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Sabotador de Satélite
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Biography
Composer, producer and vocalist Totonho was born in 1964 in Monteiro in the North Eastern state of Paraiba. Growing up in a house which was always full of musicians, Totonho’s favourites were the repentistas [masters of improvised verse]. He later put together a band called Os Renegados who played instruments made exclusively from tin cans and in 1982 moved to João Pessoa where he founded the Musiclube da Paraíba, a collective of composers which included a young Chico César.
Totonho spent the next 5 years dedicated to a community music project called Tocar Por Prazer [Play for Fun] and studying at the University. Having graduated in 1988 Totonho moved to Rio. Composing, playing concerts and gathering the musicians who would become Os Cabra Totonho gradually became known as a unique and gifted writer. Apart from his music, Totonho continued his focus on community work and founded the not-for-profit organisation Projeto Ex-Cola which supports young people with education and help with addiction. Totonho uses his community radio shows as forums to discuss local issues and to invite well-known musicians such as Fernanda Abreu and Moreno Veloso to participate in the programme. Trama signed him in 1999 and in 2003 released his first album of ‘fascinating, tropical mayhem’ [The Independent]. A charismatic, poetic rebel regarded with great respect by the media and public, between concerts in Brazil and Europe, Totonho can be found every day at work in the community.
Release
Paraiba-born, Rio-resident Totonho is one of Brazil’s most groundbreaking artists. On his new album he sabotages Brazilian popular rhythms with fearless, tender and subversive methods. Electronic depth-charges meet twisted folklore and Totonho’s compelling vocals on a unique album from an acclaimed composer, social critic and sonic cosmonaut.
THE ALBUM
Sabotador de Satélite was recorded in Rio between December 2004 and March 2005. The songs from the album are stylistically very diverse, but they all orbit Totonho’s vision of the mess human beings would make if we colonized the rest of the galaxy, given the state of our home planet. To talk of poverty, corruption and misery on Earth has become banal. Totonho decided to angle his social criticism at the solar system. Blade-Runner style stories criss-cross the tracks - traffic jams on Pluto, the lack of basic sanitation on the moon, a heartbroken second-hand spaceship salesman.
In contrast with his first [self-titled] album, which was loaded with layer upon layer of samples and instruments, Sabotador de Satélite has a much more lo-fi approach. Using lots of analogue instruments, almost everything is played
and altered by hand. Totonho hails from the North-East and traditional rhythms like coco, carimbo and ciranda charge the swing of the record. But this is far from a traditional album, Totonho’s fluency in those rhythms allows him to invert and subvert them at will and rock, jazz and lo-fi electronica all influence his sound.
Special guests include the phenomenal Pupilo from Nação Zumbi on drums and Donatinho [Joao Donato's son] on keyboards.
THE PRODUCERS:
Produced by Kassin and Berna Ceppas [Monoaural] and Carlos Eduardo Miranda. Kassin is one of the most sought-after producers in Brazil. Doubling as enigmatic bassist with Moreno Veloso, his own projects include Orchestra Imperial [the Rio big-band playing nostalgic numbers with avant-garde nonchalance], cult 90s band Acabou La Tequila and his current solo project Artificial [appearing at Sonar this year]. Berna Ceppas is also much in demand, current projects include the unique post-rock art group Chelpa Ferro and F.U.R.T.O [featuring O Rappa’s Marcelo Yuka]. Miranda is a cult figure in Brazil, influential producer, A&R and general godfather to the independent music scene, he started out in the 80s producing acts such as Mundo Livre SA and is always ahead of the game with new breaking acts. Miranda signed Totonho to Trama and he’s also director of Virtual Trama, a forum for un-signed bands to showcase their music [www.tramavirtual.com.br]
"Totonho is a genius. He can freestyle lyrics and melodies over anything. He had written a short story called 'Satellite Saboteur' which was kind of imagining how much of a mess we would make of other planets, seeing what we've done to this one. It was like a Douglas Adams book, even though Totonho had never heard of him. Once in the studio, the songs played on the main theme of the story. We wanted to have fresh new Brazilian beats without a folkloric sound, the Brazilian accent is everywhere in this album but there's no cliché". - Kassin
Trama Rua Ada Negri, 469 São Paulo - SP - Brazil 04755 000