Synthpop Sunday

Hoje vou aqui deixar quatro projectos que se movem dentro das sonoridades synthpop e electro-pop. Quatro propostas vindas de vários pontos da europa. Entre as melodias mais dançáveis e o pop mais descansado, todos eles têm um denominador comum, a influência da música synth dos anos 80.

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Arthur and Martha, são Adam Cresswell e Alice Hubley. Vêm de londres e lançaram este ano o álbum Navigation. No seu myspace do projecto aparecem referidas influências de Kraftwerk, Postal Service, Daft Punk, Knife, New Order, Lali Puna, entre outros. O seu álbum vem carregado com moogs e caixas de ritmos do antigamente.

Arthur and Martha - Autovia

Navigation download

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Os Northern Kind também vêm do Reino Unido, mas da cidade de Leicester. Formados por Matt Culpin e Sarah Heeley, lançaram também este ano o álbum Wired:.
Em 2007 já haviam lançado o álbum 53 Degrees North. Uma sonoridade 80's, influenciada por bandas como os Depeche Mode e Erasure.

Northern Kind - Tears & tinsel

Wired: download

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Popular Computer é um duo parisiense, que consiste no produtor Sylvain DALIdo e no seu computador. Sylvain cria uma música pop, electrónica retro-futurista dançável. No seu álbum de estreia Senso data (2009), cria um mundo de fantasias sofisticadas e de elegância tecnológica.

Popular Computer - Subject to love

Senso data download

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Emmon é o projecto a solo da sueca Emma Nylén. Ela também faz parte da banda pop Paris. Lançou em 2007 o álbum The art & the evil, e já este ano lançou Closet wanderings. A sua música move-se dentro do synthpop, electro e disco, onde aparece a acompanhar a sua voz melódica com atitude pop.

Emmon - Secrets & lies

Closet wanderings download

Just press play #15

Os londrinos Oi Va Voi estão de regresso com o álbum Travelling the face of the globe, com a sua indie/pop/falclórica e com o excelente single Everytime, que tem um vídeoclip igualmente excelente.

Oi Va Voi - Everytime

Travelling the face of the globe download

Zee Avi é uma Jovem de 24 anos, que chega da Malásia. Lançou este ano o álbum homónimo e também o primeiro da sua carreira. Traz uma sonoridade simples e tranquila, construida com a sua voz frágil, uma guitarra acústica, umas teclas, mas poucas e percursão suave. Entre a música indie e os traços jazz, entre a pop mais discreta e a acústica eficaz, os suas canções trazem referências de gente como Beatles, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin e Simon and Garfunkel. Um álbum muito muito relaxante, feito com amor e romantismo. Recomendadíssimo para acalmar os espírito e perfeito para se dormir tranquilo ou acordar-se bem disposto.

"The songs on Zee Avi’s debut are about an outsider’s desire to belong and the tentative hope of moving on, filled with regret and loss, but boasting an impish, worldly wise sensibility. “I tend to be a loner,” she nods. ” ‘Honey Bee’ is about a romance between two nonconformists who are different from the rest of the hive, and are trying to avoid the pressure to be like everybody else.”
“Just You and Me,” the first song she wrote on ukulele, has a ‘20s New Orleans swing jazz vibe.
“I get my melodic feel from the simplicity of classic jazz, people singing what they felt with straightforward lyrics and not too many harmonies,” Zee says. “Just a lot of honesty. I’m a girl of simple pleasures.
The elemental acoustic guitar of “Story of…” is enhanced with an Eno-like ambience that add to its shimmering quality, while “Poppy” is autobiographical “with a little bit of poetic license” that looks back at the demise of a two-year relationship.
“My stuff is pretty dark,” Zee admits. “Most of my songs are about the reality side of romance, outlets to vent my emotions.”

in www.myspace.com/zeeavi

Zee Avi - Bitter heart

Zee Avi download

Password: mechodownload

O projecto Bike For Three! nasce de uma colaboração à distância entre a produtora belga Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê AKA Greetings From Tuskan e o rapper-indie canadiano Buck 65. Estes dois acabaram de lançar o álbum de estreia More heart than brains, sem se conhecerem pessoalmente. O álbum resulta da troca de ideias através da internet. Buck 65 com as suas letras detalhadas e com a sua capacidade de contar histórias e Greetings From Tuskan com a sua produção meticulosa e texturada, produzem um álbum que combina a electrónica, as paisagens sonoras downtempo, a IDM e a música ambiente com o hip-hop indie. Esta sonoridade não é propriamente uma novidade, mas o resultado é um dos melhores que eu já ouvi dentro do género. Do myspace do projecto veio o seguinte:

"Bike For Three! is the well-lucked and mysterious cross-continental duo of Canadian indie-rap legend Richard Terfry (Buck 65) and budding Belgian electronicist Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê (Greetings From Tuskan). Shrouded in strange magic, anchored by the heavy stuff of life, and lifted by a mutual magnetism still uncharted, their music is a bright/stunning combination of downtempo textures, smart pop, and exposed lyrical bones.

Bike For Three!’s constituent parts have never met in person, and they might not ever. She found him, and their story unfurls in real time along with their songs. Joëlle sends Rich music; Rich writes to the moods and movements that she’s designed; Joëlle nurtures each piece into an animate whole. Bf3! actually finds Buck 65 eschewing traditional narrative forms in favor of an intimate stream of consciousness (offset by tight rhyme cadence) that mines the craggier depths of romance both requited and out-of-reach, real and imagined (which perfectly befits Bf3!’s working relationship). The things Rich wouldn’t speak of in conversation thus become part of the conversation happening on record.

More Heart Than Brains, Bf3!’s album debut, is Buck 65’s first record to feature all electronic production. Of course, Joëlle has a few acoustic tricks up her sleeve—those music boxes from her youth, for instance—and an approach that seats her comfortably amongst such mercurial beat auteurs as Boom Bip, Modeselektor, Michna, and labelmate Alias. That Rich returns to Anticon a nearly decade later to release his most personal album yet is both an honor and the logical continuation of the label’s own story (Sage Francis did the same with Personal Journals in ’02). As for Bike For Three!, consider this Chapter One."

Bike For Three! - All there is to say about love

More heart than brains download

O projecto suíço Sinner DC é constituido por Julien Amey (baixo e samplers), Steve Mamie (vozes, guitarra, vocoder, teclados) e Manuel Bravo (percursão e programação). Já com muitos anos de música, e com cinco álbuns lançados, onde figuram Dog vs baby-sitter (1996), Panoramic (1998), Ursa Major (2001), Arkle Parkle Avenue (2005), Mount age (2006) e Crystallized (2009), este trio apresenta um som electrónico ambiente e downtempo, com influências tecno e house. Com batidas suaves, guitarras doces e sintetizadores melódicos, fazem rebuçados relaxantes, que tendem por vezes para a pop electrónica. Música que fica entre as pistas de dança e o conforto do sofá. Em baixo para conferir, deixo o mais recente álbum.

"Swiss trio Sinner DC's fourth album mixes this inward-looking sensibility with the precision and quality typical of an Ai release, and the effect is enchanting. Each track has an organic feel but with synthetic sounds that could only come from obsessive attention to every synthesized detail. The feeling of fading grandeur is all pervasive, as if you're caught in the distant afterburn of something wonderful but never there to see it actually happen. As a result, it's often not what's going in the foreground that's most engaging, but all the delights in the back, such as the bubbling and fading effects and squeaks on "Sunrized."

What Sinner DC share with The Field is a reliance on repetition—sections are built up to run until the end of the track. But instead of a beautiful phrase worked over until you're in a state of joy/madness, Sinner DC add layers and textures to give their tracks the depth that Axel Willner's loops lack. There's also more variety—from Nathan Fake-esque stormers like "Golden Horses" to Coast" and "V," which out-Burial Burial for half-lit, post-rave emotionally intense brilliance.

Crystalised does have a few duffers, hence the rating, but they'll quickly be forgotten when you get to "Glass Alley." It's the album's triumph by a country mile and will have you smiling at the sunset, the clouds, the radiator, the shirt on the back of your door or whatever you eyes happen to fall on when it's on. It encapsulates everything Sinner DC are about and, more than that, sums up better than anything you'll hear this year Border Community's mantra of "blurring the boundaries between the bedroom and the dance floor."

in www.residentadvisor.net

Sinner DC - Glass Alley

Crystallized download

Myriam Stucki nas vozes e Patrik Zeller na maquinaria e no resto, constituem o projecto suíço Morphologue. Da sua discografia fazem parte os álbuns Midnight nevertheless (2005), Flower art pictures (2007) e Hunt & Gather (2008). Este último é uma banda sonora para o filme com o mesmo nome. O som do duo anda dentro do trip-hop, drum and bass daquele levezinho e downtempo com uns toques pop. Há uma presença constante de elementos jazz, através da utilização de pianos, saxophones. De vez em quando lá se ouve um acordeão, uma guitarra e um violino, o que adoça ainda mais a música, juntamente com a voz de Myriam Stucki. Vou deixar mais em baixo o álbum Flower art pictures para conferir. E relativamente a este álbum ficam daqui, as seguintes linhas:

"The Swiss Bernese band, Morphologue, has released their new album `Flower Art Pictures`: a CD with thirteen virtuoso tracks. Dive into this wonderful world of sound, comprising intelligent pop music, exciting electronic and ingenious composition.

It goes without saying that Morphologue have stayed true to their recipe for success: to combine pop and electronic music. However, as with the catchy name `Flower Art Pictures`, the band has refined their style with new tones that are less chiseled and haughty. Thus, the new CD sounds more adept and emanates maturity. `Flower Art Pictures` also distinguishes itself through concinnity and details that, with each new listening, rediscovered with great pleasure. Extraordinary pop compositions are enriched with elements from classical music in which one can allow oneself to drift along the spherical soundscapes. Songs such as `Flower Art Pictures` are distinctly reminiscent of film scores. At times it is a piano that allows the listener to dreamily linger, whereas at other times the strings take care of dramatic or even romantic moments. Cut. And then the beat goes on…

Also new are the extended additions to the group: nine accompanying musicians, including reputable names. Nonetheless, the basic concept remains unchanged. The warm voice of singer Myriam Stucki consummates the song and Patrik Zeller contrives a well rounded, intensive haven from a mix of pop, trip hop and electronic using captivating melodies and beats."

Morphologue - I didn't know

Flower art pictures download

Os Flunk vem de Oslo, Noruega e acabam de lançar o seu quarto álbum de originais, This is what you get. Os seus antecessores foram For sleepyheads only (2002), Morning star (2004) e Personal stereo (2007). A banda é constituida por Anja Øyen Vister (vozes) Jo Bakke (guitarras), Ulf Nygaard (programação e vozes) e Erik Ruud (bateria). Na sua discografia traçam uma sonoridade trip-hop e downtempo e parece-me que andaram a ouvir algum dubstep (talvez burial), antes de entrarem em estúdio para gravarem este ultimo trabalho. Em músicas como Stain, Cardboard rebel e Shoreline, ouvem-se aqueles ambientes que tanto caracterizam o trabalho magnífico de Burial. A última música do álbum é uma versão trip-hop do tema dos Radiohead, Karma police. Esta versão está boa, mas continuo a preferir o original. De qualquer maneira é mais um excelente lançamento em 2009.

“This Is What You Get” is a natural evolution from their last album “Personal Stereo” (2007), with a darker and more experimental feel, with the electronic elements more present in the sound. This time with a distinct inspiration from the backstreets of London, with dubstep-elements (Stain, Shoreline, and partly in Dying To See You), and house-elements (Common Sense), but also a small dose of plain rock (Ride). The pop elements are still there, for example in Cigarette Burns,Common Sense or Down.
Flunk have the habit of including a covertrack on each album, this time the Radiohead-classic Karma Police gets the Flunk treatement, with rough, edgy syncopated rhythms and Anja’s lovely vocals."

Flunk - Common Sense

This is what you get download

Os irmãos Jono Renton e Pete Renton formam o projecto Teardrop. Este Projecto inglês apresenta uma electrónica que vai do ambiente, à IDM e ao downtempo. Este ano lançaram o excelente Time spent with antique mirrors, que para além das sonoridades acima referidas, também tem alguns momentos de shoegaze, mas coisa pouca. Um álbum relaxante e tranquilo. Daqui veio o seguinte:

"Teardrop consists of just two members, Jono Renton and Pete Renton. Both are brothers and have been producing music together for years, and there latest project, Teardrop, has taken them the furthest. Both members using different skills to create their unique sound, often associated with such acts as The Album Leaf, Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin and other IDM artists.
The album ‘Time Spent With Antique Mirrors’ (originally titled ‘Euphoria’) has been in the process of writing and recording for almost 2 years. “Both of us are perfectionists, it doesn’t take us long to write the material, its the recording that takes longest, getting what we have in our heads out and on to the computer.” says Jono. So far the album contains a wider variety of music in relation to the previous EP."

Teardrop - Euphoria

Time spent with antique mirrors download

Dos Blind Divine já eu falei aqui, e agora volto à carga porque o duo vindo do Arizona, lançou o álbum Soul retriever. Paula Catherine Valencia, vocalista, designer e escritora e Daniel Martin Diaz, compositor que também é pintor e artísta gráfico, voltam com o seu trip-hop sensual, melancólico e sombrio, seguindo a linha dos anteriores. Este Soul retriever parece-me mais leve do que os anteriores, mas isso deixo à consideração de cada um. Para ouvir fica o tema I can make you love me e deixo, retiradas daqui as seguintes palavras:

"Blind Divine are experts at making unusual mood music. There is an otherworldly quality to many of these tracks, a feel of timeless nostalgia. A cinematic breadth to the music that readily stirs up mental imagery and associative recollections.

Evocative downtempo songs with a haunting, gothic aesthetic and filmic sensibility. The lyrics are open and revealing - like exploring a forgotten attic brimming with personal treasures and abandoned keepsakes."

Blind Divine - I can make you love me

Soul retriever download

Clutchy Hopkins é uma figura misteriosa de quem pouco ou nada se sabe. Fala-se em algumas hipóteses para a verdadeira identidade, desde Dj Shadow, Money Mark (ex-Beasty Boys), Cut Chemist e Madlib. O mais importante em tudo isto acaba por ser a sua música, independentemente da sua identidade. O que é certo é que Clutchy Hopkins tem dois álbuns de originais, The life of Clutchy Hopkins (2006) e Walking backwards (2008) e um outro que surge de uma colaboração com Shawn Lee de seu nome Clutch of the tiger (2008). E este ano lançou com a designação de Clutchy Hopkins Meets Lord Kenjamin, o álbum Music is my medicine. Também não se sabe quem será este Lord Kenjamin. Será mais uma figura misteriosa ou será a mesma pessoa? Mais uma peça para o puzzle. A musica de Clutchy Hopkins é uma mescla de electrónica com jazz, downtempo, beats hip-hop e funk. Neste seu último trabalho entra também no cozinhado o dub e muito trabalho com teclados Fender Rhodes. Qualidade é imagem de marca deste tal Clutchy Hopkins.

"The question still remains: who is Clutchy Hopkins? The answer may not be revealed on this, an alleged "lost" recording of him recorded in Barbados in the late 70's and early 80's. Music Is My Medicine is a medication prescribed with the help of a previously unknown musician named Lord Kenjamin, since Hopkins had been bitten by a lionfish. The bite was mere bait, and maybe the meeting between the two was inevitable, and thus music and harmony was born. Or so they want you to believe.

The vibe on this album is a mixture of Afro-funk, reggae, dub, soul, and funk, so imagine Fela Kuti if he felt a need to play songs that were less than four minutes. Then he bumps into Augustus Pablo, and somehow, in the future, they were able to pull out Keyboard Money Mark Ramos-Nishita. With that combination, what does this album sound like? A chilled out jam session where you smell nothing but Fender Rhodes plastic and bongwater spilled on the carpet. If you are a fan of Madlib's work as Yesterdays New Quintet, you will find this album to be fascinating, at times coming off like brief excerpts of jam sessions where you want to hear what happened before the fade-in and of course wanting to know what lurked after the fade-out. Don't expect the intensity of a Herbie Hancock or Miles Davis order. If there are more tapes, and who knows what unknown treasures may be discovered in the coming months, maybe we'll hear that."

in www.okayplayer.com

Clutchy Hopkins Meets Lord Kenjamin - Brother John

Music is my medicine download

Just press play #14

Os Röyksopp lançaram este ano o álbum Junior, do qual já falei aqui. Agora está aí a bombar um novo single, The girl and the robot, que conta com a participação de Robyn nas vozes.

Röyksopp feat. Robyn - The girl and the robot

Benu é um produtor que faz parte de um grupo de hip-hop suave, de seu nome Day Blues, juntamente com Jamuel Saxon, outro dos produtores do grupo, e com o MC Rob Wilcox. O som do grupo tem uma forte influência do jazz e isso também acontece naquilo a que Benu designa de um EP, mas a que eu chamaria um álbum com doze músicas mais curtas do que o habitual. Este disco de seu nome Beautiful usuals (2009), tem sido um bombom que ando a saborear diáriamente e que só tenho mesmo pena que as músicas não se estendam por mais tempo, de tão deliciosas que são. As influências vêm do jazz como eu já referi, mas também do downtempo, trip-hop e claro, do hip-hop, Um disco instrumental, à excepção do tema Nothing left, que tem a participação de Threadbare Revolution a dar um toque trip-hop e até mesmo electro-pop, tema que deixo mais abaixo para escuta. Benu vai buscar samplers de instrumentais de jazz daquele muito antigo (mesmo eu não sabendo quão antigo ele é), samplers de vozes, talvez dessas mesmas músicas, junta-lhe umas boas batidas e mais uns arranjinhos, e está feito um disco que eu recomendo.

"Originally, Benu started out with the task of making hip-hop beats for his good friend and Day Blues emcee, Rob Wilcox, who loved to rap but had no beats. After years of producing hip-hop beats, he found a love for the genre and decided to release his solo project with much more diversity and freedom, Beautiful Usuals. A strange mix of ancient jazz samples, hip-hop and moody electronica, Benu's music takes you through a sound scape that is both futuristic and antique."

in http://blog.filter-mag.com

Benu feat. Threadbare - Revolution nothing left

Beautiful usuals download

Depois de uma ausência de três dias, coisa que já não é muito habitual por estas bandas (mas o trabalho a isso o obriga), venho apresentar os dinamarqueses Bliss, liderados por Marc-George Andersen e Steffen Aaskoven. Lançaram este ano o álbum No one built this moment, continuando na mesma linha dos anteriores. Em 2001 lançaram Afterlife, Quiet letters em 2003 e 2005 foi a vez de They made history. A sonoridade abrange sons de world music, chillout, downtempo e electrónica. No seu último LP, Sophie Barker, que já colaborou com os Zero7 e com os Groove Armada, participa em grande parte das músicas com a sua voz sedosa. Há ainda a participação de Boy George, Ane Brun e Lisbeth Scott, entre outros. As suas músicas já foram utilizadas na campanha da DKNY, episódios do CSI e na banda sonora do filme Sex And The City. Uma sonoridade bastante orgânica e tranquilo para relaxar. E daqui vem o seguinte:

"Deeply rooted in a fine collage of Western, African and classical musical influences, representing the vast musical backgrounds of the band, Bliss has inspired comparisons to Sade, Massive Attack and Ennio Morricone. Bliss is Steffen Aaskoven, Marc-George Andersen, Alexandra Hamnede, Salvador 'Tchando' Embalo, and features guest vocals by Sophie Barker from Zero 7.
Bliss is an international chill out pop music collective from Denmark, Sweden and Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Since 2001, they have released material on the Danish label, music for dreams, appeared on more than 60 compilations worldwide and in such tv shows as csi: crime scene investigation."

Bliss - Light to your life

No one built this moment download

Os Plastik Joy são um projecto do italiano Cristiano Nicolini e do islandês Fannar Ásgrimsson. Estrearam-se este ano com o álbum 3:03. Uma sonoridade electroacústica, downtempo, ambiente e em certos momentos a tocar no trip-hop, com muita guitarra suave, ruidos vindos não sei de onde e com umas batidas quase minimalistas. A acompanhar, uma voz feminina doce (que não consegui descobrir de quem é). Melodias tranquilas e bonitas é o que se pode ouvir num dos melhores discos que ouvi este ano, por isso recomendo vivamente.

* Plastik Joy refresh: Fannar, um dos elementos dos Plastik Joy, deixou um comentário a informar que a voz feminina que se ouve no álbum é de S. Kawasaki. Era uma das coisas que andei a investigar mas não consegui descobrir. Fica aqui este apontamento.

"There is no feeling like the innocent elation of children, jumping into a world created by a joint, unlimited imagination. Cristiano Nicolini (ITALY) and Fannar Ásgrimsson (ICELAND) are Plastik Joy. The two met while studying audio engineering in Barcelona (2005). Cristiano comes from a homegrown, dorky electronic background, while Fannar grew from more folk-rock roots. Their shared love of music-making toys, and tendency to go on sound tangents- with little regard towards genre or over complexity- brought them together like two kids, racing the clock at recess. Plastik Joy celebrates simple melodies and music play, born of plan and mistake.

Plastik Joy’s Debut album 3:03 which gets its name from the time of morning when the recording sessions usually came to an end. The duo of Cristiano Nicolini and Fannar Ásgrimsson with a bit of supportive help from a few friends created an album that emits a definitive nocturnal quality. It feels as sensual as it is lonely, as dreamy as it is conscious, and as bright as the dim glow of midnight streetlights, definitely music for after the after party. A perfect soundtrack to watch the sun return to its perch or to loose yourself in on a hazy day."

in www.myspace.com/plastikjoymusic

Plastik Joy - Problem with humans

3:03 download

aAirial (que tem passado aqui pelo blog, como se pode confirmar na caixa dos recadinhos), vem de França e tem dois álbuns para download gratuito, à ma muse.. (2009 ) e Musique pour jours de pluie (2009). As suas sonoridades são bastante relaxantes e transportam-nos para paisagens tranquilas e pacíficas. Entre os ambientes, a IDM e os minimalismos electrónicos, aAirial constroi o seu mundo de melencolia e dor, mas também de esperança. Doce, doce, doce!! Para ouvir e ver fica o tema Poussières d'étoiles, retirado do álbum à ma muse..

aAirial - Poussières d'étoiles

à ma muse.. download; Musique pour jours de pluie download

Jon Hopkins, artista londrino, começou a tocar piano aos 5 anos e aos 12 foi estudar piano no London Royal College of Music. Já trabalhou com artistas como Massive Attack, Brian Eno, Chris Coco, Coldplay (co-produziu algumas músicas do seu último álbum), Imogen Heap entre outros, e lançou três álbuns até ao momento, Opalescent (2001); Contact note (2004) e Insides (2009). No seu trabalho explora uma electrónica melódica e glitch, com instrumentais doces, onde não há só piano mas também sintetizadores chillout e batidas downtempo à mistura. Paisagens sonoras ambiente para relaxar. Sobre o último LP fica daqui, o seguinte:

"For someone who has recently supported Coldplay on tour, co-produced a couple of their tracks and has co-written the soundtrack to the forthcoming Peter Jackson film, The Lovely Bones, you wouldn't think that Jon Hopkins would have any time or energy left to release his own solo album.
Fortunately, he did. And the composer, pianist and self-taught studio wizard provides another impressive album packed full of lose-yourself electronica mixed with beautifully haunting piano, synths and a pulsing bass. Insides, his third album offering, rollercoasters from track to track going through the gloomy, the upbeat and somewhere indescribable in-between with almost every song seamlessly interacting with the next.
Commit yourself to seeing the whole album through in one go and you'll find the hypnotic rhythms will take you deep into Jon's delicately created world. In 'Vessel' you just begin to understand the album's title as the distant-thunder sound of pulsating waves merges into the dawn-breaking piano that transports the music deep into your consciousness before it's suddenly regurgitated back up by some intense bass and awakening energetic synths."

Jon Hopkins - Light through the veins

Insides download

Os Madredeus não necessitam de apresentações. O grupo de Teresa Salgueiro, Pedro Magalhães e companhia surpreendem em 2002 ao lançarem o álbum Electronico. Uma combinação de Madredeus com alguma da melhor casta da electrónica internacional, resulta num álbum downtempo e chillout. A remisturas de gente como Alpha, Ralph Myerz, Télépopmusik, Craig Armstrong entre outros, conseguem manter a voz cristalina de Teresa Salgueiro e todo o imaginário do grupo, quase intacto. Normalmente os discos de remisturas tendem a ser desiquilibrados, mas este Electronico não sofre desse mal. Só a electrónica geométrica que Manitoba aplicou no tema Guitarra, parece estar um pouco descontextualizada, não querendo com isto menosprezar esta remistura. Um álbum que tenta levar a música dos Madredeus a outros públicos e um sinal de que o grupo também estava atento às novas tendências musicais. Extra álbum, só me resta lamentar a saída de Teresa Salgueiro e ver naquilo que os Madredeus se transformaram. A sua identidade perdeu-se...

"Combine near-classical arrangement with operatic Portuguese vocals, and you have Madredeus. Combine Madredeus with a host of electronic artists, and you have ELECTRONICO. With all remix albums, the final product is always the result of the recombinant elements, and, for the most part, the album is gorgeous. Lux’s mix of “Haja O Que Houver” and Rob Da Bank’s take on “Ecos Na Catedral” are downtempo gems, with the latter on a more abstract tip. Dusted turn “A Andorinha Da Primavera” into a dub lullaby recorded in a child’s music box factory, and David Bridie & Christian Scallan make “Ainda Insect” a modern torch song (if I could only understand the lyrics). If you’re looking for more uptempo beats, Buscemi (Afro-house tinged) and Telepopmusik (cut-up abstraction) deliver the goods. That said, not all the mixes past muster: Alpha (whom I normally love) were undergoing their not-so-good phase with their unfocused take of “Vem” or the Banzai Republic’s unremarkable mix of “O Mar.” And Manitoba’s mix of “Guitarra” sounds a little haphazard. But the weaker tracks fade away in light of Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band’s remix of “O Sonho,” a version that’s bright and shiny as a new quarter."

in www.discogs.com

Madredeus - Oxalá (Télépopmusik Remix)

Electronico download

Wildabeast, rapper de profissão, fez mais ou menos isto: pegou nas músicas dos Portishead, acrescentou-lhe uma batida aqui e ali, deixou ficar algumas passagens de voz de Beth Gibbons, principalmente o refrão, e meteu-lhe rap para cima. Deste cozinhado resultou o álbum Wildahead Portibeast, que é meio trip-hop, meio hip-hop. Já ouvi outras "brincadeiras" com a sonoridade dos Portishead, mas esta foi seguramente a que me seduziu mais, porque Wildabeast não se limitou só a samplar e a "rappar" por cima. Ele consegui deixar a essência dos Portishead, aproveitou muito bem a voz de Beth Gibbons e ainda por cima colocou o álbum para download à borla :) Daqui, deixo o seguinte:

"... so the unusual free and legal online experiment by hip-hop wonder Wildabeast titled Wildahead Portibeast is a bit of a revelation. Wildabeast takes the music of Portishead and turns it into a hip-hop smorgasbord of beats and rap lyrics. The tracks are re-mixed so the basic Portishead songs are transformed into trip-hop with soul. Perhaps the best example is “It’s True” which Wildabeast takes the popular “Sour Times”, keeps Gibbon’’s signature line “Nobody loves me, it’s true”, and wraps it in enough electronic and turntable effects to make it his own. In fact, Wildbeast’s rapping is a nice counter-point to Gibbons’ sexy vocals and often leads the listener into the emotional payoff I missed from the original tracks. Wildabeast’s own rap lyrics on tracks like “All for Nothing” and “Machine Gun” remains high quality. I think most Portishead fans will admire these remixes and hip-hop fans will appreciate the journey into new territories."

Wildabeast - How can i carry on (at this point)

Wildahead Portibeast download

Diego Chavez aka Aether (de quem já falei aqui), está de volta e desta vez acompanhado por Daniel Stanush. Esta dupla vinda do Texas, forma o Projecto A.M. Architect, que acaba de lançar o álbum The road to the sun. Às batidas de influência hip-hop juntam-se as melodias do Fender Rhodes, a guitarra acústica e electrica, sintetizador e ocasionalmente uns samplers. O resultado é um álbum downtempo, chillout e ambiente, com um toque de jazz. Uma peça bastante melódica, cinemática e orgânica. Recomendado para manhãs de tempestade ou para tardes solarengas.

"Refreshing, inspiring and bloody cool. Zero 7, Morcheeba, Portishead, Boards Of Canada fans will be wetting themselves over A.M. Architect. Ambient electronica is simply the dogs balls when it is produced at this level.
'The Road To The Sun' does just that, it is like a trip to the unknown. Unknown in a good way, you want to get there and this music is a tour guide. Getting lost in a arrangement of break-beats, glockenspiel delay tingles and glitchy samples. The bass has that particular sound that Morcheeba achieve that is so hard to describe. Kind of distorted, dull and ill. Yet it still creates a happy environment, using only short patterns throughout the tracks.
Each song is picturesque, it's not hard to close your eyes and imagine the sun beating down on your pale english skin with that holiday smell. This is the sort of album that reminds you of a time, a kind of soundtrack to a happy moment in your life. The only down side is there is no real stand out song, they are all as equals in an island of chillout.
Track eight "Upon", has an Ultre vibe to it, using an acoustic melody being jerked around in a mixing bowl. There are no real vocals in the album, just moments of scratched samples and a kind of talking/chanting slightly in the background, a lot like Boards Of Canada's material. 'Gave Me Love' has a sample to die for, "You Gave Me Love" sung by a female vocalist, simplistic and very effective."

in www.hangout.altsounds.com

A. M. Architect - Unspoken

The road to the sun download

Da colaboração de James Watts e Peter Van Ewijk surge o projecto KiloWatts & Vanek. Peter é o responsável pelas vozes e pela guitarra acústica e James Watts trata da parte electrónica. Lançaram em 2004 o álbum RawQ e em 2008 foi a vez de Focus & flow. A sua sonoridade é uma mistura de glitch-pop com IDM, electropop e downtempo. Vanek traz influências de artistas como Nick Drake, Ryan Adams e Lamb, enquanto que Kilowatts traz ao barulho Dntel, Styrofoam ou Autechre. Esta cobinação resulta em melodias doces dadas pela electrónica texturada de Killowatts e pelas composições de guitarra acústica e pela voz de Vanek. Para conferir na íntegra deixo o seu último álbum mais em baixo.

"KiloWatts & Vanek share an innate talent for concocting seemingly capricious melodies, coming together almost seamlessly. Each individual brings a unique sound which gives this duo a fresh, inviting sound in which the listener luxuriates. Mr. Watts' well seasoned electronics, enriched with the warm vocals of van Ewijk, are perfected with a balance of modest guitar arrangements. Comparisons may be drawn to such acts as The Postal Service, Styrofoam, or The Alpha Conspiracy. Nevertheless, this pair is difficult to class to genre, as if to defiantly stand out from the conventional contrivances of appellation."

in http://www.discogs.com/artist/KiloWatts+&+Vanek

Kilowatts And Vanek - Morningstar

Focus and flow download parte1 & parte2

Password: lazy-night.com

Just press play #13

Da Austrália, Astronomy Class com o seu hip-hop dub e com este vídeo bem catita do tema Where you at?, retirado do seu álbum Pursuit of happiness.

Astronomy Class feat. Vida-Sunshyne & Kween G - Where You At?

Pursuit of happiness download

Badun é um trio dinamarquês que pegou no jazz e juntou-lhe electrónica ou pegou na electrónica e juntou-lhe fragmentos de jazz. Entre o IDM, o experimental e talvez o downtempo e ambiente, este grupo lançou em 2007 o álbum homónimo de estreia. O grupo faz referências a Miles Davis, Weather Report ou Flanger, como ponto de partida para a construção da sua teia musical. Um álbum feito de minimalismos electrónicos onde são adicionados o baixo, teclados fender rhodes e de vez em quando uns instrumentos de sopro, de uma maneira que parece improviso. Talvez esquisito ao primeiro contacto, mas continuando a ouvir torna-se numa viagem tranquila e relaxante. Mais sobre o álbum veio daqui:

"Electronic music flavoured with a big portion of Jazz, …no Electronic Jazz….. , Jazz-Electronica, Experimental Electronica Jazz…?! Call it Badun music! After a long time of experimenting and a couple of years playing live the Danish trio Badun surprises us now with their groundbreaking debut. The surreal cover promises not too much, it announces a crazy journey into a colourful and surreal world. But don’t be afraid, it’s not a journey into a too abstract world… Badun’s world is just a little bit crazy.
An adventurous ride on the back of a meteorite. Borrowing a lot of influences in the world of the mid Seventies Jazz Badun creates music, which a lot of us waited for such a long time. Yes, a lot of electronic musicians used Jazz fragments and influences in their music. But there are just a few artists, which were able to loosen the reference and create something new. Badun takes this barrier like as if there isn’t one. A melancholic prevailing mood is thread, that goes through the whole album but in the same moment the music disperses an optimistic and “pushing” mood. The drums are perfect: fast, complex and with a big portion of swing. The tight soundscapes pushes you in your seat and then after a moment they release you again and you get the feeling that you are able to fly. You have to work for this album, you really have to sit down and listen carefully to it, handle it with care like something breakable.
I swear you after this you will be addicted to the sound of Badun. This album is a masterpiece. If you don’t like Jazz music don’t be afraid, Badun takes the best of Jazz and of electronic music and creates nonesuch music."

Badun - Fyrtårn

Badun download

Nite Jewel é Ramona Gonzalez, compositora, cantora e artista multimédia de Los Angeles, a quem se juntou mais tarde Emily Jane. Good evening o seu álbum de estreia, lançado no ano passado, tem fortes influências disco dos anos 80, new age e shoegaze e o resultado é uma electrónica que varia entre a dança, o electro-pop, a indietrónica e o downtempo. Com sintetizadores melódicos, teclados vários, uma caixa de ritmos e canções gravadas em 8 pistas, o álbum apresenta-se propositadamente, com uma qualidade de gravação caseira. Daqui, uma análise mais pormenorizada ao álbum:

"On the surface, the 10 tracks that make up Gonzalez’s full-length debut Good Evening come from familiar places, her rudimentary drum machine loops and overall song structures channeling the likes Debbie Deb and Lisa Lisa with equal aplomb. But whereas those ’80s sensations sang over skeletal tracks that implied a cool, airy distance, Gonzalez’s dedication to 8-track recording technology and its inherent limitations makes for a far more intimate affair, as songs like “Artificial Intelligence” effortlessly merge delicate beats and swirling synths with Gonzalez’s airy voice.

All things considered, then, it’s no real surprise that Nite Jewel has collaborated with members of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, as both groups use roughly the same methods to approach different eras of pop music. But more than just aping the sounds of pop stars gone by, Nite Jewel also manages to incorporate more introspective and distinctly left-field elements of all eras of dance. Tracks like “Weak for Me” imply more than a bit of Arthur Russell, be it in the starry-eyed vocals, or in the way Gonzalez manages to craft something deeply moving and memorable out of deceptively simple elements.

Therein lies the power of this understatedly great debut – in avoiding a simple homage to sounds that came and went a couple of decades ago, Gonzalez managed to imbue her music with a greater historical perspective. Understanding not only the place of pop hits but also the underground sounds that rose as a response, Nite Jewel’s Good Evening slinks by on the strength of understated pieces like “What Did He Say,” shuffling along with presets that, while originating in a wholly different era, still manage to sound remarkably of our time."

Nite Jewel - Artificial intelligence

Good Evening download

Von Daler & Low Pressure (também conhecido por Emo), uniram esforços para construir uma uma ponte entre a electrónica, o tango, o dub/reggae e o downtempo. Este projecto de Copenhaga, lançou este ano o álbum Sonatas en dub, que transpira a Kingston e a Buenos Aires. Uma junção de estilos improvável mas que soa a coisa-bem-construida. As vozes são asseguradas por Low Pressure (aka Emo), por Natasja e por Billie Koppel, no tema Prime crime. Com tons de melancolia, dados por violinos e guitarras acústicas, com a alegria do dub e com a energia do tango, se faz um álbum improvavelmente coerente. Fica mais um pouco de história retirada daqui:

"Sonatas En Dub is the result of their combined efforts: a boundary-breaking album that takes you to the tango bars of Buenos Aires as well as to the mountains surrounding Kingston, Jamaica, music with a distinct and beautiful sound full of warmth, heart, and authenticity, rounded out by vocals from Emo and various guest vocalists.

Danish singer, producer and multi-talent Emo (aka Low Pressure, aka Emo S) has since his debut on a New York label in 2000, created a stack of uncompromising and ground-breaking releases, including two very well received solo albums. His unique sound, combining reggae, hip hop, dub, soul, electronica and jazz, has drawn attention throughout the world and has led him into collaborations with a number of international artists such as DJ Vadim, Boozoo Bajou, Natasja and Djosos Krost. It has been said about Emo "if his voice doesn't get you, your heart is made of concrete".
Tango guitar player, producer and classical arranger Asger von Daler has lived in Latin America for seven years. As co-founder and musical director of the Buenos Aires-based studio, Momix, he has produced music for films, television and theatres all over Latin America. His inspiration starts with the traditional folk genres from the villages of the Chilean Andes mountains and stretches to avantgarde rock, pop, electronic and acoustic music. Asger von Daler has given numerous performances throughout Latin America and is a double Grammy Award-winner in his home country.

Sonatas en Dub is recorded live in studios and produced electronically, partly in Buenos Aires, partly in Copenhagen. One of the contributing musicians is Pablo Gignoli, Bandoneón-player in the Argentine tango orchestra "La Fernandez Fierro". Guest vocalists are Danish singer Billie Koppel (her singing is deeply admired by Emo and Asger) and not least the late dancehall queen from Denmark, Natasja, who died tragically in a car accident in Jamaica in 2007. Natasja and Emo had known each other as teenagers and had been friends ever since, participating through the years in each others projects. At the time of the making of Sonatas en Dub Natasja approached Emo, eager not only to toast and rap, but also to take on the challenge of singing. The result can be heard on the single 'Real Love' and on the remarkable song called 'Let me Be'."

Von Daler & Low Pressure feat. Natasja - Real love

Sonatas en dub download

Just press play #12

A partir de Londres, o projecto One eskimO com a sua música indie aveludada. Do seu álbum de estreia All balloons, deixo o single Kandi e o excelente vídeoclip.

One eskimO - Kandi

All balloons download

O suíço Zwicker, depois do lançamento de várias faixas mais orientadas para as pistas de dança, lançou este ano o seu álbum de estreia, Songs of lucid dreamers. Em relação ao que fazia, há uma mudança na sua sonoridade, agora não tão virada para as pistas de dança mas sim para o sofá, não deixando completamente de parte algumas orientações dançaveis. Pode dizer-se que o seu álbum é um misto de electro-pop, downtempo e deep. Traz inúmeras participações nas vozes, caso de
Heidi Happy, Jamie Lloyd, Valentino Tomasi, entre outros e conta também com a colaboração de Matt Didemus dos Junior Boys, na faixa Traumdeuter. Belas melodias, vocais suaves e relaxantes, é o que apresenta este seu LP de estreia. Disco recomendado aqui pelo blog.

"ZWICKER a.k.a. Cyril Boehler is a very prolific producer, composer and DJ from Zurich. He is part of the vital Zurich electronic scene and has been involved in countless productions receiving praise from audiences all over the world.
After a handful of successful ZWICKER vinyl releases on the renowned BearFunk, Compost Black Label and Get Physical labels it was time to refine his warm mixture of mutated Disco, House, Electro and Pop on a full-length album.
The album „Songs of Lucid Dreamers“ is typical ZWICKER and typical Boehler, but at the same time it is something new…he demonstrates a great passion for natural sounds and for modern dancefloor music as well as for melodies and songwriting.
Cyril says: „Most of the songs on this album are about dreams, written by me and the guest vocalists. We are musicians who follow our dreams both at night and throughout the day. In my dreams and songs I myself am a lucid dreamer“

in http://www.myspace.com/zwickermusik

Zwicker feat. Heidi Happy - Who you are

Songs of lucid dreamers download

Trevor Sias é o nova-iorquino que está por detrás do projecto Pendatone. Tem a circular dois álbuns, Lemons & limes (2004) e Happy together (2007), onde traça sonoridades ambiente, electrónica folk, IDM, alguns pedaços de trip-hop e minimalismos pop. As suas paisagens bucólicas são dadas por flautas e harmónicas, guitarras acústicas e xilofones e pela voz de Julianna Barwick e do próprio Trevos Sias. Os seus discos não trazem nada de novo para o panorama músical, mas isso não interfere na qualidade e na beleza das suas composições. As suas texturas musicais fazem lembrar projectos como Mum, Psapp, Tujiko Noriko e até mesmo Portishead. Sobre o último LP fica retirado daqui, o seguinte:

"Pandatone, now recording for Music Related, follows his debut for Neo Ouija with a second album, Happy Together. Happy Tigether is sweet collection of simulated lo-fi electronic pop. Featuring vocalist Julianna Barwick whose voice, when processed reminds me of The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler especially on the two openers, ‘The Last to Remain’ and ‘I Forgot If We Dreamed’, Happy Together is a lovely headphone experience recalling the better work of Müm and legions of imitators. Pandatone’s sonic backing is made up of processed guitar, chimes, glockenspiel, synth, and, in comparison to others in it’s genre, surprisingly robust percussion. These muffled beats, although submerged low in the mix, have on roots in mid 90s trip hop, yet this not beat-driven music. Most of all, though, static and tape hiss feature prominently in the mix, like clouds of memory, transforming melodies that might in other circumstances verge on the twee into delicate and spacious atmospheres. Short and snappy at just 8 tracks and half an hour, Happy Together is well worth the time - headphones essential though."

Para conferir na íntegra, ficam mais abaixo os dois álbuns de Pendatone e para ouvir fica o belíssimo I forgot if we dreamed, retirado de Happy together.

Pendatone - I forgot if we dreamed

Happy together download; Lemons & limes download

De Londres vem o projecto My Toys Like Me, formados por Frances Noon nas vozes, Lazlo Legezer, Charlie Boud e Alfonso Pisanelli no resto da maquinaria. Lançam este ano o seu álbúm de estreia Where we are. A voz de Frances Noon parece de criança doce que se deixa levar muito naturalmente pela electrónica de serviço. Nesta sonoridade electro-pop cabem outras influências que vão desde o trip-hop, ao dub e até um cheirinho a drum and bass e downtempo. Há pepitas de guitarra, teclados e sintetizadores que por vezes parecem harmoniosamente descontrolados. Pode ainda notar-se em algumas músicas uns sons de brinquedos, que estes adultos utilizaram para adornar a sua obra. O texto seguinte, que eu fui buscar não sei onde, descreve mais um pouco a banda e o seu som.

"Re-imagining the beats and hooks of dance music's myriad genres, withan obsessive eccentricity and a childlike abandon, My Toys Like Me release their debut album 'Where we are' on dumb angel. With one of dance music's unique new voices in Frances noon, My Toys Like Me have fathomed their own distinctive brand of acidic disco-dub.

From the house keys, to the sub-bass rolls of trip-hop and dub, to crunching synths and primitive drum 'n' bass, through to the blissed out brassand organ of their downtime ballads, principal protagonists lazlo legezer and frances noon have concocted a heady post-dance brew. the urgent club sounds crop up on album opener and lead single super powers, a two-fingers-to-authority romp through 'my toys' twisted house; 'barnaby', the bands underground touchstone; the rave-funk of 'quietplease' and the wonky bassline of 'skylights'. and while lazlo delight sin the re-invention of his dance music archives, noon provides anendearingly bratish delivery to lyrics that veer from the confoundingly abstract, to the astonishingly blunt.

It is amidst the albums more ambient, organic moments that the true versatility of My Toys Like Me is revealed. The sinister dub and mariachi brass of 'All over my face', the fascinating storytelling of 'Sick couple' and 'Making fire', and the adroit arrangement of production and organic sound on 'bats' and their Van Morrison cover 'Young lovers'. My Toys Like Me's debut album is a genre colliding construction of new era poptronica."

My Toys Like Me - All over my face

Where we are download

Matt Benbrook e Paul Herman criaram o projecto Skinny em 1996, projecto esse que mais tarde viria a ser desenvolvido por Benbrook a solo. Encontrei pouca informação sobre o projecto mas é certo que foram lançados dois álbuns, The weekend (1998) e Taller (2001). Depois disso não há mais registos discográficos de Skinny. Nestes dois álbuns, é apresentada uma sonoridade trip-hop, com alguns breaks pelo meio. Há samplers de voz, e há uma voz masculina nalgumas canções. Há pianos e guitarras acústicas e há uma produção cuidada. Trip-hop da velha escola a marcar presença.
Vou deixar aqui uma crítica (tirada daqui)ao seu álbum de estreia e mais em baixo podem conferir o dito álbum.

"A trip-hop concept album, Skinny's The Weekend works gloriously. The theme isn't overbearing - the songs stand on their own, but sprinkled liberally throughout the record are time references to relate the song's position within the cycle, or reemphasize the title.

Bookended by "Intro" and "Outro", pastiches of the album's musical themes, the concept follows a character through his bus ride home ("The Bus Song"), a night on the town ("London Tonight", "Friday Part 2"), an early-morning walk home ("Come Down"), a coupling (the dreamy "Getting In", "Sex"), to a sated resolution ("In God's Hands").

"Failure", the single which kicked it off for the duo of Paul Herman (guitars/vocals) and Matt Benbrook (programming/ keyboards/drums) is the most independent of the set. Cousin to Beck's "Loser", a crooning "Why have I always been a failure?" lounge-lizard vocal blends with lost love lyrics - "lying in my bed for hours/rolling up and feeling down". It's an addictive tune, justifiably a dance floor filler, the vocals perkily counterpointing the heartache.

Paul Herman's voice is a chameleon. There's a lazy sensuality to his drifting vocals that recalls Michael Hutchence in his prime ("Come Down", "Mr. Goodstuff"). On others, his voice is a hand tracing the contours of a cheek, a tongue licking a neck, or a nudge in the ribs with a sly wink. "Getting In" - "I hardly know you/but you look good/go on/ give in/it's early morning/we can sleep in/I like it when you laugh/& pretend to look surprised...I can't keep from wondering/ how you'd look in my bed" - is sung with a randy charisma that is pure bliss.

And who can't identify with night-after lyrics like "Every step I'm taking/is taking me a lifetime/The darkness is disturbing, but I'm finding it peaceful/It's 6 a.m./ All the ghosts are on the street now" ("Come Down")? A familiar experience, when morning arrives and one is making his or her way home with the rising sun.

The meticulous production is a joy - songs blend using ambient street noise, footsteps, people laughing, rain, and so on, to tie the journey together. Listen closely and you'll hear fireworks (shades of To Catch a Thief's metaphor) during "Sex". The sly touch is appreciated. At 7:40, figure out your own Bo Derek accompaniment - the shifting, rise and fall rhythms had me recalculating my bookmark several times.

Think of it as a snapshot for the spirit of the 90s - a soundtrack for those who wring enjoyment out of the working week respite. There's pleasure in following every stage from the mundane observations on "The Bus Song" to the stunning closer "In God's Hands", with its gospel singer chorus. It's a jubilation-inducing journey."

Skinny - Failure

The weekend download

iFolder tutorial aqui

O projecto italiano Metùo, estreia-se este ano com o álbum Toy shop. Formados por Giorgia Angiuli, responsável pelas guitarras e pelas teclas; Tommy Bianchi, que trata da produção, programação, sintetizadores e da manipulação de sons e Amelie Labarthe nas vozes e no parte gráfica do grupo. O seu álbum é uma peça de electro-pop e downtempo com uns traços indie. Um álbum simples e doce, bom de se ouvir por estes dias de pandemia eminente. Recomendo vivamente! Do myspace da banda deixo as seguintes linhas:

"Metùo is a creative project that was born in december 2007. Multisensory atmospheres (sound-smells-images) take shape and life. Metuo moves around complementary people and energies, with the intention to foster different contents for different context. The word Metùo comes from an ancient greek word and embraces three different meaning: “to be out of it”, “full of inebriation” and “full of love”. The project grounds on Giorgia Angiuli (laptop, acustic guitar, toys, keyboard, voice, smells) and Tommaso Bianchi (artistic production, director of Sonic Lab Studio). Other collaborators are: Amelie Labarthe (vocals in the Ep and designer), Leo Betti, Simona Barbera, Stefano Bernardi, Massimo Ottoni, Silvia Bianchi, Ninca Leece, Autobam, Ether. Hear some words to understand their performance better: “play and pay attention to any kind of object, as long as you see poetry and emotion in it”. The importance of multi-layered aesthetics, the discovery of a chromatic world, maybe illusory, ephemeral, but full of spirit and poetry."

Metùo - Shell crumbs

Toy story download

E porque hoje faço anos...

E porque hoje faço anos, vou deixar aqui uma coisa bem diferente. Uma improvisação-sei-lá-o-quê, com a portuguesa Maria João e o americano Bobby McFerrin (aquele senhor do famosíssimo tema, Don't worry be happy). Vejam isto porque é uma delícia!

Maria João & Bobby McFerrin