Zuco103

Futebol no Maracanã

Travel

As mentioned in my previous post there is a very interesting Brazilian film festival taking place in Berlin these days. Well, out of thousands of events, such as those which took lace last weekend in the Neue Nationalgalerie, or Lichtgrenze the following weekend – a comemmoration of the 25 years of the fall of the Berliner Mauer, dividing symbolically the Eastern and the Western part with the illuminated balloons.

So, among the titles about the Gold Rush in the Amazon, hippie days somewhere in the chapada, I managed to see hilarious document Fla x Flu recommended to any Brazilian soccer fan.

This legendary derby, regularly taking place on the magnificent Maracanã stadium, is much more than just football (or futebol, in Portuguese). Following the personal stories, almost magical beliefs of the fans, I laughted to tears. Having met fans from the both sides and spent some time in Rio de Janeiro definitely helped me understand how important this derby show is. But most importantly, this movie gains a special meaning in the year of the failure for the Canarinhos. While the performance of the all-time awed national team could be described as everything but carnival-like samba, Fla x Flu classic game remains the best dancer on the sambadrome…

Last Monday in the sunshine or the Saudade Week

Personal

Still a little bit offtopic, I just want to let know that I am alive and kicking, even though I am running against the clock with my relocation-related issues. My flat is the most depressive place with no furniture and everything packed. This is why meanwhile I went for a short getaway to Aragón and was surprised about how picturesque Zaragoza and the Pre-Pyrenees region is both for urban break and hiking. Apart from that October in Barcelona seems to be pampering me – balmy 25-ish Celcius degrees, clear sky and just a little bit chillier nights.

So do my nearest and dearest, on the other hand supporting me and being really happy about my new life chapter just about to start. Still, we are all weeping secretly from time to time! And many amazing people I met here throughout those couple of years. My friend got me even a bag with ‘Amor e saudade’ written on it. She could not catch my state of mind better!

The truth is that Barcelona is a place of constant migrations, coming and going just like ebbs and flows (oh, again the sea-related metaphor, can’t help it). This time I feel there is no turning back once I leave because I just feel strongly that world is bigger than Catalonia and very interesting indeed and has much more to offer for a curious and high-energy person like me (or at least how people describe me). Never say never though.

Not sure if Berlin is my final destination, but I am equally excited about the new job (yes!), new people I will meet on my way, new places I will discover in this ‘a place to be’ capital and the new language (ja!). I have even started an online German basics, but my mashed up accent, i.e. put altogether British English + rough Polish + Brazilian Portuguese + Spanish with a touch of Catalan (again, can’t help it) and you will get more or less the sound I produce.

Well, going back to the beach with Zuco103 in the speakers and German language app on my phone then. Even though this is the last Monday in the sunshine (titletaken from a famous Spanish movie Los Lunes Al Sol), I am going to seize the moment!

After the carnaval: Brazilectro

Music

I know that this post will make my special Barceloneta neighbour happy, so let’s dedicate it to her, when she is breaking free, http://notatherdesk.com! Weronika is a great supporter and has given me quite insightful feedback on how could Lusofonetica evolve. Anytime Weronika comes to my place she is like, “Can we listen to this Brazilian sound?” and I know she means “After the carnaval” LP. Winter, or summer, it makes us smile, especially that we both live on the same street, literally steps away from the beach.

Following the rule that the more multiculti the project is, the better, it applies to Brazilian contemporary music as well. If Brazilian music is already multicultural enough, how interesting it must be if you add up German and Dutch producers to it! I would like to present a very appealing group Zuco103 introduced to me during one of my visits to Amsterdam in search of the new sounds. I was following the Dutch label Dox Records at that time and Zuco103 was their revelation. They combined everything I loved in music: soulful/jazzy beat, vocals of the Brazilian singer and a bunch of exotic samples. Experimenting with different styles, from downtempo ballads to drum’n’bass and electronic music in an extensive sense of it, it cannot make you feel bored. One of their tracks is even called Brazilectro, which for me makes a great definition of what they do. All of their albums share the same surprise, cheerful sound, yet a bit of saudade mode, too. Find some samples below, some of them combine English and Portuguese lyrics, which makes a good starting point for the Portuguese-aficionado beginners. Well, it worked for me at least!

Wiki:

suco (zuco) – juice