No one has lived a life quite like Marcos Valle - He became an overnight international sensation, fled a military dictatorship, dodged the Vietnam war draft, had his music sung by Homer Simpson, made enemies with Marlon Brando, and became an unsuspecting fitness guru for multiple generations - But to truly understand the great Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and multi instrumentalist, one must listen to his music.Between the release of his first album in 1962 and today, Marcos Valle has released twenty-two studio albums traversing definitive bossa nova, classic samba, iconic disco pop, psychedelic rock, nineties dance and orchestral music.

He has also had his songs recorded by some of the all time greats, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Sergio Mendes, Elis Regina, and (last but not least), Emma Button of the Spice Girls. He has also had his music sampled by Jay- Z, Kanye West, Pusha T and many more.

With his twenty- third studio album Tunel Acustico , Valle set out to bring it all together.

"I believe my music is many things. It goes in different directions. I have many different ways of writing music, sometimes it's melodies and harmony, sometimes the groove is the focus. But all the music I have made over my sixty year career is unified. It is all natural and it is all sincere. And this is what I wanted to bring to my new album."

A prominent feature of Valle's career has been his dual residence between Brazil and the USA. Originally moving over in the mid-sixties on the back of bossa nova's international proliferation, Valle toured with Sergio Mendes and became hugely in demand as a composer and arranger. But the Vietnam War loomed and the threat of being drafted saw him return to Brazil. He spent the following years in Rio writing music for TV and film, as well as four cult favourite albums in collaboration with some of Brazil's most groundbreaking musicians including Milton Nascimento, Azymuth, Som Imaginario and O Terco.

By 1975, Brazil's military dictatorship was at its most oppressive, making living and working increasingly difficult. Valle moved back to the US where he would reside in LA, writing songs for, and collaborating with the likes of Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Chicago, Sarah Vaughn and Leon Ware, amongst others. Tunel Acustico features two songs originally conceived during Valle's time on the West Coast: "Feels So Good", a stirring two-step soul triumph written in 1979 with soul icon Leon Ware, and the sublime AOR disco track "Life Is What It Is", composed around the same time, with percussionist Laudir De Oliveira from the group Chicago.

Built around an unfinished demo Marcos found on a shelf in his house 44 years after it was made, the "Feels So Good" demo was restored with the help of producer Daniel Maunick, who also utilised AI stem- separation to remove the placeholder vocal ad- libs. Valle added Portuguese lyrics to sit alongside Ware's vocal hook, as well as extra keyboards and percussion. Also written in late seventies LA, "Life Is What Is It" was co-penned by Laudir De Oliveira from the band Chicago and first released on the bands' Chicago 13 album with lyrics by Robert Lamb. Another nod to his good times in LA, Valle recorded his own version for Tunel Acustico, upping the tempo and deepening the groove for a blast of irresistible summer soul.

On Tunel Acustico , Valle's core band features two members of the renowned Brazilian jazz-funk group Azymuth: Alex Malheiros on bass and Renato Massa on drums. The rhythm section is completed by percussionist Ian Moreira, with additional contributions from guitarist Paulinho Guitarra and trumpeter Jesse Sadoc.

The contemporarily composed music on Tunel Acustico features an impressive lineup of guest lyricists, including renowned Brazilian artists: Joyce Moreno (Bora Meu Vem), Ceu (Nao Sei), and Moreno Veloso (Palavras Tao Gentis) as well as Valle's brother Paulo Sergio Valle (Tem Que Ser Feliz). The album closes with "Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)", a tribute to the legendary composer who passed away in 2023.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracks:
Todo Dia Santo
Life Is What It Is
Assim Nao Da
Para De Fazer Besteira
Bora Meu Bem
Tunel Acustico
Feels So Good
Nao Sei
Palavras Tao Gentis
Tem Que Ser Feliz
Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)
Feels So Good (Instrumental)
Life Is What It Is (Instrumental)

LP Tracks:
Assim Nao Da
Feels So Good
Nao Sei
Todo Dia Santo
Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)
Life Is What It Is
Tunel Acustico
Bora Meu Bem
Palavras Tao Gentis
Tem Que Ser Feliz

Recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles (2020) the album is fundamentally the sound of a man alone with his instruments.
Utilizing a variety of guitars, including 6, 7 and 10 strings, Oktav guitar and electric baritone guitar, alongside a host of pedals and synthesizers, Fabiano tracked imagined landscapes with expressive, expansive improvisations, which tend toward the more ambient and atmospheric reaches of his recent output.

Adopting Hermeto Pascoal's concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one's musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots.

After studying classical piano as a child, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar aged 10. Studying under his late uncle, Lucio Nascimento, he eventually left Brazil for LA, where he soon became an in- demand player for his distinct and authentic sound. He has since released seven albums under his own name and collaborated with renowned Brazilian artists including Arthur Verocai and Airto Moreira, as well as experimental US saxophonist Sam Gendel.

Mundo Solo (Do Nascimento's eighth), was recorded in one take per track, with occasional overdubs and a few appearances from collaborators and friends Julien Canthelm (drums on Etude 1), Ajurina Zwarg, (percussion on CPMV) and Gabe Noel (Bass on Curumim).

Fabiano Do Nascimento's consummate mastery of his instrument has afforded him a freedom of expression few can claim. Blending the emotional with the elemental, Mundo Solo is a stunning snapshot of solitude and the beauty which can blossom within it.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Abertura
A2. Curumim 2
A3. Paperstrings
A4. Agua De Estrellas
A5. Bari
A6. Etude 1
A7. Meianoite
A8. Reflections
A9. Coisa
B1. Coisa 2
B2. CPVM
B3. Txaii
B4. Tempo
B5. De Manha
B6. Dormenor

While it was Hermeto's frst album released under his own name, he had spent the decade or so prior making a name for himself in Brazil and internationally as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist with groups including Sambrassa Trio, Quarteto Novo and Brazilian Octopus, before going on to work with (amongst countless others) Edu Lobo, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Donald Byrd, Airto Moreira and Miles Davis, who allegedly called Hermeto "one of the most important musicians on the planet".

With Hermeto's otherworldly orchestral arrangements, ghostly vocal performances from Flora Purim and Googie Coppola, and the inimitable drumming and percussion stylings of Airto Moreira, Hermeto easily rivals some of the oft- celebrated MPB albums of the early 1970s, sitting somewhere between the string-heavy magic of Arthur Verocai's 1972 debut and the unplacable early experimentalism of Pedro Santos' 1968 album Krishnanda.

With his phenomenal natural musical genius and a ceaseless sense of creative freedom, Hermeto is widely known for using unconventional objects to make music. In the album's sleeve notes, Airto highlights the track "Velório (Mourning)" explaining how Heremto filled 36 apple juice bottles with different amounts of water and tuned them to precise pitches in order to create the beguiling harmonies heard.

The reissue of Hermeto Pascoal's Hermeto, follow's Far Out's recent unveiling of a previously unheard Hermeto Pascoal live concert Planetario da Gavea from 1981, and 2017's release of Hermeto Pascoal's lost 1976 studio album: Viajando Com O Som.

TRACK LISTING

1. Coalhada (Yogurt)
2. Hermeto
3. Guizos (Bells)
4. Flor Do Amor
5. Alicate (Pliers)
6. Velório (Mourning)
7. As Marianas (The Marianas)
8. Fabiola

Continuing to shine a light on John Rocca & co's pioneering early 80s music, Far Out proudly presents the first ever 12" release of Freeez's monster brit-funk classic "Mariposa", along with the equally heavy and hard to find 12" mix of "Alone"

The limited Mariposa/Alone 12" release follows Far Out's reissues of Freeez's first two 12" single releases "Keep In Touch" and "Stay/ Hot Footing it", which saw support from Kenny Dope, Greg Wilson, Gilles Peterson, Shuya Okino and Harvey Sutherland. Slightly more refined, but no less groovy and mysterious, "Mariposa" and "Alone" are the pinnacle of the sound Rocca and Peter Maas began developing in an East London basement in the early 80s.

Released on Freeez's debut album Southern Freeez in 1980, "Mariposa '' is fearsomely funky, high-tempo, melodic jazz-funk featuring Paul Morgan's lighting drum fills, Peter Maas's slapping and popping, Andy Stennett's top- drawer keys and John Rocca's percussion and otherworldly Spanish vocals. Pure dance-floor body music, "Mariposa" typified the group's feel-good sound and has torn up club floors throughout the 80s and beyond.

With the same core line- up, with the exception of new drummer; Light Of The World's Everton McCalla, "Alone", originally released as the B-side to Freeez's "One to One" single in 1982, is a cool, heady boogie stepper, and this elusive extended 12" mix is a no brainer for any discerning jazz/funk boogie jock.

In the mid-80s Rocca would go onto craft underground cult classics like 'Melodies of Love' and 'India' as Pink Rhythm, before foraying into the world of electro, collaborating with legendary US producer Arthur Baker.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Galvanized slap bass, dazzling keys, frenetic drums, soulful vox - Freeez got it all man! Feverishly collected by Brit funk devotees and boogie aficionados across the globe, these two cuts have been painfully hard to get on 12" for some time. Don't sleep!

TRACK LISTING

Mariposa
Alone (12" Version)

As one third of legendary trio Azymuth, Alex Malheiros has pioneered a
unique fusion of space-funk, samba and jazz since the early seventies. His
playing can be heard on the records of Jorge Ben, Milton Nascimento,
Roberto Carlos, Marcos Valle, and Mark Murphy (to name a few), and he's
performed and toured with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Chick Corea.

Written and recorded in Niterói, Brazil, overlooking Guanabara and the beaches, mountains and forests of Rio de Janeiro, Tempos Futuros has deep roots in Brazilian soil. The rhythms of Malheiros' homeland have always permeated his music. But just like the Oscar Niemeyer designed Niterói Contemporary Art Museum which stands spaceship-like over the water, Tempos Futuros – while inspired by terrestrial forms, reaches out, deep into the great unknown.

Produced by acclaimed London-based producer Daniel Maunick, who has
worked with Marcos Valle, Azymuth, Terry Callier, and Ivan Conti, the funk
comes full circle. Daniel's father Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick and Alex Malheiros shared a reciprocal stream of influence throughout the 80s, between London and Rio; Azymuth and Incognito; brit-funk and samba-funk. But just as with Azymuth's music, you can also hear the influence of stateside jazz-funk masters like Roy Ayers, Weather Report, Lonnie Liston Smith, Mtume and Pleasure.

Tempos Futuros features Alex's daughter, a Brazilian star in her own right,
vocalist Sabrina Malheiros, Brazilian percussion master Sidinho Moreira,
London based saxophonist Sean Khan, Marcos Valle's go-to drummer Massa,
and Brazilian keyboard player Dudu Viana. Featuring the late Azymuth
keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertami on Fender Rhodes, the title track "Tempos Futuros" was originally recorded as a demo in 1995. On this finished version, Alex Malheiros used Bertami's original keyboard take, explaining the
posthumous release.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Razor's Edge
2. Prece (feat. Sabrina Malheiros)
3. Telegramas Para Arp
4. Retrato (feat. Sean Khan)
5. Requiem For A Storm
6. Alto Verão (feat. Sabrina Malheiros)
7. O Temporal
8. Marcinha
9. Kuarup

Written and recorded in 1978 by pianist, composer, sound engineer, studio owner and former amateur skateboarding champion Ricardo Bomba, ‘Eu Sei’ and ‘Flutuando’ were almost doomed to total obscurity when the master tapes were binned following a ruthless studio clear out. Luckily Bomba kept a cassette tape copy from which Far Out has remastered the release for 7” vinyl/ digital.

Throughout a varied career, which included a four year stint as bandleader of Jorge Ben’s live show (78-82), Ricardo Bomba had a string of idiosyncratic, underground pop hits throughout the 80s, including ‘Voc Vai Se Lembrar’ which recently featured on Soundway’s Onda De Amor (Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were 1984-94) compilation, as well as his then award-winning, now obscure solo album Ultralight (1988).

With the stunning vocals of Mariana Couto (the first wife of Chicago percussionist Laudir de Oliveira), legendary drummer Peninha who has recorded with the likes of Jorge Ben, Quarteto Em Cy, Lincoln Olivetti, Tony Bizarro and Gal Costa, and Brazilian guitarist Blimba Buarque, “Eu Sei” and “Flutuando” truly are lost gems of the late ‘70s Rio de Janeiro MPB scene.

*Disclaimer! This release was mastered from cassette tape, so the sound quality may differ from other releases on Far Out Recordings. We advise listening to sound clips before buying where possible... The music was simply too good to not release!

Credits: Ricardo Bomba - Piano, Soprano saxophone, Vocals Roberto Lee - Bass, Vocals Peninha - Drums Mariana Couto - Vocals on “Eu Sei” Blimba - Guitar Compositions by Ricardo Bomba Produced by Ricardo Bomba

Recorded at Transam rica Studios in 1978 Engineered by Vanderlei Loureiro and Toninho Barbosa

TRACK LISTING

Eu Sei
Flutuando

After years of trying to track him down (with many twists and turns along the way), Far Out Recordings finally brings us, with the blessing of the man himself, the long-awaited release of José Mauro’s forgotten masterpiece "A Viagem Das Horas", featuring three previously unreleased and unheard tracks from the original studio sessions. Recorded in 1970 at Odeon studios in Rio de Janeiro: the same time and place as all the music he ever recorded, José Mauro’s A Viagem Das Horas wasn’t released until six years later, when label owner and producer Roberto Quartin licensed the tracks to fellow Brazilian label Tapecar, who curiously released the album with several tracks already released on Obnoxius. Finally, over half a century on, A Viagem Das Horas will be released with three never before heard tracks, “Rua Dois”, “Moenda’’ and “Variação Sobre Um Antigo Tema”, as Mauro and Quartin had originally intended.

TRACK LISTING

A Viagem Das Horas
Escada De Ferro
A Oitava Morada
Varia O Sobre Um Antigo Tema
Morango Encantado
Luz Lil S
Rua Dois
Moenda
O Cavaleiro De Antonina
Romanza
O Ninho

Part two of this incredible Francisco Mora Catlett piece sees wife Teresa Mora on vocals and trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave. “Mora I & II” are holy grails of Latin jazz, masterminded by an unsung hero of the genre. Born in Washington DC, 1947, Francisco Mora Jr is the eldest child of two highly prominent Mexican artists, Francisco Mora Sr and Elizabeth Catlett, to whom this project was dedicated. Being born into a mixed heritage bohemian family provided Mora Jr with what he called a ‘creative, progressive, and healthy arts environment’, building the foundations for a fascinating career journey ahead.

Mora grew up in Mexico City where he began working as a session musician for Capitol Records in 1968, before moving to study at Berklee Music College in Boston, MA in 1970. Once he’d completed his studies in 1973, he very briefly returned to Mexico City with the best intentions of cultivating an avant-garde movement in the city, but when the Sun Ra Arkestra came to perform, Mora ended up leaving with the band to tour the world for the next seven years, a decent innings within a group famous for its constantly evolving line up.

Settling in Detroit after his years with the Arkestra, Francisco set to work on his selftitled debut, gathering an ensemble of musicians that included keyboardist Kenny Cox, founder of the legendary Strata Records, esteemed bassist Rodney Whitaker of the Roy Hargrove Quintet and percussionists Jerome Le Duff, Alberto Nacif, and Emile Borde. The album openly embraces and unites the broad spectrum of improvisation, rhythm, and jazz that has thrived throughout the American continents for centuries. In Mora’s own words the album intended to ‘manifest the African heritage presence in the American continent.’

TRACK LISTING

Afra Jum
Amazona
Amazona Prelude
Dawn
Samba Conga Do Amor
Por Que Paro 
Afra Jum 
Old Man Joe 
El Morro

On his debut album Travesseiro Feliz (Happy Pillow) Rio de Janeiro based dreamer and new Far Out Recordings signing Ricardo Richaid melds his tropical heritage with his love for psychedelic music, jazz and rock.

He also takes inspiration from the many Brazilian greats - Caetano Veloso, Arthur Verocai, Ivan Lins, Joyce, Hermeto Pascoal, Marcos Valle and Azymuth (to name a few) - who he has worked with as an engineer, assistant and producer, in Rio’s former RCA studio, Cia dos Tecnicos. As well as being heavily influenced by Brazil’s fabled Tropicalia movement, Richaid is the grandson of Brazilian actor, singer and Disney star Aurora Miranda (Carmen Miranda’s younger sister), so tropicalism is in his blood. Describing his sound as ‘Industrial Tropicalism’, Richaid’s music is undoubtedly a product of his environment. Just like Rio, it’s warm, hazy and beautiful. But reflecting the current mood of his homeland, there’s an ominous smog looming amongst its charm. Lamenting the political, economic and ecological crisis he sees engulfing Brazil, Richaid’s obscure, poetic lyrics touch on drugs, drones and darkness, emphasizing the importance of art to bring light in troubled times.

Singlehandedly composing, producing and mixing everything himself, Richaid recalls the endless nights he spent working on the album, often sleeping on the studio floor. Travisseiro Feliz features a host of notable names from across Rio’s music spectrum, including percussion sensation Marcos Suzano (Gilberto Gil), experimental pop artist Ana Frango Eletrico, and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jose Ibarra, who has been lauded for his recent performances as part of Milton Nascimento’s touring group. On interlude track ‘Formigas’ we also hear a few verses of Ricardo singing together with his 7-year-old daughter, Nina Richaid. Carrying forward the Tropic lia torch, the album’s cinematic opener “Maracas Enterprise/ Frio Da Manh “ is a two-part journey through Richaid’s sonic approach, weaving together interlocking horns, chorus drenched guitar, and fuzzed up synth stabs. A perfect example of Richaid’s industrial tropicalism, “Largado Nu” mixes soft, acoustic guitar and flutes with harder-edged synths and electric guitars, while ‘O Velho Cai’ is beautiful jazz-infused folk, with fretless bass and saxophone singing around the vocal harmonies of Richaid and Liza Machado.

Alongside engineering some of his musical heroes in Brazil, Richaid has played in bands like Mara R bia and nit , from Rio’s underground experimental psych and jazz scenes.

TRACK LISTING

Maracas Enterprise
Frio Da Manh
S Na Darkzera
VIP Xuxa 
Largado Nu
Outra
Ave Apoena
O Velho Cai
Drone / Formigas

Milton Nascimento’s "Maria Maria" was recorded in 1974 and was unreleased until almost thirty years later. The album was written as the soundtrack to a ballet which dealt with the legacy of slavery in Brazil. Raw, atmospheric and emotionally charged, "Maria Maria" reveals one of Brazil’s greatest ever songwriters at his creative peak. Featuring an all-star cast of fellow Brazilian legends including Nana Vasconcelos, Joao Donato, Paulinho Jobim, and members of Som Imaginario, Maria Maria holds what Milton considers to be the definitive versions of some of his classic songs, including "Os Escravos De Jó" and "Maria Maria".

Milton Nascimento possesses one of the most immediately recognizable voices in Brazilian music: high and sweet and as breathtakingly sublime as that of any soul singer. It was this voice that the legendary Brazilian singer Elis Regina fell in love with back in 1964, having heard Milton perform his song "Can o do Sal (Sultry Song)" at a private party in Sao Paulo. Ellis went on to record the song in 1967 -giving Milton his first hit in Brazil and beginning a career that has spanned over 50 years.

Born in Rio on the 26th October 1942, Milton moved with his adoptive parents at the age of 18 months to Tres Pontas, a rural town in the state of Minas Gerais, 500 miles north of Rio. Milton became part of a local network of musicians, film makers, dancers, theatre directors and writers that included the journalist and song writer Fernando Brant as well as lyricist Marcio Borges and his younger brother Lo Borges. Milton’s religious upbringing as an Afro-Brazilian Catholic saw him exposed to church choral music from an early age. His love of this genre of music is apparent in both his celestial falsetto and vocal choral arrangements. This collection also displays his early fascination with evocative, non-verbal, scat-style singing, spare, harmonic guitar work and local folk music, jazz and rock.

TRACK LISTING

LP 1:
Maria Maria
Cozinha
Pilar (Do Pila)
Trabalhos (Essa Voz)
Lilia
A Chamada
Era Rei E Sou Escravo
Os Escravos De Jo
Tema Dos Deuses

LP 2:
Santos Catholicos X Candomble
Pai Grande
Sedu O
Francisco
Maria Solid Ria
De Repente Maria Sumiu
Eu Sou Uma Preta Velha Aqui Sentada No Sol
Boca A Boca
Maria Maria

Itibere Zwarg is an award-winning Brazilian bassist and the longest-serving member of Hermeto Pascoal’s ground-breaking ensemble ‘O Grupo’. Since their first meeting in 1977, the two have been closely collaborating to create a unique musical language: a genre-defying polyharmonic, polyrhythmic music, now widely studied by musicians and musicologists alike, known as ‘Universal Music’.

Back in 2001, Itibere led a workshop at Villa Lobos School of Music, with twenty-nine of Rio de Janeiro’s most exceptionally talented young musicians. The result was Pedra do Espia, an Amazonian orchestral masterpiece which is as difficult to categorise as it is fun to listen to. The record harnesses the pure creativity of youth and nature, creating a magical sense of innocence amongst the striking compositions and astonishing musicianship. Bringing the album to vinyl for the first time, alongside a full 16 track CD and digital release, Far Out Recordings are honoured to present this overlooked masterpiece from one of the greatest minds in Brazilian instrumental music. 

TRACK LISTING

CD

Disc 1:
Na Carioca
Bota Para Quebrar
De Cora O Aberto
Forr NoEncontro Dos Rios
Curupira
Arco-iris De Som
No Varal
Toada Cigana

Disc 2:
Doce
Vale De Luz
De Repente
Muito Natural
Ao P Da Lareira
Hora Da Prece
17 De Janeiro
Pedra Do Espia

LP

Na Carioca
17 De Janeiro
Forro No Encontro Dos Rios
No Var L
Vale De Luz
Bota Para Quebrar
Doce
Muito Natural
Ao P Da Lareira

After moving from Rio de Janeiro to New York in the late 60’s, Deodato would work as a composer, arranger, producer and keyboardist on nearing 500 records, under his own name and with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Earth Wind & Fire, Frank Sinatra, Kool & The Gang, George Benson, Tom Jobim and Bjork, to name a just a few.

But before that, a young Deodato had already cemented his status in Brazil as one of the country’s top musical minds. In the mid-sixties, when he wasn’t working with the likes of Roberto Menescal, Joao Donato, and Marcos Valle, Deodato recorded a string of albums with his lesser known instrumental samba jazz and bossa nova ensemble Os Catedraticos.

A masterpiece of hip Brazilian swing, Ataque reflects the deeper, groovier side of that magical, hazy sound of sixties Rio, with monster samba grooves backing big brass arrangements and scorching organ solos. Amongst Deodato’s own tracks, there are compositions by Marcos & Paulo Sergio Valle, Baden Powell and Luiz Bonfa, arranged for a big horn section, which includes trombone player Edson Maciel, and given an extra dose of cool from the inimitable drums of Wilson Das Neves and Ruebens Bassini on percussion.

One of Brazil’s most prolific artists, Eumir Deodato has racked up 16 platinum albums, won a Grammy (and been nominated for two more), and sold over 250 million records in the USA alone.

TRACK LISTING

Ataque
Os Grilos
Bom Parar...
Feitinha P’ro Poeta
Terra De Ningu M
Raz O De Viver
Tristeza
Samba Do Dom Natural
O Sol Nascera (A Sorrir)
Samba De Rei
At De Cavaquinho
Porque Somos Iguais

Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra returns with "Black Sun", its second full-length album of 100% original, unadulterated disco sophistication, featuring all three original members of pioneering Brazilian jazz-funk trio Azymuth, a full orchestra with arrangements split between Arthur Verocai and Azymuth’s late maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami; plus members of the legendary Rio funk group Banda Black Rio.

Since its critically acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2014, the FOMDO imprint has released a string of remixes by some all-time greats of dance music, including John Morales, Theo Parrish, Mark Pritchard, Marcellus Pittman, Andres, Dego, Volcov, Kirk Degiorgio and Al Kent. To huge effect in clubs and festivals around the globe, some of the more recent remixes teased the new album material, which for the first time, is presented in its original, soul-heavy incarnation, alongside instrumental versions highlighting the album’s stunning arrangements and compositional brilliance.

Far from a throw-back - with disco music firmly entrenched in the modern club vernacular - Black Sun is ecstatic dance music at its finest.

TRACK LISTING

Step Into My Life
Black Sun
Flying High
Give It To Me
The Two Of Us
Walking Bass (In The Street)
Where Do We Go From Here
Step Into My Life (Instrumental)
Black Sun (Instrumental) 
Flying High (Instrumental)
Give It To Me (Instrumental)
Where Do We Go From Here (Instrumental)

Nomade Orquestra return from the stratosphere via Brazil with their second offering: "Entremundos (Between Worlds)". Gazing outward through a kaleidoscope from the heart of Sao Paulo’s jazz scene, the collective consciousness of the ten-man orquestra has dreamt up an adventurous amalgam of earth’s most far reaching musical cultures. Recorded at Red Bull Studios, Sao Paulo, Entremundos is like a cosmic musical playground where Ethio-jazz, Indian classical and Oriental sounds dance around Afro-Brazilian roots rhythms and Northern hemisphere jazz, funk, soul, library music and hip-hop influences. The sheer vastness of the album is astounding, Nomade Orquestra have quite literally conquered the world in sound. Nomade Orquestra are some the most accomplished musicians in their city. They’re also avid record collectors, citing the coming-together of their expansive musical knowledges as key to their unique sound. Album opener ‘Jardim de Zaira’ - a tribute to the neighbourhood on the outskirts of the famous ABC region, where the band meet and rehearse - hosts a playful unison of vibraphone, guitar, horns and keyboards reminiscent of Stereolab’s funkiest late ‘90s output. ‘Felag Mengu’ lies somewhere between the groovy, brooding ethio-jazz of Mulatu Astatke and Tinariwen’s hazy desert Rock, and ‘Olho do Tempo’ is another enchanting incarnation of the band’s impossible to define brand of global roots music. The album’s wildest moment comes from the roaring off-road, big-band joy-ride ‘Rinoceronte Blues’ with hill-billy harmonica, soulful organ stabs and soaring horn arrangements further highlighting the depths of Nomade Orquestra’s endless span of influences.

TRACK LISTING

Jardins De Zaira
Estrada Para Camomila
Felag Mengu
Olho Do Tempo
Terra Fértil
Rinoceronte Blues
Vale De Boca Seca
Madame Butterfly
Deliriuns

A true studio visionary and son of Incognito's Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick, Daniel Maunick virtually grew up behind the mixing desk and worked his way through the scenes of drum n' bass, acid-jazz, disco, samba, deep house and beyond. As Far Out's in-house producer his work is a key component in the consistency and transience of the label's sound, with key albums include Azymuth's Fênix, Marcos Valle's Estatica, Sabrina Malheiros' Dreaming and Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra. His latest credit on the catalogue is the next chapter of his Dokta Venom alias, " "Mood Swings". Each track brings you a visceral dancefloor experience both sonically and structurally. Opener "See The Sun" recalls an elevated, cloudy ether, with each kick drum another step up to the sky. Title track "Mood Swings" deploys components of broken beat, garage, house, IDM and boogie, but shrouds them into a hazy cloak more akin to the futuristic skeches of Joy O & Boddika or Pariah. Whilst keeping the same intensity, "I Owe U Something" ups the tempo and swings the mood. Propulsive percussion blurs the acoustic with the electric, glowing synths and anguished vocals formulate this eruptive full-floor belter that lodges somewhere in between early Pepe Bradock and Azymuth. Finally "Soul Krush" rolls out some 100% authentic deep house tackle for the heads and dancers alike, grooving along with delicate keys, infectious drums and heavy bass. Ace stuff indeed. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Evocative collection of tracks that fall somewhere between 1080p, Mood Hut, 100% Silk and Proibito. Both dreaming and dancing catered for in equal measure.

TRACK LISTING

See The Sun
Mood Swings
I Owe U Something
Soul Krush

The debut album from one of Brazil's most exciting young solo artists. A beautiful bossa inflected record that showcases Vilar's classic songwriting flourish and modern spark. A special talent. The latest addition to Far Out’s growing stable of new Brazilian talents Rafael Vilar fits in perfectly with bossa-influenced close friends Sabrina Malheiros and Clara Moreno. On "Studies In Bossa" Vilar moves between Portuguese and English vocals through tracks that evoke the great bossa nova, folk and samba of 60s and 70s Brazil whilst incorporating global jazz and electronica.

Recorded with musician friends in London the relaxed atmosphere allowed Vilar’s beautifully unhurried songs to flourish. Producer and bossa nova enthusiast August Jacobsen, best known as Hunsley & Guz and resident DJ at some of London’s biggest clubs such as Fabric and The Egg, provided the electronic elements especially present in "Solidao", which mixes synthesizers with the accordion. That zestful quirky edge comes out through the album with the sounds of toys, books, keys and coins in the pocket blending perfectly with more traditional instrumentation. "Studies in Bossa" draws on many of the singer-songwriter’s influences; as diverse as Jewel and Tom Waits’ folk; samba from Noel Rosa; and original bossa nova from João Gilberto and Chico Buarque. Raf’s love of jazz came from his uncle Ivan Conti who is the drummer for Far Out legends’ Azymuth, hence his eventual link to the label.

With this recording Vilar is unveiled to an international audience. Until now undiscovered, the quality and beauty of these recordings is undoubted: a rare nu-bossa star has arrived.

Following on from previous "Brazilka" selectors by dance music pioneers Kenny Dope and 4hero, Far Out Recordings decided to peer further down the periscope and brought in Manchester based producer and psychedelic rock librarian Andy Votel for a high octane and nonstop Brazilian block party mix. Votel's twisted tale unearths a vast array of weird and wonderful musical stories. Expertly squeezed, segued and sequenced together, Votel's rapid fire journey ventures into both the fondly remembered Tropicalia period and a period less well known, characterised by obscure acid rock, freak folk and other mutations of Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB).