Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Didn't I just say the '60s are over? This next article is about people taking more of an anti-authoritarian stand, with armed bouncers at the door to be sure everybody leaves them alone:
Brazilian Funk gaining a worldwide audience
Though "State law prohibits disc jockeys at funk balls from playing songs that celebrate criminality", "Funk is the musical CNN of the favelas," said Brazilian journalist Silvio Essinger, who's written extensively about the genre. "It's a music that doesn't depend on the big record companies or the tastes of the middle class. Funk is absolutely free and absolutely connected to what's going on in the communities.".
Fernando Luis Mattos da Matta, or DJ Marlboro, the unquestioned star of Brazilian funk.
For more than a decade, the hyperactive 43-year-old has strived to pull funk out of the ghetto and into the good graces of mainstream Brazilians. He hosts one of Rio de Janeiro's most popular radio shows and has even appeared on children's television variety programs. This year, his record "Funk Brasil" topped the country's pop charts.
Da Matta has traveled the world to spread the gospel of Brazilian funk, winning high-profile American fans such as the Philadelphia-based disc jockey Wesley Pentz, known as Diplo.
"I'm showing people funk is much more than all the violence and sex they hear about," da Matta said during a break in a set he was playing recently at Canecao, Rio de Janeiro's most prestigious nightclub. "This is true Brazilian electronic music." ¶ 6/21/2006 06:03:00 AM
Brazilian Funk gaining a worldwide audience
Though "State law prohibits disc jockeys at funk balls from playing songs that celebrate criminality", "Funk is the musical CNN of the favelas," said Brazilian journalist Silvio Essinger, who's written extensively about the genre. "It's a music that doesn't depend on the big record companies or the tastes of the middle class. Funk is absolutely free and absolutely connected to what's going on in the communities.".
Fernando Luis Mattos da Matta, or DJ Marlboro, the unquestioned star of Brazilian funk.
For more than a decade, the hyperactive 43-year-old has strived to pull funk out of the ghetto and into the good graces of mainstream Brazilians. He hosts one of Rio de Janeiro's most popular radio shows and has even appeared on children's television variety programs. This year, his record "Funk Brasil" topped the country's pop charts.
Da Matta has traveled the world to spread the gospel of Brazilian funk, winning high-profile American fans such as the Philadelphia-based disc jockey Wesley Pentz, known as Diplo.
"I'm showing people funk is much more than all the violence and sex they hear about," da Matta said during a break in a set he was playing recently at Canecao, Rio de Janeiro's most prestigious nightclub. "This is true Brazilian electronic music." ¶ 6/21/2006 06:03:00 AM
