São Paulo Confessions
with João Parahyba and Cibelle
(2000)

Yugoslavian-born producer Suba moved to São Paulo, Brazil, in the late 1980s, bringing with him experience in jazz, classical music, theater, ballet, and film. São Paulo Confessions brings the 18-million-strong city to musical life with an ambitious and unique fusion of classic Brazilian styles and modern electronics. The result is a magical blend of Afro-Brazilian rhythms, dreamy vocals, and forward-looking techno.
--Marc Greilsamer

First heard on the Brasil 2 Mil: The Soul Of Bass-O-Nova 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

Tributo
Cibelle Cavalli, Kaita B, Boyz of Brazil,
Phil Asher, Zero dB and Bigga Bush
(2002)

It's hard to imagine a CD that more succinctly sums up the complex rhythms and cross-cultural references of contemporary Brazilian music than Suba's São Paulo Confessions, but Tributo comes close. Confessions, the one solo record Suba released before his untimely passing in 1999, confirmed the musician as one of global groove's leading lights after a production career that included work on Bebel Gilberto's hugely successful Tanto Tempo. Tributo is a testament to Suba's original vision, a remarkably cohesive collection of live tracks, remixes, and newly recorded interpretations of his urbane, percussion-driven signature sound. Every track here smolders and burns with passion and fire, from collaborations with vocalists Cibelle Cavalli and Kaita B to new tracks from Boyz Of Brazil and house producer Phil Asher, and remarkable remixes by Zero dB and Bigga Bush. In his lifetime, Suba tapped into and reprojected the teeming, throbbing street sounds of Sao Paulo, one of the world's largest and most densely populated cities. Even in death, his music plays on. --Carl Hanni (Amazon.com)
 

Brasil 2 Mil: The Soul Of Bass-O-Nova
Bebel Gilberto, Zuco 103, Suba,
Daúde, Fernanda Abreu, Lenine
(1999)

This decidedly different facet of Brazilian music keeps the soft sounds and rhythms of the samba, but puts them quite firmly in a '90s context, with the loops, beats, and samples of electronica, hip-hop, and R&B as integral parts of the song. In other words, unlike much Brazilian music, this music looks ahead, rather than behind--for example, Fernanda Abreu takes the bass line for Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" for a remix of her song, and it works perfectly within a sensual groove. Given that more than 30 years have passed since Tropicalia, Brazil's last musical revolution, the time seems to be very ripe for a new generation to have its say. And the people on this compilation are very articulate indeed. --Chris Nickson
 

Various Artists
The Now Sound Of Brazil (CD)
Bebel Gilberto, Zuco 103, Trio Mocotó,
Suba, Celso Fonseca, Bossacucanova
(2003)

Well if you have missed some of the efforts linked to the modern Brazil music scene than this puts a nice sampler together for you. If you are already familiar and have come by way of the late Suba's "Sao Paolo Confessions" or Bebel Gilberto's lovely "Tanto Tempo," both so good that they deserved tributes or remixes, than you will be plesantly surprised by some of the other offerings...The version Zuco 103 performs of "Outro Lado" is sweet, slightly funky, dreamy, trippy and like many of the tracks on this sampler, seductive. Zuco 103 also performs "Treasure" which is a bit more uptempo, bilingual(with interspersed English chorus) slightly edgy with a sprinkling of bossadelia that is not as good as the version featured on their CD but still very nice. Trio Mocoto's "Os Orixas" has a more carnival or futbol flavor where you can imagine the samba line grooving along . Bossacucanova fills in the dance lines on this sampler with jazz melodies for some soflty swinging atmospheric approches to create lounge Brazinujazz. All the songs contribute something tasty to the CD and is recommended for a point of departure or to just sit and watch your own Rio sunsets. --an Amazon.com reviewer

Also See:
Bebel Gilberto