Curumin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Curumin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luciano Nakata Albuquerque |
| Born | July 28, 1976 |
| Origin | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Genre(s) | Brazilian, samba-funk, hip-hop |
| Occupation(s) | singer/songwriterdrummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, Cavaquinho |
| Label(s) | Quannum Projects, Urban Jungle |
| Members | |
| Curumin Lucas Martins Loco Sosa |
|
Curumin is a Brazilian musician. His style is sometimes called samba-funk, and it incorporates many jazz, bossa nova, and hip hop elements as well. He sings in Portuguese, and his first album, Achados E Perdidos, was released on September 20, 2005 on the Quannum Projects label. His real name is Luciano Nakata Albuquerque.
Curumin and Quannum Projects first crossed paths when Chief Xcel , one half of Blackalicious and one fifth of Quannum, was on tour in Brazil. Happening upon Achados E Perdidos while in Sao Paulo , Xcel knew immediately that this was a record that could resonate with audiences outside Brazil as well.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, born in Brazil to Spanish/Japanese parents, early on earned the moniker Curumin, a term reserved by indigenous Brazilians for their more precocious children. It was the 1970s in Sao Paulo, and with his older brother Curumin began his journey through the world's music, from Jorge Ben to Devo to Bebeto. By the time he was 8, he'd already formed his first rock band with classmates, with pots and pans substituting for a proper drum kit. Within two years he'd formed another band, this time an instrumental funk group called ZU. By the time he was 14 he was already a percussionist at Sao Paulo's top clubs. By 16 he'd taught himself to play keyboards as well.
Later on in his teens, Curumin enrolled at the prestigious music school Gavioes da Fiel, where he was exposed to the 40 year history of MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), delving deeper into samba during the day, while learning outside school about the B-52s and Run DMC. Curumin and two friends quickly formed Zomba, a band devoted to Brazilian music and classic funk, replete with brass and percussion sections, but accompanied also by a DJ. Zomba were widely praised, spurring a resurgence of interest in the 70s sound in Sao Paulo. Clearly not one to be idle, this multi-tasker was also in a band called Toca with Gustavo Lenza, which would prove to be the blueprint for Achados E Perdidos.
While his psychology degree and aspirations towards professional soccer languished, his musical career was growing ever brighter. Support gigs for established names in MPB ensued, such greats as composer Arnaldo Antunes, the samba-punk singer Andrea Marquee, as well as Brazilian hip-hop groups like Lino Crizz & Guetto Jam and SP Funk. It was with these groups that Curumin got his first taste of world touring, blowing away audiences across Latin America and Europe.
As Zomba transformed gradually into his own solo project, he reconfigured his now sizable catalog to suit his many disparate interests and experiences, the result of which was Achados e Perdidos. This album summarizes all that is Curumin, from his ethnic background to the soul of his home in Sao Paulo.
[edit] Achados e Perdidos (2005)
in the year 2005, São Paulo’s Curumin (aka Luciano Nakata Albuquerque) brings us a confluence of cultures on his infectious debut album Achados e Perdidos, released in the US by Quannum Projects. Achados e Perdidos recalls 70s samba funk at its best, channeling musical greats like Jorge Ben, Milton Nascimento and Tim Maia, but peppered with modern flourishes from jazz and funk to hip hop. You’ll hear egg shakers, Juno synths and scratching all in the same introduction, and later on an operatic chorus, an overwhelming orchestra, his raspy Portuguese croon conveying the urgency and passion of the music of Brazil. The album’s 12 tracks flow in and out of one another amid chattering, clinking glasses, intricate programming, fuzzy guitar riffs, ukulele and shifting percussion. Achados e Perdidos kicks off with the uptempo "Guerreiro," stuttering and popping for nearly a minute before kicking into gear. Breathy vocals and a psych Hammond borrowed from 1971 creep up in "Samba Japa" next, followed immediately by the insistent burn of the first single "Tudo Bem Malandro." Curumin even tackles Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothing” with rousing confidence. This convergence of influences throughout Achados e Perdidos will resonate with all kinds of listeners, from world music aficionados to soccer moms to beat heads to Brazil nuts. Achados e Perdidos is an account of the ethnic and cultural references from Curumin’s life in São Paulo. The native Brazilian is of Japanese and Spanish descent and boasts an impressive background of musical experimentation dating back to the age of 7. He received his nickname Curumin (affectionate Brazilian term for “little boy”) when he was just 8 years old and formed his first rock n’ roll band, complete with homemade drum kit.
[edit] JapanPopShow (2008)
He may very well be this generation's Tom Zè, but I think Brazil's Curumin is having too much fun being himself. JapanPopShow is his forthcoming album, his second for Quannum, and it is easily one of the more original albums I've heard this year so far. Here is a guy who combines not only the music of Brazil, but all of the elements that made the music what it is. You will hear shades of Africa, you will hear something that sounds like a cross between Kraftwerk, M.I.A., and Salt-N-Pepa ("Caixa Preta"), or even some downhome funk ("Saido Bangu"). Curumin shares his romantic side in "Misterio Stereo", which could be about a woman in waiting, or falling in love with the sounds coming out of a stereo system, or both. "Compacto" is also about the joys of falling for a "compact record" (a 7" 45rpm record for the vinyl illiterate), as he sings (in Portuguese) 45!, cause I just want to listen/45!, restful/45!, at my place, at my side/45!, one delicate, one rare/45!, so let it drop/45!, cause I want to listen/45!, at my place, at my side/45!, calm, restful. While music and the joy of records are one of the appealing things about his music, Curumin also touches on the political side. As is the case with a lot of Brazilian music throughout the country, one has to read between the lines but with lines such as where is my piece of the steak?/the bone is hard to chew/share the dough/share the dough (from "Mal Estar Card"), it couldn't be any more direct. The life of his country is not in a ritzy hotel, but amongst the people. Those who have enjoyed Brazilian music of the last 40 years will find Curumin to be the bright light every fan looks forward to finding. It's a music that's proud by an artist who is honored to share his music with the world, but not without acknowledging the people and the land he calls home. It's fun and funky, and it's the kind of music that will move the most rigid asses on Earth. There are also some English lyrics scattered throughout, including a cameo from Lateef The Truth Speaker and Gift Of Gab in "Kyoto", which could help carry Curumin over to hip-hop audiences. The track was mixed by none other than Scott "Scotty Hard" Harding, so you know things are hitting when they're supposed to be. While there are other established guests on JapanPopShow, including RV Walters, and Tommy Guerrero, most of the instruments are played by Curumin himself, someone who is determined to craft his own sound and history in his own way, complete with analog instruments and recording techniques, complete with friendly tape hiss throughout (YES!) It's an album with a retro feel but with a feeling that has today's issues in mind. It has the right amount of quirk and strangeness that makes these type of Brazilian albums slow burners. Or at least, you want to let it simmer for maximum satisfaction, so that you don't get audio heartburn or indigestion. For anyone who thought the state of music has been dead for the last few years, JapanPopShow is the album that will bring life to anyone that allows themselves to take it in.
Taken from 193rd edition of The Run-Off Groove March 8, 2008
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
