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COLT 45 - Underground Post Punk, Tropical Tapes, Lo-Fi Electronics and Other Sounds from Brazil (1983-1993)
COLT 45 - Underground Post Punk, Tropical Tapes, Lo-Fi Electronics and Other Sounds from Brazil (1983-1993) is a new compilation of unorthodox Brazilian post punk underground sounds, featuring original music produced between 1983 and 1993 by iconic and obscure bands such as Divergência Socialista, R. Mutt, Saara Saara, Vyzadoq Moe, City Limits, Individual Industry, Harry, Ida & Os Voltas and O Grito Mudo.
Born out of the Slum Dunk radio sessions - hosted by Bruno Verner & Eliete Mejorado of Tetine, aired on Resonance Fm 104.4 in London from 2002 to 2008 and their chapter ‘40 Degrees in Black’ for the book ‘Post Punk Then And Now’ edited by late influential writer and cultural theorist Mark Fisher, Kodwo Eshun and Gavin Butt (Repeater 2016) - COLT 45 gives continuity to previous efforts to document the lost history of Brazilian underground post-punk and electronic music in compilations such as The Sexual Life of The Savages, Underground Post Punk from São Paulo"(Soul Jazz Records) and Slum Dunk Presents Uncorrupted Tropical Wave 1984-2011 (Slum Dunk Music) both records compiled by Tetine respectively in 2005 and 2011. Colt 45 also features Bruno Verner’s early sounds in bands such as R. Mutt and Divergência Socialista.
This album explores an experimental post-tropicalist sensibility emerged in the early 80's with the arrival of independent art scenes in key Brazilian cities. Including 18 rare cuts taken from self-released cassette tapes, hard-to-find & out of print LPs, as well as unpublished archival material, COLT 45 features a collection of moody post punk, samba-noise, early synth-pop, dark disco-not-disco, new wave, tropical industrialism, electro-cabaret, cold wave and marginal poetry.
Developed around explosive countercultural DIY scenarios in cities such as Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Niteroi, Santos and Sorocaba, these sounds (and artists) inhabited local clubs, bars, record shops, small arthouse cinemas, second hand bookshops, thrift stores, artist spaces, alternative theatres, universities and student unions in their respective cities. These scenes created specific and autonomous spaces of possibility and experimentation and were, above all, fostered by a singular collision of sources and ideas from poetry, pop, visual arts, politics, performance-art, cabaret, feminism and the avant-garde, including the new possibilities of electronic music and dance culture. Inspired by DIY ethics & energies emerged in the years of Brazil's political transition, following the country's period of 're-democratization' in 1985 after a twenty-one-year repressive military dictatorship, the artists in this compilation were in search of new modes of 'futurism' with a genuine and 'un-academic' interest in experimentation. Intersecting music, marginal poetry, art & politics, they've all incorporated and subverted ideas from modernist literature, DADA, critical theory, cinema and performance art by creating singular and discordant sonic universes we tried to recover in Colt 45. The result is an unusual output that troubled the centrality of today's canonical discourses of Tropicalism and the most traditional strands of the MPB (Brazilian popular music) of the time. In other words, a constellation of new voices that were at once political inventive, lyrical, naïve, dissent, surreal, camp, goth, minimalistic, electronic and tropical.
'There's no death', 'I build in silence a submerged city'… or 'The grenade is cheap in the parallel market / Did you understand the trap? / Beirut is nightmare / A laser gun, a colt 45’ or ‘X the best / Calling Mr x / 666 Jontex for Sex’. Bruno Verner, October 2017.
BANDS
Vzyadoq Moe
Formed by Fausto Marthe on vocals, Marcelo Raymond on guitar, Marco Stefani on percussion, Degas Steffen on bass-guitar and Jacksan Moreira on guitar, Vzyadoq Moe is a post punk samba-noise outfit from Sorocaba, São Paulo producing expressionistic/occult-tinged sonic landscapes. Their music sits somewhere between the energies of garage-samba, industrial and angular post punk. Dubbed as 'hard macumba' Vzyadoq Moe makes use of a peculiar percussive set made of tin cans, brass and metal plates. Its raw and dry sounds became their trademark. The band's first album O Ápice, was recorded in 1987 and produced by Jose Augusto Lemos of São Paulo's electronic trio Chance (see The Sexual Life of The Savages for further info) and released in early 1988 on Wop Bop records.
Vzyadoq Moe has performed throughout Brazil. They played in most of São Paulo's underground clubs and cultural centres such as Teatro Mambembe, Centro Cultural SP, Espaço Retrô, Dama Shock, Projeto SP, Aeroanta, Der Temple, The Clash, Sesc Pompéia amongst others. Their music has also been performed in TV's shows (Metrópolis, Fanzine and MTV). It was reviewed in magazines and fanzines around Brazil, including an article written by Biron Coley for American magazine Spin.
For Colt 45 we chose three distinct moments from Vzyadoq Moe's debut LP. They are the opening track Não Há Morte (There is No Death), a gloomy expressionist post-punk samba delivered by Fausto Marthe's preacher-like vocals over an echo-drenched semi-distorted bass line. Their sonic assault includes elegant distorted guitar riffs, an industrial 'school of samba' tribal dry percussion and other reverberations. The second track is Desejo em Chamas (Burning Desire), an experimental slow piece with abstract spoken word anti-vocals and the third one, O Incerto (The Uncertain), a math dirty-rock with a tight and punchy atmosphere reminiscent of Mercenárias punkiest moments.
Divergência Socialista
Formed in 1983, Divergência Socialista is a post-punk/electronic-DADA Marxist-minimal outfit from Belo Horizonte. Led by poet Marcelo Dolabela (vocals, Dada tapes & texts), new wave diva Silma Bijoux O'hara on vocals and occasional keyboards and including various musicians from other underground bands/collectives from Belo Horizonte such as Rubinho Troll (Sexo Explícito), Bruno Verner (R. Mutt, Ida & Os Voltas, Tetine), Marompas (Sexo Explícito), Gato Jair (O Último Número), John (Sexo Explícito/ Último Número / Pato Fú), Aleca A. de Alexandria (Ida & Os Voltas / Albania Berg), photographer Fabiana Figueredo (a.k.a Fabiana Andropov) and over the next decades with Délio Esteves, Ana Gusmão, Francesco Napoli, Dota amongst others. Divergência Socialista produced one of the most unusual and experimental verbo-sonic-visual combinations of the time, fusing anti-music, disco-not-disco, queer-electropop, marginal poetry, electro-sambas and canções. The band had two classic line ups in the 1980's: a first phase dedicated to text-based anti-music, DADA tapes, noise and other experimentalisms and a second line up more into disco-not-disco, queer avant-pop, atonalisms, synth-punk & electro-sambas. In these phase, the band began making use of electronic instrumentation incorporating drum machines, cheap synths, tape recorders, a sequencer and a sampler to their sounds.
Divergência Socialista's post-tropicalist sonic assaults were at once experimental, synthetic, queer, noisy, politico-subversive, marginal and 'intertextual'; at times sounding-like a solar cross between early Cabaret Voltaire, Tom Zé, Os Mutantes and May East with a penchant for dystopian electronic landscapes (through Kraftwerk to Georgio Moroder, and female vocals reminiscent of Dee Dee Jackson or The B52's.
For Colt 45 we chose four distinct moments of the band’s extensive repertoire. They are the tribal post-punk meets DADA music of Fahenheit 451 / Jeanne Seberg and the grenade Casio-driven twisted anti-pop of Colt 45, both cuts taken from their first cassette tape Christine Killer released by Câmbio Negro; followed by the luminous disco-not-disco/electro-utopia of Thomas Morus Dub/ Aqui & Aqui and the swaying synth-samba Maysa/Mother 851, both pieces taken from the second tape Lilith Lunaire, released by Bomb.
Divergência Socialista comes from a prolific underground post punk/art scene that emerged in the early 1980's, comprised of communal and iconoclastic groups /collectives such as Sexo Explicito, O Último Número, R.Mutt, Ida & Os Voltas, Hosana nas Alturas, Os Contras, O Grande Ah!, Alma Cyborg, Xiitas, Sylvia Klein, Virna Lisi, Coevos, O Grito Mudo, Crime-Opera, Virus Mundanus, Clay Regazzoni, Sustados Por um Gesto, Corpo Delito, as well as, experimental vídeo and filmmakers such as Aron Feldman, Cao Guimarães, Patricia Moran, Lucas Bambozzi, Rodrigo Minelli; performance artists and dancers Marcelo Gabriel (Companhia de Dança Burra), Adriana Banana, Roberto Soares, Roney Souza, Andréia Dário and visual artists such as Marta Neves, Adriane Puresa (Pupu), Eri Gomes, Didico, Clo Paolielo, Julio Dui, Jimmy Leroy, Gloria Campos, Adriana Leão, Solange Pessoa amongst many others.
Saara Saara
Saara Saara is an electronic duo formed in 1985 in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro by Servio Tulio (vocals, effects and programming) and Raul Rachid (machines, keyboards and programming). The duo gained cult status in Rio's post punk/electronic underground scene of the mid 1980's alongside bands such as Black Future, Régua, Urge, Kasbah, Raubvogel amongst others.
Saara Saara's atmospheric & electronic cabaret combined synth-pop, tape manipulation, elements of kraut and melodic & harmonic orientalisms with ironic & smart processed vocals. Servio Tulio and Raul Rachid wrote dystopian futuristic-surrealistic electronic tales with titles such as Vírus de Sírius, Eclipse Lunar, Doktor Frtiz and Musik, with influences ranging from artists such as The Residents through early cabaret. The duo produced two brilliant cassette tapes before disbanding in the late 1980's.
Saara Saara reformed in 2004 and after a short comeback they released their first and only album Sucessos Que O Mundo Esqueceu [Hits That The World Forgot] on Astronauta Discos. We chose two distinct moments from them. They are the underground micro-hits X and Carta Corrente, both tracks taken from their first tape Saara Saara 1.
R. Mutt
R. Mutt is an experimental post punk / electronic outfit formed in 1986 in Belo Horizonte by Bruno Verner (also from Divergência Socialista, Ida & Os Voltas), Karla Xavier (of Akt), Bernardo Rennó (Ida & Os Voltas, O Grito Mudo) and Marcos Barreto Basho (of Cuevos). Making use of drum machines, sequencers and samplers, R. Mutt's dystopian post-punk combined electronic instrumentation, female and male half-spoken/half-sung vocals, folk introspection with dark bass lines and glacial soundscapes. Part of the same post punk scene of groups such as Divergência Socialista, Ida & Os Voltas, Sexo Explicito, Ultimo Número, Hosana Nas Alturas and Alma Cyborg, the band performed in several underground bars, clubs and auditoriums, playing shows in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte & Juiz de Fora in venues such as Complexo B, Crepúsculo dos Deuses, DCE, Icbeu, Madame Satã, Retrô, Sesc Pompeia, Cenário among others.
R. Mutt released two cassette tapes only. We chose three distinct moments from the band. They are the industrial atmospheric and improvised dub-landscapes of Versus, followed by A Terça Parte (The Third Part) - a tight synth-driven post-punk piece with hysterical vocals and gated drums and the dystopian post-tropicalism of Peixes (Fishes). All tracks were taken from the tape R. Mutt 2 (1986). The group disbanded in 1989 with Bruno Verner later forming Um ou Não and Tetine with artist Eliete Mejorado in the early 1990's in São Paulo and vocalist and keyboard player Karla Xavier, forming the all-female outfit Akt with Sandra Coutinho from Mercenárias, Biba Meira (Defalla) and Dequinha (Bruhaha Babélico).
Individual Industry
Individual Industry was formed in 1987 by keyboard player and Cri Du Chat Disques founder Alexandre Twin. Between 1987-90, ten demotapes were recorded by Alexandre on his own. In 1990 Maurizio Bonito and Lilian Vaz (of City Limits) joined the band and released the cassette tape Apology, following the launch of Paradise included in the compilation Minimal Synthetics - Volume 1 (Cri Du Chat Disques). Their first album Templum Probus was released both in Brazil and in German by Subtronic. The record was well received in underground scenes of Brazil and Europe with some of its songs playing exhaustively in radio stations in Belgium, Portugal and France.
In the mid 1990's vocalist Daniyela Gato joined the band and they put out their second release Ice Water produced by Roberto Verta from Harry.
For Colt 45 we chose Eyes - a dark and icy piece of ethereal electro pop with beautiful nostalgic vocals and a potent contradictory solar and swing(ed) synth-bass. Individual Industry is still in activity, led by Alexandre Twin and Maurizio Bonito in collaboration with guest vocalists. They have released a new album on Wave Records and collaborated with Carine Grieg and Ambrose Reynolds from Liverpool post-punk legends Pink Industry.
Ida & Os Voltas
Formed in Belo Horizonte in late 1985 by artist Ida Feldman on vocals (also from Alma Cyborg, I love Miami), the daughter of legendary Brazilian experimental filmmaker Aron Feldman - with Bruno Verner (on guitars, casiotone and bass), Frederico Pessoa (bass, guitar and keys) and Bernardo Rennó (drums and casiotone), Ida & Os Voltas were a new wave, electro-pop quartet that produced music with casiotones and cheap drum machines. The band gained an underground cult status in Belo Horizonte in the mid 1980's performing in local bars, clubs, universities and festivals. Ida & Os Voltas' music was also frequently played on the local alternative radio station Radio Liberdade. For Colt 45 we chose two of their micro-hit tracks: They are Jovens Raptados (Kidnaped Youth) and Cadê A Embaixatriz (Where is The Empress) both taken from their only cassette tape release entitled Samambaias Voadoras (Flying Ferns) from 1986. The band disbanded in 1988.
O Grito Mudo
O Grito Mudo was a parallel electronic studio-project formed by Bruno Verner in 1985 to produce his own experimental electronic pieces. In 1987 Bernardo Rennó joined the group and the two musicians started a series of improvised (one-take) live-recordings at Sexo Explicito's music studio located at Rua Jaspe in the traditional borough of Santa Tereza in Belo Horizonte. The duo used an old Yamaha drum machine, a collectively bought Roland SH101 (also used by Ida & Os Voltas, R.Mutt and Divergência Socialista) and a CASIO CZ 3000. These recording sessions were made in the early hours when there was no one around in the studio.
O Grito Mudo produced three emblematic cassette tapes combining electronica, dark wave, noise and atonalism. Their second tape was called Mulata Urbana and was entirely recorded in one these 'unauthorized' recording sessions. We chose their homonymous track Mulata Urbana; a synthetic and glacial Kraftwerkian lo-fi piece of tropical melancholia from 1987.
Harry
Formed in 1985 in Santos, Latin America's largest seaport city, 10 miles away from Cubatão, one of the most polluted regions on earth, Harry had several different line ups along their trajectory. The first line up with late Johnny Hansen on guitars and vocals, Cesar Di Giacomo on drums, Ricard Krauss Johnsson and Renato Grillo on bass. In 1986 Denise Tesluki joined the band and Harry releases their first EP Caos on Wop Bop produced by Roberto Verta who later would become an official member. With Denise's departure, the band intensified the use of electronic elements by bringing a Poly 800 along drum machines, sequencers and samplers to their music. By 1987 Harry become an electronic band combining elements of synthpop, industrial and minimalism, releasing an acclaimed second album all sung in English entitled Fairy Tales.
For Colt 45 we chose Blood and Shame - an industrial electronic landscape with samples of Denise's vocals. The song was taken from their first EP Caos released by Wop Bop in 1987. Except for a programmed drum machine (an original Linn Drum) all the other electronic instrumentation in Blood and Shame was played in real time by Johnsson and Verta.
City Limits
City Limits was formed in São Vicente, São Paulo in 1987 by vocalist Lilian Vaz (also of Sicilian Unit /Uniglory, Burkina Fasso, Individual Industry) and multi-instrumentalist Paulo Gabrielleschi (also of Sicilian Unit /Uniglory) on electronics and guitars. Initially conceived as an experimental duo that made use of found sounds, voices, reverbarations, sound objects and distorted guitars, the band produced notoriously experimental/noise echo-drenched soundscapes with dreamy vocalizations in their early cassette tapes.
City Limits performed at the prestigious Festival De Música Nova in Santos, took part in compilations such as Minimal Synthetics V 2(Cri Du Chat Disques) and had an album entitled First released on German's Subtronic Records from Dortmund. Some years later Fabio de Castro (guitar) and Marcelo Andrei also joined the band for shows and recordings.
For Colt 45 we chose their classic electronic pop Evening - a tight synth-driven dark piece produced by Hansen (of Harry), featuring Lilian's beautiful and melancholic vocals over programmed synth-bass and distorted guitars.