DA CRUZ - BIO (short)
„Sistema Subversiva“
Whether you call it Tropical New Wave or Sub-Urban Brazilian Music – it's definitely some brand new rhythm Da Cruz from Bern, Switzerland, are coming up with on their third release „Sistema Subversiva“.
The Group surrounding brazilian Singer Mariana Da Cruz just signed a record deal with San Francisco-based Label Six Degrees Records, renowned not only for introducing the likes of Bebel Gilberto and CéU to the US-Audience, but also for being homebase to The Dø, Michael Franti and The Orb.
Considering their confidence in pushing musical boundaries forward you'd probably locate Da Cruz anywhere close to M.I.A. and Ebony Bones. On „Sistema Subversiva“ this four-piece band miraculously succeeds in creating some higly contemporary yet firmly classical, deeply urban but still open-minded fusion of styles. Never pretentious but always challenging to your everyday routine of listening habits, „Sistema Subversiva“ somehow manages to touch your heart and move your hips at the same time.
No surprise therefore to hear that Da Cruz have recently played the greatest venues between London and Sao Paulo, Paris and Berlin.
So for everyone already familiar with Da Cruz: listen up! „Sistema Subversiva“ is both the most rugged and the most energetic record to be released by this group. More consistently than ever Da Cruz are blending Elements of Afrobeat, Dancehall, Kuduro, Jazz, New Wave, Breakbeat, Samba and Indie-Rock with state of the art electronic music. „Comfy Bossa-Nova must wait“, Mariana Da Cruz says.
In „Tudo Bem Aqui“ mellow horns meet heavy Dancehall-Beats and crunchy guitars. „Curumin“ appears as afro-brazilian funk-explosion, backed by massive electronic sub-basses. „Papo De“ is that much a charming piece of electro-reggae it really seems likely to become Da Cruz first smash hit. Last but not least „Warm Leatherette“, this 1978 hit by Daniel Miller (Mute Records) and his band Normal, is transformed into a thrilling fusion of Hi-Tech-Punk-Samba.
Most songs revolve around Brazil, a country constantly stuck between energy and lethargy, as Mariana Da Cruz says. „As long as I can remember big promises have been made about brazils rise to economical stability and power. But nothing ever happened.“ Mariana Da Cruz who moved to Switzerland seven years ago, still cares a lot about her people. „I belong to a disenchanted generation. We're fed up with promises. I want to wake people up from their apathy. However, if it weren't for corruption and nepotism, I would be delighted by a country refusing to adapt to the world economic masterplan and just goes out and has a ball.“
Da Cruz's story is one of two musicians with highly different tempers. Working in Brazil and Portugal in 2005 as a Bossa-Nova-Singer Mariana Da Cruz accidentally ran into Ane H., former singer and musical mastermind of swiss Industrial-Electro-Pioneers „Swamp Terrorists“. After moving to Switzerland Oliver Husmann, a renowned Guitarist and Swamp-Terrorists-Drummer Pit Lee joined the band. So far Da Cruz has released two records gaining wide attention not only in Europe: In 2007 their debut „Nova Estaçâo“ hit the CMJ-Charts in the US, „Corpo Elétrico“ (2008) was recorded in Bern and São Paulo and licensed to 33 countries.
„Sistema Subversiva“ is an exciting piece of music, not only considering the quality but also the quantity: Da Cruz' songs sum up to 70 minutes, including a remix by their Bernese Buddies and Electro-Freewheelers „Filewile“. „Anybody who goes out and spends money for music nowadays should definitely expect something big in return“, Mariana Da Cruz says.
DA CRUZ - BIO (by the American journalist Derek Beres)
„Sistema Subversiva“ (Release: June 2011, Six Degrees Records / Switzerland: 13. May 2011)
One can distill Switzerland-based producer and bassist Ane H.’s musical convictions in a single quote that he offers regarding Da Cruz’s third record: “We wanted to make an irrational album.” Upon listening to the revved-up Brazilian electronica that dominates Sistema Subversiva (Six Degrees Records), there is little argument that he is fully living his philosophy. Pairing with vocalist Marina Da Cruz, the band is redefining the possibilities of Amazonian beat making like no other.
“I met Mariana while in Lisbon,” says the beat maker. Touring Portugal after time well spent with his previous band, Swamp Terrorists, a random meeting with the singer eventually caused him to recalibrate his musical trajectory. “She was singing Bossa Nova in an Irish pub. That was pretty weird.”
While perhaps not love at first sight, there was a heavy does of mutual sonic appreciation. Flirting came in the form of traded songs—Ane H. was introduced to the sound of the legendary Jorge Ben Jor early in life, though he was more influenced by industrial, electronica and jazz, banging his head to Suicide and getting his groove on to Fela Kuti. The producer recorded Mariana in his mobile studio; she layered his tough beats with sensual but sharp vocals, more Zuco 103 than Bebel Gilberto. Mariana is better described as frenetic than relaxed; as she says of the subdued sounds of Bossa Nova, “Come on! We can save that for old age.” Such a sentiment proved to be the dagger in his heart.
Sistema Subversivafollows the equally illogical Nova Estação and Corpo Elétrico. Yet Subversiva pushes those boundaries of reason and normality harder, with throbbing bass tones and punchy kick drums underlying Mariana’s dynamic lyrics, one moment soft and dripping, another punctuated and demanding. While Elis Regina and Ed Motta were common names in the singer’s past, she says, “We both wanted to create something new without giving up all our past. Da Cruz is the result of this trying.”
Once the musical marriage of Ane H. and Mariana Da Cruz was consummated, the beat maker invited Swamp Terrorists drummer Pit Lee into the fold. “I like his openness,” Ane says, “He also plays in Reverend Beat Man, an absolutely crazy and fantastic garage rock’n‘roll hero from Berne.” Guitarist Oliver Husmann completed the quartet. After Hebeisen saw him playing at a party, he says, “We immediately knew that we wanted him in our band. He is a kind of hippie who lived in Brazil for long time. If we need inspiration for a new song, we hang a guitar around his neck and let him play. There is always something good coming out of it.”
While Ane H. claims there is nothing overtly political about Sistema Suversiva, he does feel that the politics of music are directly addressed. “There is currently an almost pushy development in Europe towards acoustic music with a wood guitar. Everything sounds so adult and reasonable.” He wanted to shake up the pretensions of a café culture that assimilates Brazilian music and “abused it for the sound of elevators and lounges.” Da Cruz is the shaky dose of caffeine that’s been missing in such polite conversations conducted in candle-lit restaurants.
“We wanted to make a danceable album,” he continues, “an album that is both funky and electronic. The music of Da Cruz is not sunny and nice and undisturbing. The African side is also accentuated, much harsher than what we have done before. We wanted to show that there is a Brazil far from the postcard idyll, far from feather boas and Carnaval—a modern, rebellious, open and urban Brazil. The album has many, many facets.”
Perhaps the greatest example of this rebellion is “Papo De,” a song that briefly opens with an acoustic guitar before a pounding kick drum introduces a tasteful rhythm worthy of the darker edges of Boozoo Bajou and Thievery Corporation. Mariana’s voice is at it’s best on this catchy, nearly pop song with serious bass swing. While one would imagine that the Portuguese paints a sunny photograph, the song’s title translates as, according to Hebeisen, “Bla Bla Bla.” The song is about false promises with little progress. Originally constructed acoustically, he thought it “too boring,” and so the deep rhythm raised the vibration.
“Papo De” is a perfect Brazilian blues: melancholy disguised as hope in one damn catchy tune. The band liked it so much, they asked their producer friends, Filewile, to remix it, using that version to close out this 16-track album. Turning something into its opposite is an oft-attempted and rarely successful task, though Da Cruz makes it seem easy. The downtempo “Balada” features Mariana’s most gentle and generous vocals, albeit tempered by a strong kick drum and synthesized bass. It is a song about free will, she says, adding that free will is “unfortunately just failing in love.” More dark clouds pretending to be sunny pastures.
The opening “Boom Boom Boom” is club-ready, with its steady four-on-the-floor beat, is the band’s attempt at Kuduro, a “harsh, electronic variation of Angolan music.” Their guitar-driven sound is at its best on the tough beats of “Jangada” and “Zero A Zero,” the latter beautifully tempered by congas and saxophones. Yet it is “Warm Leatherette” that holds a special place in Ane H. As he says, “It is one of my all-time favorites. It was one of the first electro-punk tracks, and the first record released on Mute Records. I still have the original vinyl. We transformed it with a Samba beat recorded in São Paulo.”
While a huge audience for Brazilian music exists in odd places like Japan, the mountains of Switzerland appear a stranger destination. This is fine with Ane H., who waxes philosophical in his concluding thoughts about Da Cruz’s evolutionary offerings. “There are big Brazilian communities in Zurich and the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Most of these people consume Brazilian music as a souvenir of their homeland. They want to hear Samba, Bossa Nova or Axe. We don’t offer this. Our audience is made up of people who are curious about new music, not old stereotypes.”
