Name: Alice Galeffi
Age: 23
Occupation: Cultural Producer
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Favourite music: Good music!

So how’s Rio this time of year? Warm I bet.
Pretty warm, there was crappy weather during carnival though…

I see Carnival just started – you doing some crazy partying?
In theory, Carnival is great, everyone is happy, no work, you can drink as much as you like, party all day and night, kiss as many guys as you want and no one will judge you. But I don’t know… for some reason being in a crowd of 2 million people, drinking beer all day long and having nowhere to pee, and kissing drunk guys who have already kissed another 10 girls on the same day, just isn’t my jam…

Haha. I guess there are loads of gigs on or is it more just one big party?
There are bands on the streets, they are called blocos, but they play carnival music, which can be really cool, like old samba and maracatu – an Afro-Brazilian rhythm, composed by lots of drums, trumpets, tambourines and so on. It’s great to have free quality music on the streets during this time of the year. Earlier this year there was a bloco that mixed Beatles songs with maracatu; it was called Sargento Pimenta (Sergeant Pepper). There are 6 guys in the band and another 60 playing percussion. They expected 500 people and 10,000 showed up. It is a great idea because everyone loves the Beatles, likes the old carnival songs and everyone knows how to sing it, except now you can dance it differently, in a more Brazilian way.

OK, so apart from when Carnival is on – what’s the local music scene there like?
There is good stuff going on at the moment. I like Caetano Veloso’s new band Cê. At nearly 70 years old, the guy’s got together with a few 20-something year olds, and created a fresh sound. He mixes his old style with some more rock n’ roll influences. Orquestra Imperial is awesome; it is a true orchestra with 18 great musicians and there’s always a special guest. Their repertoire goes from Elza Soares’ ‘Beija-me’ to ‘Owner of a Love’, from the progressive band Yes. Great show. I really like Tono as well. It’s a young band, with psychedelic and world music influences. I heard the show is really good, but I haven’t had the chance to see it yet. The group Binario is known for playing every Sunday by the beach of Ipanema. Their album is named Nereda, independently recorded, proving that Brazil is also able to self-produce non-commercial quality albums. Theresa Christina sings classic samba, which I love. It is very characteristic of Rio.

When I think Rio music, I imagine those Favela parties with carioca funk – is it at all like that?
Haha. There is definitely a strong funk cult in this city, but if I told you I have never been to a baile funk would you believe me? When I was younger and was really into the carioca funk it was too dangerous to go to those parties, nowadays its not, it’s full of gringos at the favelas. I will definitely go one day, it’s on my to-do-list. But there is not only funk in the slums these days. There is a hostel called The Maze Inn, in a favela in the neighbourhood of Catete, where they have gigs, and the Jazz night seems to be one of the most popular ones. My friends are playing there on the 18th of March, their band is awesome; they are called Baleia. They play anything from Britney Spears to Andrew Bird, all with a jazz twist, they also play their own stuff.

And are there venues that cater for all genres?
Brazil in general is a big fruit salad, and Rio is no different. People like different things, mix different genres, and listen to all kinds of music. Circo Voador for example, in Lapa, downtown, is a great venue. They host anything from funk and samba shows, to international indie names like Vampire Weekend. It’s a cosy place to watch a gig, it’s in a circus tent you know, and there is character, soul.

So there’s something for everyone?
There is, but there could be much more. We still need more international bands coming to play. Some bands come to Brazil and don’t come to Rio! It’s outrageous. We used to have a great music festival sponsored by the telephone company Tim – it was called Tim Festival. I saw great shows there like Patti Smith, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Devendra Banhart and Daft Punk. I don’t know why they stopped. It was my carnival! Now there is an interesting movement going on called Queremos, which means ‘we want’. Some cool kids from Rio were fed-up of not having their favorite bands coming to play and created a crowd funding system to produce shows. You can sponsor your favorite band to come and do a show here. Once enough money has been raised to bring the band and the gig has been confirmed, you can get your investment back and go to the gig for free. Does that make sense? With this system they have already brought Vampire Weekend, Two Door Cinema Club, LCD Soundsystem, Mayer Hawthorne and are bringing The National soon.

Wow, that’s awesome! I’m actually a bit of an indie-rock/electropop type – where can I find live music? And places that play good music?
As I said before, Circo Voador has some great gigs, but also Teatro Odisséia, in Lapa, sometimes has local bands playing indie-rock. But the classic indie place of Rio is Casa da Matriz, a little house in the neighbourhood of Botafogo with two dance floors, and a gaming room. I’ve had great nights there. It was much better some years ago, more underground, now it’s a bit hyped and you’ve gotta queue to get in. It still has great DJ’s though. Dama de Ferro also has good music, its more electronic, techno and so on. There’s a new place also in Lapa called Espaço Acústico with a cool rooftop. The other day there was an electro-funk DJ playing and some live hip-hop/rap presentation. It would be a nice place to throw a party.

Do you normally go out to dance or just hang… or both?
Both. Recently there was a great event on the top of the Sugar Loaf, called Verão Morro da Urca. It is probably the coolest place ever to have a party, you get the cable car, which is exciting, and up there you have one of the most beautiful views of the city. But chilling is always good. Rio is lacking interesting bars though. We have the famous ‘butecos’, which are casual bars and you can go with your beach clothes. There’s no decoration, a horrible white light, no music at all and they all look the same. I find it’s kinda depressing but everyone else in Rio doesn’t seem to mind. I went to a super cool bar in São Paulo the other day named Z Carniceria, which means ‘the butcher’, and it’s decorated as one. It’s something different, the music was cool, the waiters were pin-ups and the owners were behind the bar. People are more open to this kind of stuff in Sao Paulo, people in Rio are still a bit square in lots of ways.

Right. Is there an area/s that are best for music lovers in Rio?
Definitely Lapa. There’s lots of things going on there, lot’s of places to go. And Botafogo, too.

Which are the best places to go?
In Lapa you can go to Circo Voador, Democráticos, which is an iconic Brazilian music place with live shows and where everyone dances, Espaço Acústico, Teatro Rivaldo where some good gigs are taking place, Teatro Odisséia…
In Botafogo there is Casa da Matriz and Pista 3, which are from the same owners so it’s basically the same thing. When Casa da Matriz is crowded and with a huge queue you go to Pista 3.

And where are the best places to hear traditional Rio or Brazilian music?
Democráticos.

Are there any Rio ‘hero’ bands?
I’d probably say Chico Buarque is considered a hero for many Brazilians… When Brazil was under a dictatorship during the 60s/70s, artist were being censured by the military government, and the guy manage to write lyrics with double meanings, he would criticise the government without them noticing. His shows are pretty rare these days, but you can still find him walking around Leblon beach.

There’s been some sweet music out of Brazil over recent year – CSS springs to mind – any bands you can recommend checking out for those who can’t make it to Brazil?
I didn’t mention Los Hermanos in the first question because they’ve been around for over 10 years. They are considered the best indie-rock band of Brazil, and unlike CSS they sing in Portguese, which is cool. I particularly like the CD ‘Bloco do Eu Sozinho’. Definitely worth checking out.

I bet there’s so much good music that never gets heard out of South America because it’s not in English right??
Brazil in general is pretty hyped at the moment, everyone wants a piece of Brazil! With music it is no different, Bossa Nova and the Tropicalia music styles seem to be the most popular ones. When I travel overseas there is always a café or a shop playing Brazilian music. I have also seen it in lots of movies. So I think there is space for our music even though most of it is in Portuguese. Brazil is in everyone’s imagination as an exotic place, and the music seems to consolidate this fantasy.

Finally, any tips for music lovers in Rio?
Don’t be scared of trying it all, get wild, after all we are in the middle of the jungle!

By Samuel Sweetman

Photography Credits:
2, 4 & 7; Matt Avent
3; Júlia Calmon
5; Ryan Burke
6; Lelo**