Afropop Premiere: Orquestra Imperial: “Cair Na Folia”

Mais Um Discos has become one of the world’s most consistent sources for music from the Brazilian underground scene, bringing us everything from the mind-expanding “Oi! A Nova Musica Brasileira!” to the diverse and daring Daora Underground compilation and the sample-delic MPB of Lucas Santtana.

We are VERY excited to be pairing with the label to premiere “Cair Na Folia,” a track from Orquestra Imperial’s forthcoming album, Fazendo As Pazes Com o Swing (“Making Peace With the Swing”).

Since their debut album in 2007, Orquestra Imperial has been making waves that emanate from Rio to caress the eardrums of fans in the U.S. and Europe. Founded with the goal of interpreting the old-school gafieira samba style of the 1940s orchestras, their music contains clear echoes of Brazilian street-music heros like Cartola, but also includes the smooth sounds of later groups like Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. “Cair Na Folia” opens with tinkling glockenspiels, sparky percussion toys and distant wooden flutes, creating an aural texture reminiscent of the experimental moments in the music of Os Mutantes and Hermeto Pascoal. But when the beat drops, we are deep into the swing of samba carioca, treated with the most up-to-the moment musical aesthetics. This group has certainly made peace with the swing- we hope you can do the same.

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