1. The Gentlemen – Sorriso Selvagem / 2. Flaviola E O Bando Do Sol – O Tempo / 3. Geraldo Azevedo & Alçeu Valença – Mister Misterio / 4. Marconi Notaro – Antropologica / 5. Geraldo Azevedo & Alçeu Valença – 78 Rotacoes / 6. Lula Côrtes – Nordeste Oriental / 7. Geraldo Azevedo & Alçeu Valença – Novena / 8. Lula Côrtes – Noite Prêta / 9. Marconi Notaro – Maracatu / 10. Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho – Bailado Das Muscarias / 11. Flaviola E O Bando Do Sol – Desespêro / 12. Lula Côrtes – Bahjan - Oração Para Shiva / 13. Marconi Notaro – Fidelidade / 14. Geraldo Azevedo & Alçeu Valença – Planetario / 15. Marconi Notaro – Ah Vida Avida / 16. Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho – Marácas De Fogo / 17. Geraldo Azevedo & Alçeu Valença - Virgem Virginia / 18. Lula Côrtes – Alegro Piradíssimo / 19. Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho – Beira Mar
“It’s certainly psychedelic... It’s also terrific!” Kieron Tyler (The Arts Desk / Mojo)
“A compelling and surprisingly tuneful cauldron of weirdness!” Mark Hudson (The Daily Telegraph)
“An intriguing compilation - well worth checking out!” Robin Denslow (The Guardian)
Far to the north-east of Brazil’s twin musical capitals of Rio and São Paulo, lies the city of Recife, in the state of Pernambuco. During the country’s lengthy and oppressive military dictatorship (1964-1985), a cadre of like-minded and socially conscientious musicians were quietly building their own music scene, away from the glare of the censors.... for a time, at least.
Strongly influenced by the psychedelic music coming out of America and Britain (and further inspired by visits to India and Morocco), local musicians such as Zé Ramalho, Lula Côrtes & Alceu Valença were to be the vanguard of their own, wild, hedonistic Psyche-scene. There would be sitars and lutes merging with traditional Pernambucan percussion; constant collaborations and ethereal art-collectives; experiments with ‘found-sound’ colliding with earthy flutes and driving backlines – all helped along by men wearing lipstick, acid, mushrooms, marijuana, suggestive dancing and plenty of onstage kissing.
The songs and artists featured on this album are a fittingly schizophrenic selection. Psychedelic Pernambuco finds crazed ethno-punk giving way to tweaked Americana; mystical jungle-folk stands alongside cocaine-fuelled fuzz-rock, and acid-raga trance segues into mutated proto-disco.
