Onda De Amor: Synthesised Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94)

Some crate-digging compilations are often the result of someone hand-picking their choice favourites from another country’s musical history, perhaps unaware or uninvolved with its cultural lineage in the process. On Soundway’s latest release - a treasure trove of synth jams, pop, samba boogie, balearic and electro from 1980 & ‘90s Brazil - the tracks are picked by Millos Kaiser, one half of the Brazilian duo Selvagem, who are at the helm of throwing some of the country's best dance parties. It’s a rare compilation that offers Brazilian music actually picked by a Brazilian.

This collection of sixteen tracks doesn’t comprise tracks scoured from deeply in-demand records, the rare sort that sell for eye-watering sums and that collectors spend years tracking down. They are the sort you’d find for a few quid should you come across but, as Kaiser says, “the problem is finding them. They aren’t rare because everyone wants a copy but because no one wants them, not even the dealers.”

So, whilst names such as Ricardo Bomba, Villa Box, Fogo Baiano, Electric Boogies and Batista Junior may not be household names, they tell an untold, yet rich and important part of musical history in Brazil. The release also covers a decade that has been intentionally forgotten and brushed aside by many in the country. “Use of synthesizers and electronic drums in polished and groovy productions was seen as a way to standardize and Americanize Brazilian music,” Kaiser says. “This is a thought that seems to still hang in the air. Many people stand by their opinion that the 80s were the lost era of Brazilian music.”

Tracklisting

1. Ricardo Bomba - Você Vai Se Lembrar
2. Vânia Bastos - Tabu (The Sweetest Taboo) 
3. Rosana Mendes & Grupo Veneno - Reague
4. Grupo Controle Digital - A Festa É Nossa 
5. Villa Box - Break De Rua (Versão Longa) 
6. Batista Junior - Cheira 
7. Dado Brazzawilly - Saramandaia 
8. Anacy Arcanjo - Toque Tambor 
9. Fogo Baiano - O Fogo Do Sol
10. Dodô Da Bahia & As Virgens De Porto Seguro - Africamerica 
11. Via Negromonte - Love Is All .
12. Electric Boogies - Electric Boogies 
13. Os Abelhudos - Contos De Escola (Millos Kaiser Edit)
14. Nanda Rossi - Livre Pra Voar (Millos Kaiser Edit) 
15. André Melo - Onda De Amor 
16. Região Abissal - Feminina Mulher (Instrumental)