World's Fair

Brazilian samba-soul singer (and drummer and cavaquinho and MPC player) Curumin is getting ready to release his second full-length in the US, JapanPopShow, with help from the good folks over at Quannum. The record will be available in CD (and mp3) on October 7, of course, but Curumin’s always been a big fan of vinyl (”Compacto” is about collecting 45s), and the album art for JapanPopShow takes a very vinyl-based visual approach. Call it the best of both worlds, if you will: the ease and size of a CD with the design appeal of the LP. Here are just a few of the designs — more to come!

Take, for example, the artwork for “Misterio Stereo.” A love song, the fish, looking majestic but slightly aloof, adds to the, well…the mystery of the track, and also the sweetness of the emotion expressed. Notice also the wear along the edge of where the 45 would be underneath. As anyone who has ever spent any time searching through bins can attest to, this is a very authentic, almost endearing touch.

This next one, too, has the same 7″ wear, but there’s something a bit more subversive about it, and far more menacing. It’s the art for “Caixa Preta,” a song that discusses the troubled Brazilian airline industry (”What’s in the black box?/The truth has been bought” are the first [translated] lines of the song). Which, of course, makes the vaguely Wicked-Witch-of-the-West hands slinking out of the aforementioned black box a lot more eerie, and the song a lot more powerful.

Of course, all of these songs (and designs) will be included in the forthcoming JapanPopShow full-length, though you can hear “Compacto” now.

DOWNLOAD “Compacto”

Or watch the video, which features a lot of live kickass MPC playing, below

Artist: Curumin
Album: JapanPopShow
Label: Quannum Projects
Street Date: October 7, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Youtube

São Paulo, Brazil’s bright-eyed musical prodigy Curumin (KOO-roo-mean) is set to release JapanPopShow on Quannum Projects on October 7, 2008. The album, which had originally been scheduled to come out five months earlier, follows up Curumin’s debut, Achados e Perdidos. The 13 tracks combine dense instrumentation with a modern beat-conducting approach, topped off with Curumin’s (aka Luciano Nakata Albuquerque’s) distinct Portuguese croon.

JapanPopShow opens with the title track, which takes its name from an early-80s Brazilian variety program in the vein of The Ed Sullivan Show. This is dance music, from start to finish, and further carves out his inimitable style of samba soul, now sprinkled with more afro-beat, dub and experimental funk. The tropicalia flair of “Esperança” evokes the breezy Brazilian pace, “Sambito”’s beat-driven energy is helped by Tommy Guerrero’s electric guitar, and the legendary vocalist Marku Ribas appears on “Dançando No Escura.” But it’s also affectionately personal: on the Os-Mutantes-meets-Manu-Chao “Magrela Fever” he sings about the joys of riding a bike, while the infectious “Compacto” is about his love of 45s.

Download “Compacto”

The album was executively produced by Curumin, Gustavo Lenza & Lucas Martins, but Curumin himself handles most of the instrumentation, including drums, cavaquinho and vintage synths. He also gets help from some of his labelmates, including Honeycut’s Hervé Salters, Gift of Gab, Lateef, and Chief Xcel, the last three who lend their talents on “Kyoto,” a song that follows in the tradition of Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, political and smart but still amazingly catchy, amazingly tuneful.

For Curumin’s showcases in New York and SXSW in March 2008, he traveled with two musicians, and each took the stage equipped with an MPC, combining live instrumentation with beat manipulation for a truly captivating dynamic. Curumin also switches between the drums and cavaquinho, all the while mesmerizing his audiences worldwide with his soulful voice and warm spirit. He will return to the States on December 4 and 5, 2008 as part of Red Hot + Rio 2 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, celebrating the next generation of innovative Brazilian musicians. Additional US tour dates are also planned for November.

“The woozy, reggaefied title track has the brain-melting charm of a pot-addled jam. Elsewhere, dense funk collides happily with old-fashioned samba and bossa nova; “Kyoto” suggests Caetano Veloso fronting Funkadelic. If “Fumanchu,” a throwaway based on a simple electric piano riff, can provide such immense pleasure, there’s some sneaky magic in effect.” — SPIN **** (June 2008)

“Brazilian musician Curumin’s second album is hard to classify, but in the best way: funk, psychedelic rock, hip-hop, reggae, dub, and more all co-exist on this album, sometimes even within the same track. The mix is a smart one, and it makes sense, considering Brazil’s history as a melting-pot nation. There’s enough influence from Brazil’s musical past to keep traditionalists listening, but enough forward thinking to take the album into new territory. Hard to pigeonhole, but easy to enjoy.” — XLR8R 8/10 (May 2008)

“JapanPopShow affirms with authority the potential the artist has already demonstrated in his live performances. A great album from beginning to end.” — Rolling Stone Brasil (May 2008)

“JapanPopShow is possibly the easiest way to tap in to Brazilian culture without actually going there. It’s what we imagine a São Paulo beach party sounds like; funky drum circles, romantic Portuguese dialect and the intermittent smoke before bodyboarding pristine waves. With elements of dub, Afro funk, samba soul and hip-hop setting the mood, Curumin sounds like a Brazilian version of Jack Johnson on a mild Bonde Do Role kick (”Compacto”). Add to that some bossa nova guitar reminiscent of João Gilberto on “Esperança,” and you’ve got music that speaks to the soul.” - REMIX Magazine (May 2008)

“This São Paulo singer and multi-instrumentalist combines traditional Brazilian music with modern electronic flourishes to create a sound that simultaneously digs into the past and looks to the future.” - PLAYBOY 10 To Watch in 2008 (March 2008)

Check Out “Compacto” Here!

Artist: Curumin
Album: JapanPopShow
Label: Quannum Projects
Street Date: October 7, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Youtube