São Paulo’s funk scene is, in part, a product of the city’s extreme urban structure and social conditions. Often called a “concrete jungle,” the megacity holds Brazil’s largest population and one of its densest; it is heavily industrialized with imposing buildings spread over a monstrous size, all of which bleeds into a metallic, destructive take on Brazilian funk. NTS’ new compilation, funk.BR – São Paulo, crams the far-ranging styles of mandelão, bruxaria, and beyond into 22 exclusive tracks, providing a whistle-stop tour with which you can jump off and immerse yourself in this grippingly rebellious sound.
The network of genres that fall under the mandelão umbrella do not have the longer-standing history of the root Rio de Janeiro funk carioca scene, but they have evolved rapidly because of their spirit of one-upmanship. Lança-perfume, a drug that comes from ethyl chloride and produces hallucinogenic, sound-sensitive sensations, is a fixture at street parties, creating ear-ringing tones that are central to various styles of mandelão. Meanwhile, the funk automotivo culture of souped-up cars, with walls of rear-trunk speakers, have buffed the low-end. With over 1,700 registered favelas in the city, each more or less coming with their own flair, the sheer size and noise of the metropolis pushes artists to stand out and claim the loudest, the most unpredictable, the most original sound as their own. In doing so, they’re pushing far beyond the precipice of what we’ve come to expect—creating mixes that obscure and pronounce elements in experimental ways, folding the club music structure tightly for triple the amount of breakdowns, and upping the loudness to new levels of club maximalism. In addition to reflecting the genre’s continued popularity in underground electronic spaces in the Global North, funk.BR pushes these sounds further still.
Funk mandelão tunes ring out like beacons to the underworld, wedding ear-dazzling techno pulses with the familiar falling funk rhythm and putting it in a vat of dense smoke. Toplines cross dull hits of bells and metal pans with rave synths (DJ Pikeno MPC & MC BF’s “Acende o Sinalizador”), whistling (DJ P7 & MC PR’s “Automotivo Destruidor, P7 Vai Te Destruir”), and bamboo flutes (DJ Lorrany’s “Mandela Cunt”). Hoarse male antiheroes yell a Rolodex of commands—“obedece” and “galopa,” which mean to “obey” and “ride”—and female MCs like MC Bibi Drak flirt like video vixens. But both are unfazed as they are caught and squeezed in a tempest of surreal abrasion in the breakdowns.
The tracks on funk.BR speed by with a bullish impatience that is disorienting, tossing and turning between intensely physical automotivo, eye-swirling ritmado, and ear-rending bruxaria. DJ Léo da 17 & DJ BIG ORIGINAL’s “Bruxaria de Extrema Periculosidade” takes just 14 seconds before the infectious “Bi-Bi-Big Original!” producer tag commences a flipbook-fast layering of shotgun kick drums. Blink and you’ll miss how “Best of Both Worlds from Brazil” by DJ Livea & iamlope$$ flies through marching trumpets over compressed tambor drums, a drill breakdown, horn-backed samba, and beat bolha (a style literally meaning “bubble beat”) in just over two minutes.
