Leandro HBL talking about Favela On Blast on CNN.

Leandro HBL on CNN talking about Favela On Blast. GRES Alegria do Zona Sul is the venue in Cantagalo where Sany Pitbull hosts his baile. Some sweet images from there and some preview material of the film. Thanks to Sany for letting me know!

Baile funk with chôro and bossa nova

Baile funk is moving ever forward. We've already heard a lot of tunes and remixes incorporating samba and batucada elements with baile funk, but it's still a natural and expected mix. However combining baile funk with traditional 50's bossa nova or chôro sounds far more absurd. (Chôro is the classical, melancholic version of samba, that sounds more like portuguese fado then samba) And to understand the fully the abrusdity (at least on a brazilians mind) you have to understand that in Brazil also music is all about the social class. To make it simple baile funk is the music "by the poor, for the poor" as Daniel Haaksman puts it. And chôro and 50's bossa nova, maybe radical at the time, nowadays have the air of being the music your grandfather likes to listen. Elevator music they might be called by some. But certainly NOT something you'd go shake your ass on the dancefloor. And still, they are coming together. And the result is something very, very interesting.

Though this is only one of the ways baile funk is going, it is important in the brazilian context, hopefully bringing down some of the prejudism linked on baile funk in Rio.

And here are the news:

Sany Pitbull has teamed up with Tira Poeira, an awardwinning band playing traditional chôro with a touch of jazz enthusiastics. They've made together a version of the classic "O Morro Não Tem Vez" by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. The title translates "The hill doesn't have a chance" and I think this proves just the opposite.


Check out the video made by the Brazil's major TV channel, Globo, about the co-operation to get an idea of what it sounds like:



Sany Pitbull is going to be on fire on saturday at TIM festival in Rio, ending the whole festival as the last act. (TIM festival is pretty much the biggest and most respected music festival to occur in Rio; this year's line up includes Kanye West, Klaxons, Gogol Bordello & Switch amongst others) And Sany will invite Tira Poeira to do the track live on stage. Leandro HBL, the director of the film Favela On Blast, is also gonna be participating on the show with some visual art. I wish I could be there, but I can't. If you happen to be around Rio, don't miss this one!

The other super interesting project is of Daniel Haaksman, who got access to the bossa nova catalogue of Verve through Universal and to celebrate the 50th aniversary of bossa nova invited baile funk producers from Rio to do their own interpretations of some classic bossa tunes. I haven't heard any of it yet, but this sure sounds interesting as hell and as it's going on major distribution through Universal, it's gonna shake it up big time, also in Brazil. Read more about it from the Man Recorder.


According to the Man Recordings blog (they've been really spicing it up actively with some really nice stuff!) it should already be hitting the stores and there also a release party with DJ Edgar on November 4th at Bar Tausend in Berlin.

Check out Mr. Haaksman telling more about the project on youtube:


The tracklist sure looks interesting:

1. Sergio Mendes + Brasil 66 "Day Tripper - DJ Fú + DJ Dinho Remix"
2. Luiz Bonfá "Discussão - MC Gringo + DJ Bolão Remix"
3. Rosinha Da Valencia "Berimbau - DJ Nazz + Ernani Maldonado feat. Bani Silva Baile Funk Remix"
4. João Gilberto "Desafinado - DJ Nazz + Ernani Maldonado Remix"
5. Fernanda Meirelles "Barquinho - DJ Marrentinho Remix"
6. Luiz Bonfá "Embocada - DJ Dinho + DJ Fú Remix"
7. João Gilberto "Bim Bom - DJ Amazing Clay Funk Remix"
8. Tom Jobim "Agua De Beber - DJ Edgar Remix"
9. João Gilberto + Astrud Gilberto "Girl From Ipanema - DJ Nazz Funk MIx"
10. Klaus Doldinger "Insensatez - DJ Edgar Remix"
11. Rosinha De Valencia "Uma Noite - DJ Marrentinho Remix"
12. Rubens Bassini, Jorge Arena + Chico Bater "Macumba - DJ Dinho + DJ Fú Remix"

Favela On Blast premiere tomorrow.

It's finally out!


The much antecipated baile funk documentary Favela On Blast by Leandro HBL & Wesley "Diplo" Pentz is gonna have it's premiere tomorrow (3.10.) at the traditional Cine Odeon in Rio. So if you happen to be in Rio, don't miss this one... Even though I haven't any more then small snippets of the material, I have to say congratulations! I hope this is gonna break baile funk all around the world BIG TIME.


And of course there is an after party with a heavy line-up.