful outtakes (including the sublime reworking of Yusef lateef’s Plum Blossom previously only on the vinyl box set of the album), and dubbed out alternative versions of several tracks by Gilles’ Sonzeira co-producer Dillip Harris.

If the original record was about examining Gilles own history and love for every quarter of Brasil’s sound, this provides a further glimpse into Gilles’ creative mind, ever serching for connections between rhythms; exciting, imaginative and original productions. Most of all this is a record where respect for the source material continues to shine through.

Tracklist:
01. Sonzeira; Kassin; Lucas Santtana; Nina Miranda; Earl Zinger; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Chico Chagas; Demus; Stephane San Juan - City Of Saints (DJ Oil Remix) (11:41)
02. Sonzeira; Elza Soares; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Elspeth Cowey; Harriet Davies; Brian Wright; Nick Squires; Sean O'Hagan - Aquarela Do Brasil (Mark E Remix) (7:35)
03. Sonzeira; Kassin; Elza Soares; Wilson Das Neves; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Stephane San Juan; Marlon Sette; Robert Gallagher; Demus - Naná (Sunlightsquare Remix) (4:45)
04. Sonzeira; Seu Jorge; Nina Miranda; Valerie Etienne; Demus; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Stephane San Juan; Jose Marquez - Sambãio (Jose Marquez Remix) (7:59)
05. Sonzeira; Kassin; Emanuelle Araújo; Chico Chagas; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Stephane San Juan; Valerie Etienne; Paul Jason Fredericks; Bémbé Ségué; Robert Gallagher - Xibaba (She-bá-ba) (Kyodai Remix) (8:09)
06. Sonzeira; Marcos Valle; Renato "Massa" Calmon; Alberto Continentino; Frank Colon; Patricia Alvi - America Latina (Nicola Conte Remix) (4:32)
07. Sonzeira; Emanuelle Araújo; Arlindo Cruz; Chico Chagas; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Robert Gallagher; Stephane San Juan; Valerie Etienne; Paul Jason Fredericks; Bémbé Ségué - Brasil Pandeiro (Drumagick's Beach Mix) (4:14)
08. Sonzeira; Marcos Valle; Renato "Massa" Calmon; Alberto Continentino; Frank Colon; Marcelo Martins; Diogo Gomes - Ele e Ela (Werkha Remix) (3:46)
09. Sonzeira; Elza Soares; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Elspeth Cowey; Harriet Davies; Brian Wright; Nick Squires; Sean O'Hagan - Aquarela Do Brasil (Do Dub) (6:23)
10. Sonzeira; Kassin; Marc Mac; Mart'nália; Nina Miranda; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Claudio Andrade; Stephane San Juan; Sean O'Hagan; Elspeth Cowey; Harriet Davies; Brian Wright; Nick Squires; Finn Peters; Luke Parkhouse - The Mystery Of Man (4Hero Remix) (5:04)
11. Sonzeira; Atjazz; Emanuelle Araújo; Arlindo Cruz; Chico Chagas; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Robert Gallagher; Stephane San Juan; Valerie Etienne; Paul Jason Fredericks; Bémbé Ségué - Brasil Pandeiro (Atjazz Mix) (5:57)
12. Sonzeira; Kassin; Emanuelle Araújo; Chico Chagas; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Guilherme Campos Monteiro; Danilo Andrade; Stephane San Juan; Valerie Etienne; Paul Jason Fredericks; Bémbé Ségué; Robert Gallagher - Xibaba (She-bá-ba) (Atjazz Edit) (4:13)
13. Sonzeira; Seu Jorge; Nina Miranda; Valerie Etienne; Demus; Zero Telles; Armando Marçal; Stephane San Juan - Sambãio (Atjazz Astro Dub) (4:50)