Curumin (aka Luciano Nakata Albuquerque) is a one-man electro Brazilian soundsystem and an underground superstar in his native Brazil, a country that has virtually no indie music scene whatsoever. On JapanPopShow, he demonstrates to the world why he's so loved at home. He plays drums, vintage synths, the cavaquinho (a four-string instrument similar to a ukulele) and sings over some of the richest samba funk ever heard. Flawlessly flowing from funk to soul to Samba to Afro-beat to dub and hip-hop, Curumin displays his knack for mashing up international flavours without missing a single beat. JapanPopShow hits some funk-heavy, boom-bap-style hip-hop tracks featuring verse work from label-mates Blackalicious and Lateef the Truthspeaker on "Kyoto," as well as Brazilian MCs Bnegao and Lucas Santtana on "Caixa Preta," while tracks like "Magrela Fever" and "Compacto" flow with the same groovy exuberance of classic MPB. Made for the dance floor or a sunny Sunday afternoon, JapanPopShow shines as a taste of contemporary Brazil with a touch of eclectic musical madness and a whole lot of soul.
Achados e Perdidos was an incredible debut album. Did you feel any pressure to take your unique sound to another level with JapanPopShow?
I did Achados and, as a first record, I thought very much about how I made it and how it sounded. I paid attention to the opinions of some friends, some reviews - the good things, the bad things. That way, when I started JapanPopShow, I already had some ideas as to what I wanted and didn't want to be on the second album. I mean, I tried to change that feeling of pressure of doing a second album into a process of learning.
How has being signed to Quannum and working with guys like Chief Xcel influenced your music?
No doubt it has influenced my music, but in a different way. Because of the fact that I am a fan of all of the Quannum artists and I'm proud to be a part of the label, it makes me look for my own language and my own way to express my music. I try to add my own sound to Quannum but as a music lover and a music maker, I base a lot of what I do on all the music I have heard. The real challenge is to take all of those references and express them in my way of feeling.
(Quannum)Achados e Perdidos was an incredible debut album. Did you feel any pressure to take your unique sound to another level with JapanPopShow?
I did Achados and, as a first record, I thought very much about how I made it and how it sounded. I paid attention to the opinions of some friends, some reviews - the good things, the bad things. That way, when I started JapanPopShow, I already had some ideas as to what I wanted and didn't want to be on the second album. I mean, I tried to change that feeling of pressure of doing a second album into a process of learning.
How has being signed to Quannum and working with guys like Chief Xcel influenced your music?
No doubt it has influenced my music, but in a different way. Because of the fact that I am a fan of all of the Quannum artists and I'm proud to be a part of the label, it makes me look for my own language and my own way to express my music. I try to add my own sound to Quannum but as a music lover and a music maker, I base a lot of what I do on all the music I have heard. The real challenge is to take all of those references and express them in my way of feeling.