São Paulo Confessions

<BartGetsFamousMeme.jpeg> Milhouse (surrounded by Bart’s onlooking classmates): “Say the line, Bart!” Bart: [sighs] “Why isn’t Stereolab’s ‘Dots and Loops’ on this list!?!” Classmates: “YAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!”

I'm taken completely by surprise. I don't understand one word of this album, but it's one of the best recommendations so far! It's not perfect, but some of it is absolutely fabulous! First track was rough, but it picked up quickly. Great chill music.

Hypnotic and seductive. Interesting atmospheres that are simultaneously textured and smooth.

Det är album som detta som gör listans genomgång värdefull. Så bra... Tanke: Brasilien drar ut det bästa ur typ alla artister... kanske Ny Batteri borde fara dit och skriva+spela in en EP...

Dark, smokey, sultry. Rainy, late night mood music. Reminds me of Burial, and some of the darker, more ambient projects that came out of vaporwave (see 2 8 1 4). Favorite tracks: "Sereia", "Antropofagos"

Mid '90s wine bar music. The Brazilian aspect makes it both a little more interesting AND even more clichéd, somehow. This drifted by pleasantly, but it was a bit too electronic in places to hook me in fully.

Taken me a few days to digest this album, but Iv come to the conclusion this is an absolute masterpiece, no idea what any of the vocals mean but the whole ambience of the album is absolutely brilliant, some of the later songs reminded me of billie ellish, feel this must of be some sort of influence therefore still sounds so fresh in 2022.

Samba-type music - took me back to Rio. Great music for either working to or chilling on the lanai.

Pleasant in a really innofensive type of way. A little bland. Wallpaper music for a dull wine bar.

pleasant but featureless. bumped up a point as it helped me sleep on a plane ride

In the late noughts I knew a guy who loved soft, smooth, relaxing electronica, and made a decent living as a DJ playing this stuff in posh hotels, often on Park Lane in London. Five of us went to see him play in the Dorchester one night, a small bar, and we soon realised that apart from an embarrassed couple next to us, the rest of the patrons were either well-kempt, elderly foreign businessmen or expensively and scantily dressed escorts. A lot of pricey scent was in the air. I remember in particular one white-haired gent, impeccably groomed, silently haughty while he listened to his companion talk to her friend. His companion rubbed her backside onto his front as she talked to her friend, the man impassive and aloof. Writing this, I wonder if he’s still alive, and I wonder if this album was playing.

Loved this - never heard it before -

Awesome, jazzy, dark-ish beats.

I very much enjoy the alt rock scene coming out of South America but it’s mainly been surrounding Argentine, Chilean, and Peruvian groups so a Brazilian group was such a refreshing change of pace paired the bossa nova and samba influences on this album make it an easy 5/5 for me!

Funky Latin fusion!

5, nuts

Very Island Outpost. Very Samba. This is such a snapshot of like the electronic, chillwave, house music scene of the late 90s. It is retrofuturistic, and oddly optimistic. 5 stars no comment.

This is marvelous, i can't believe this exists

Great jem

SHREDS

Really fun and easy listening. Fantastic Brazilian flair. Nothing negative to say about it.

Good groove for working.

I really enjoyed this. It's kind of like atmospheric world jazz or something. Pretty smooth.

Never heard of this or him. Really enjoying it. A little dated, but still sounds great, and nowhere near as dated as other electronic music from this time can be. Reminds me of some of the chill down psychedelic trance circa Northern Exposure, with bossa nova lilts and beats. Gets much more of the latter than the former after the first couple of tracks (although noone can say it's lacking in bossa from the off!), I really dig this. As others have said, good working music vibe also. Getting a 5 because its the first NEW thing this has introduced to me in a while that I've really enjoyed.

Biiig White Lotus theme energy on Antropofagos, me likey. This bloke died while trying to save newly recorded material from a fire in his studio, what a tragically incredible way for a musician to go.

More enjoyable Brazilian fare from the 1001 list… this really is a modern twist on those Brazilian sounds. Really nice and a great soundtrack for the day!

Mostly delicate and mesmerizing and then occasionally fuzzy and noisy. I loved it.

I felt pretty cool listening to this one.

This evokes its title for sure. It feels very city, very Brazilian. It is a smooth sound pleasure.

surprisingly beautiful

One of the most beautiful electronic albums I have heard. Had a great time with this one 9.5/10

ok this is a really cool album. not the most sophisticated electronic music ive consumed this year but some really fantastic blending of brazilian jazz and techno elements. listened to this record twice today because it is so soothing and interesting to listen to

There is something about this album that sucked me in from the first 30 seconds. I ordered a physical copy so fast I could have been dreaming.

Mid-90s nouveau samba. This is around the time of Bebel Gilberto’s crossover, and Towa Tei’s bossa nova sound. DJ lounge music was big. You can hear elements of Bjork and Tricky in this album. This downtempo sound was the counterpoint to the harder techno and electronica sound at the time. Mushroom jazz was just emerging in San Francisco. Really enjoying this one. Wish I had heard this at the time. Excellent choice for this list.

What a fantastic record. I have no idea how this never came to my attention in 2009.

Most songs Nice and relaxing to listen to

I really loved this. As a bassist it kills me that the best part of this is...the drums haha nice Brazilian treat.

First impression: "6495 monthly listeners" 🤔. Second: yes, I'm one of them! I don't think this is my absolut first exposure to this album - I bought quite a bit of circa this downtempo/experimental/nujazz/fusion records around the turn of the centuries and the cover looks familiar? - but it's a first active listening experience. And an excellent one! Time tends to not be kind on ~that~ music from the era, usually, but 'São Paulo Confessions' with its vibes, textures, restrained funk and noise is way above those pastiches from similar sounding German or British producers. I read how Suba likened his experience of living in São Paulo to something out of a tropical 'Blade Runner' and this album seems like a proper expression of that. Held up beautifully and definitely derserves a spot in here. (Now do Amon Tobin, 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵!) Faves: the whole run of the first 3 tracks, Sereia.

the funkiest I've ever felt while cleaning the kitchen. I really got into the groove :D

This is a welcome discovery - never heard of Suba! Getting a lot of Thievery Corporation vibes from it. It's been quite a while since I listened to any Thievery Corporation, but this maybe sounds better? A bit less plastic, a bit more authentic. Will definitely be revisting. Fave track "A Noite Sem Fim" for that awesome twanging noise. "Samba Do Gringo Paulista" had some great percussion lines, too....

Chilled out Balearic vibes here… needs to be listened to on a Sunny beach!!

fantastic percussion, and overall i loved the production on this, but sometimes the electronic sounds were really annoying. had a cool atmosphere, really made me imagine being in a big city at night. 7/10

Really intriguing sound, I enjoyed all of these songs. Tragic that he died so young.

Cool!

Never heard of this guy - and really enjoyed this one. Bossa nova with a slightly experimental twist that stops it being muzak

really nice!

This is it! Update of the 60’s/70’s Bossa Nova, beautifully integrating elements of ambient electrinica, acid jazz and trip-hop. Very smooth and well produced. Music perfect for cocktails in a late night lounge bar, and just as well for an espresso on a Sunday morning on a sunny balcony or in a street café… Music to Dream to

Hoera voor de afwisseling! Lekker relaxte muziek.

trip hop style lounge muzak, but in a good way. Good background music. Liked it

Very nice relaxation music

very cool!!

Odd. Jazzy.

What a sweet album and wonderful global downtempo feeling throughout. Finding music like this is one of the reasons I love this project!

Oh, my, this is great! Soooooo silky smooth without being schmaltzy. Really cool beats. Love the vocals.

quite different to most albums on here, bit of samba and axe - with that late 90s worldwide take

This was more fun than I expected. Bonus points, it's nice to see the authors find an electronic album from this decade that wasn't British.

After listening to a fair amount of Brazilian music through this project, I feel as though this album is able to further incorporate it into popular music, this time with a more electronic downtempo base. The result works very well and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Unfortunately, the music does tend to slip into the background and the album itself is a touch too long.

One of the reasons I am loving this challenge, is the exposure to music from other cultures, across the world. It is very exciting to get something that I am unfamiliar with. Overall I am enjoying this album and will definitely give it another listen down the line.

Quitando alguna canción, me ha gustado más de lo que pensaba. 4.

Good, deep, pleasant downtempo album.

What a wild mix of bossa nova, electronic and jazz. His life story seems really interesting too, although tragic. I'm happy I learned about this.

Cool and groovy and sophisticated.

man i wanna go back to south america

After a week of enduring Britney and Madonna albums, it's refreshing to hear something non-commercial music that has way more substance and credence than a bunch of overrated pop-tarts. A very nice listen with beats that had me dancing in the kitchen and bobbing my head. Did I mention how refreshing this was? Enjoyed it a lot! Not for everyone's tastes, but same goes with Madonna.

Awesome little collection of vibes. It feels like the granddaddy of so many staple sounds and grooves on those "24hr lo-fi chill/study" channels. I don't know enough about the genre or its history to speak confidently there but it definitely slots perfectly into the same space within my head, and I enjoyed it in the same way I enjoy those. Excellent, if somewhat subdued, music that can live comfortably in the background of the venue it's being played in, but is complex and interesting enough to call itself to your attention for its brightest parts. Some odd musical choices here and there interesting enough to make you turn your head, nod along, and go "Oh wow." Special shout-out in that department to the discordant guitar cords in A Noite Sem Fin. Bold and intriguing, I loved it. I'm not always in the mood to just sit back and vibe, but when I am? A little of this on a rainy day, some hot tea... Brother that's living.

Starting out listening to this album, I really thought I was going to get bored of it as it went on, but it stayed really interesting. It mixes in a lot of different instrumental styles. This is one I could see myself buying 4/5

Love this. Always a fan of Bossa Nova, this spare electronic accompaniment is sublime.

This is possibly the greatest bar album of all time and should have been released on Mo Wax in the late nineties. Though I can't help but think of it as music to drink Corona to, it's pretty fantastic.

relentless beats

interesting latin electronica for background 3.5/5

"São Paulo Confessions" is a studio album by Serbian-born musician, composer and producer Suba (Mitar Subotić). The randomizer was kind giving me this album a week after Bebel Gilberto's "Tanto Tempo," an album which Suba produced in the same time frame. Whereas the Gilberto album had some songs with more samba/bossa nova beats, this Suba album is more downtempo/chill and electronic. Born in Belgrade, Suba was awarded an international fund for a folk/electronic fusion album where he did research of Afro-Brazilian rhythms in Brazil and enjoyed it so much he eventually emigrated to Brazil. Besides the aforementioned downtempo/chill and electronic musical categories, this album also incorporates Latin and jazz influences. A number of Brazilian musicians and singers contributed. Great production on this album. Unfortunately, Suba died just as this album was released from smoke inhalation during a fire as he was rescuing various recorded tapes. "Tantos Desejos (So Many Desires)" starts things off with airy/dreamy keboards. Percussion. Definitely chillwave. A women singing. Interesting noises. A club-like feel. The Brazilian band Mestre Ambrósio helps out in "Antropófagos (Cannibals)." A deeper groove with the percussion. Electronic keyboards giving laser, bubble, jungle sounds. Softer keys layered on top. More dance-like. A cover of the Antônio Carlos Jobim/Vinces de Moraes "Felicidade (Happiness)" adds a bossa nova/samba beat-song to the mix. Enjoyable. A reverb electronic noise begins "Sereia (Mermaid)." Distorted percussion. Vocalist Cibelle comes in. More airy keys. Great production. A heavier rhythm percussion drives "Abraço (Embrace)." The keboards and guitar gives this more of a rock sound. A women initially is singing and then Arnaldo Atunes comes in with spoken word. Interesting. This album was a good listen. Great production. Both this and the Bebel Gilberto albums are worthwhile listens. It's very evident the talent of Suba and very sad he never saw the success of these two works.

Fun easy going chilled out tunes

I had not heard of this album and it was much better, and deeper, than I expected.

Good album. Lovely mix of styles.

I had to listen to this twice to give it proper attention. It was quite far out of my comfort zone, but I would definitely listen again. Weird and wonderful. Hectic latíno electronics. It was rocking all the right boxes, but there were points where it all got a bit too crazy.

Quality, kept thinking of orangutans no idea why!

Always happy on the rare occurrences when something I've never heard of shows up on this list. Those albums end up, more often than not, being interesting and worth listening to and learning about and this is no exception. It's a great mix of Electronic, latin, and acid jazz influences and jsut vibes really well for the whole 62 minutes. Very much enjoyed listening to this today.

Tajt AF

So smooth so good. Not every track is great but mostly really good.

Det gik hårdt, ægte FLAMME

The first album I’ve completely never heard of. It’s very unique, mixing electronic with world music to create a distinctive blend that sounds nothing like anything I’ve heard before.

"On 2 November 1999, on the evening of the São Paulo Confessions album promotion, in an attempt to rescue the recordings from his studio which had been caught up in a fire, Subotić died at the age of 38." Pure juice of Brazil...

Very cool, chill. My kind of music

Great and considerably varied electronic grooves. Some outdated sounds and less interesting tracks crop up here and there, but overall the album holds up quite well

J'aime beaucoup le mélange des genres, même si certains passages particulièrement répétitifs m'ont semblé un peu appuyés

I love it. I will be rocking this another time. Probably like during the next party we have.

I wasn’t expecting this to be Acid Jazz. I liked it.

Interesting arrangements. Some of the songs really slap. Not my usual type of music but, what a cool find! Saved tracks: Segredo, Antropofagos, Sereia, Pecados Da Madrugada

Several great tracks, some dragged and got repetitive and weren't fun to listen, so might put it on, would not listen all the way through.

prolific producer who moved from eastern europe to brazil for its music. died a few days after this albums release. melodies, latin percussion + electronic music. theme is life in sao paulo. favorites: 2, 3, 8, 11, 12

Very good enjoyed it a lot!

Kind of has a Sugarcubes/Bjork thing going on at first, the more I listen the more I like it. Never heard of Suba before, but this is good shit. 4/5

Beautiful and mesmerizing instrumentation, especially the percussion. Quite unique, but I wish it was shorter. FS: Abraco, Antropofagos, Voce Gosta, Tantos

Pretty interesting down tempo album that I had never heard of. I could probably think of some other electronic stuff from the same era that's more deserving of the spot, but this was definitely solid and I'm glad I got exposed to it, at least.

An interesting, smooth and chill album. Not my absolute favorite styles of music, but fine enough once in a while if the quality is right. Rounding up from 3.5 because this specific blend of style with "exotic" accents is new to me.

I had to go out and seek this one. By far it is the best work by a Yugoslavian-born Brazilian artist I have in my collection. It is also the only one. This goes under the interesting but not great category. The elements are current Brazilian music are very interesting. I also like the melding of disparate influence The biggest issue I have is that the percussive elements result in a generic dance music feel rather than something special. The rest of the music deserves more.

Ran into my usual issue with this kind of music, in that the repetetiveness (that is clearly an intentional and I assume integral quality of the genre) frequently gets on my nerves. This was a cut above though, mostly stayed interesting, and steered clear of more egregious sonic insults. And though of course I couldn't understand them, all the vocal elements were well done and added to the music.

Really nicely done

Really liked the groove on this. It really surprised me.

decent background music.