Photo by Juan Figueroa//KUTX
Tropicália music is a study in contrasts, mixing Portuguese and African influences, orchestral and psychedelic textures, and joyous melodies with the grim reality of life. The genre sprang from a vibrant Brazilian counter-culture that directly confronted the country’s brutal military dictatorship in the ’60s. And like the best art, tropicália has outlived both its inventors and its oppressors. Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben, Tom Zé and countless more passed the torch to David Byrne, Beck, Stereolab, and Thievery Corporation.
Here in Austin, Frederico7 keeps the tropicália flame burning on his debut album, Exotico Americano. Recorded with the help Adrian Quesada, it merges Frederico’s Brazilian roots with sounds he picked up in Mexico and America, crafting a truly continental tapestry. This week on My KUTX, Frederico celebrates fifty years of tropicália with a Brazilian-themed guest DJ set. Hear My KUTX on Saturday, May 4 at 6 p.m. or listen anytime at the bottom of the page. And catch Frederico7 live at the Sahara Lounge on May 4 for more tropicália celebration.
–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX
Playlist:
1. Caetano Veloso – “Tropicália”
2. Os Mutantes – “A Minha Menina”
3. Thievery Corporation – “Décollage” (feat. LouLou Ghelichkhani)
4. Jorge Ben – “Oba, Lá Vem Ela”
5. Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil & Caetano Veloso – “País Tropical”
6. Beck – “Tropicalia”
7. Novos Baianos – “Tinindo Trincando”
8. Frederico7 – “La Mirada del Halcón”
9. Stereolab – “Cybele’s Reverie”
10. Echocentrics – “Jardim” (feat. Tita Lima)
11. Lucas Santtana – “Amor em Jacumã”
12. Frederico7 – “Pérola Negra” (Adrian Quesada remix)
