I am the one who usually discovers an album through friends’ suggestions or radios, but it is the first time an album, a music group I should say, has found me! :) Whether it’s my nickname waxpoeticg or it’s Alexandre Dengue who is our common friend, a new or a recently-discovered album is always a pleasure to listen. After playing it on my iPod so many times (I didn’t count!), I liked it and did my research about the group.
Here is Burro Morto…The name “Burro Morto” means “Dead Donkey” which also reflects the unexpected sound of this Brazilian group.They consist of five musicians: Haley (keyboards, melodica), Daniel Ennes Jesi (bass), Nacho Gonçalves (percussion), Ruy José (drums) and Leo Marinho (electric guitar). (I hope I got the members right!)
It is hard to understand where Burro Morto is from as the music they make does not seem to belong to anywhere at all. They blend afrobeat, funk, jazz-rock, psychedelic and even dub in such a way that it leads to a new sound which is energetic and surprising. The music has the potential to lead you to the dance floor and never let you stand still. The use of electric instruments does not create a “modern” sound, on the contrary it adds to the soul of the music which doesn’t seem to belong to a certain time. Burro Morto started their journey with an EP called “Pousada bar, tv & video” that gave the first signals of their sound. Then came the “Varadouro”, the first album keeping the experimental mood and the diverse confusion of heavy drums and keyboards.
The album that made our paths crossed was “Baptista Virou Màquina” released in January this year. It reminds me of the
70s detective series music with those keyboards and repeating guitar riffs. The opening song of the album, “O cèu acima di porto” starts with this mood. “Transistor Riddim” is closer to electronic music with faster rhythms and delay effects on the guitar. “Tocandira” concentrates on heavy afro beats. “Volks Velho” gives out a heavy and dark feeling. “Cataclisma” sounds so funk and happy with its smooth transitions and nice melodies and is one of my favourites in the album.
Burro Morto is like a chèf who likes fusion kitchen. They love creating (a new sound), blending (various types), surprising (details, elements), talking (with other music styles as if they are all living in the same neighbourhood), adding effects (such as delays, distortions, sounds by keyboard), jumping (from one style to another energetically) and walking (their heads high as they know they are on the right track). They are instrumentally rich, exciting and lively with diverse rhythms, progressive rock elements, jazz and dub features, which make them a unique group.
Note to Burro Morto: Thanks for finding me…Hope to see you in a concert in Istanbul one day! :)
Listen… http://www.myspace.com/burromorto
Watch…Colomentality… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj4m3S1OyRY
