Maga Bo

To the casual fan of Brazilian music, there's a yawning disconnect between the sexy sounds of samba and bossa nova and the stiffly modern sounds of funk carioca and other Brazilian electronic music. Maga Bo not only brings the two together but does so in a way that should be deeply satisfying to fans of both. Quilombo De Futuro succeeds for many reasons. The first is in exploding the very notion that there's a disconnect between the past and future. A funk track like "Piloto De Fuga" gains a great deal from sandpapery shakers, which glue the no-nonsense beats to a slinkier groove. A second reason for the album's triumph is that it successfully employs non-Brazilian vocalists like Jahdan Blakkamoore and MC Zulu to both reflect what Brazilian producers are listening to and how they intersect with broader currents in World Music 2.0. Ultimately, Bo knows percussion and the terrific range and depth of approaches practically dare the listener to get up and shake something.