BrazilBeat Sound System - Balada

DJ-percussion duo BrazilBeat Sound System join Bobby Brazuka for a very special edition of his "Balada" night at Safari Lounge. Balada is well known as New Zealand's hottest Brazilian party.

BBSS debut album "Nova" hits the streets November 20th. Brazilian percussionist Nego Beto and Californian DJ Mara first brought the BrazilBeat project to New Zealand in 2000; now they call Aotearoa home. "This album has been a long time coming," affirms Nego Beto. "We think it is pretty original and faithful to the sound we've been doing live for all these years."

That sound, according to BBSS, can only be described as a mixture of genres: dub, funk, house, and of course, plenty of live drumming.

Brazil is a vast and incredibly diverse country, where music is a staple of the population's daily diet. Styles like samba, bossa-nova and baile-funk command immense popularity worldwide, and are becoming increasingly well known in New Zealand. Loop Recordings' OE: Brazil project took NZ musicians Hollie Smith, Barnaby Weir, Recloose and others over to Brazil last year to record an album with some of their Brazilian counterparts. The album and documentary film created a sensation in New Zealand. In recognition of his musical status, Nego Beto was invited on board for the culmination of the project-- the OE: Brazil live shows in Auckland and Wellington.

Known as the Ambassador for Brazilian Music in New Zealand, Bobby Brazuka has been sharing his culture with Aotearoa through music, art and coffee for the last eight years. Mixing Brazilian funk, samba and bossa with soul, jazz and hip hop, Brazuka's stlyes have been assets to the Nw Zealand Scene. Hitting the airwaves both at George Fm (Sundays 6-8) and Base Fm (Fridays 10-12), Bobby keeps working hard in what he calls a process of education of Brazilan Music and Culture here in NZ.