As discussed in my previous post about the Tropicalia movement, the Tropicalistas decided to present their manifesto in the form of an album. On the album, Tropicália ou Panis et Circensis (Tropicália or Bread and Diversion), a diverse array of musicians were able to play with the sounds of psychedelic guitars, vocal manipulation, and digital delay. They incorporated these manipulation techniques to present the distorted view of the utopic lifestyle of the Brasilian elite. The Tropicalistas included members of Os Mutantes (including Rita Lee...one of my faves!), Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, and Gal Costa. By uniquely playing with their lyrical content they were able to speak directly to the bourgeoisie. Bruce Gilman mentions in his article "Times of Gall", “Metaphors of cannibalism were employed to encourage the creative adaptation and integration of European aesthetic ideas” (pg.4 Gilman) as they were constantly playing within the space between Brasilian intellectualism and Brasilian popular music in order to activate the discourse on social justice. Tropicalistas engaged their audiences by juxtaposing modern imagery and folkloric/archaic perceptions of the world. They were also able to do this musically by incorporating traditional Brasilian music with their illustrative lyrics. “The traditional folkloric dance bumba-meu-boi (buck-my-bull) and Brazilian rock, iê-iê-iê, become the “same dance,” optimistically pointing toward possibilities for new styles based on traditional music and imported pop.” (p. 8, Dunn) It was this incorporation of different traditional elements that made it interesting when Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso began to incorporate Axe rhythms into their music as well as Candomble imagery and text. The Bahian influence seamlessly blended itself into their rhetoric on the Tropicalia movement. They were able to bring the local culture of Bahia with its African based rhythms to the forefront of popular music. In the end, the Tropicalia movement was disbanded due to the military coup weakening its strength by imprisoning its members and forcing them into exile (the movement lasted for about 2 years in the late '60's). However, it has had a lasting effect on Brasilian popular music, as many of the musicians are still very popular and working in the industry today. It was an important movement in redefining the musical culture and its power within Brasilian society. The basic tenets of the movement, and its manifesto are what inspired me during my travels and are guiding me creatively. I continuously listen to Tropicalia music, as it’s the type of creative energy and philosophical ideas that are pushing me to create the kind of art that activates and engages the audience during and after the performance. It’s a lofty aspiration, to be sure, but I’m really excited about the opportunity to be able to include these new ideas into my work. The Tropicalia movement is the musical movement that caused me to creatively awaken and seek out the new and interesting within my art, my spirituality, and myself.
This post is an intro into the album that started it all. There will be more posts about specific elements of the music soon!
Here's a vid of the title track from the album:
Dig the facial expression of the audience!
This song is on the album and is recorded as a duet with Caetano Veloso & Gal Costa. I found this vid & love her outfit and it's 70's vibe. This is a great example of the Bossa Nova influence in the Tropicalia movement.
More Audio from the album!
This Sunday at Prospect Pond in Brooklyn, July 18th from 10pm-2am, I'll be playing trax from the Tropicalia movement along with Funk, Soul, and Psych Rock from around the world. Check it out & stay tuned for more posts about international psychedelic rock and funk.
