As Music Times reported earlier in the day, ID&T formally announced over the weekend that Tomorrowland would be headed to Brazil during 2015. The extravagant festival will sit down in São Paulo during May next year.
The announcement shouldn't have been a surprise: Brazil already hosts the world's second best nightclub, Green Valley (according to DJMag.com), and everyone knows that the city knows how to party and get down during Carnival. What's odd is that you don't hear much about Brazilian EDM performers, at least from reading American entertainment sites. Surely a genre dominated by foreign acts from Europe would be open to representatives of more rhythmic nations?
Music Times gathered a quick list of electronic music performers from the South American country, but be sure to put your two cents in via the comment section. Brazil's a big state and we might have missed some of the more underground names.
05) Darth & Vader
Brazil, like the rest of the world, is dominated largely by proponents of house music and all of its offshoots. Particularly popular is the electro house category. Darth & Vader (only one person, Hugo Castellan) differs from the pack by dragging his music through the mud a bit. The end result is something still plenty danceable known as "dirty electro." And, as the name suggests, there are plenty of Star Wars references in his music catalog.
04) FTampa
Brazil has a storied musical culture, covering everything from bossa nova to Tropicalia. FTampa stands out for his incorporation of samba vibes into his electro house beats. He's also getting closer and closer to breaking out into the big time: Hardwell is a fan and Tampa travelled to the United States to perform at the Burning Man Festival this year. His is a sound that can go mainstream like Avicii, without losing any of its international edge.
03) Tropkillaz
Brazil isn't all house music of course. One style that's been trending the world over—the United States included—is trap and South America has its own contributors. Tropkillaz is a pairing of established DJ Zegon and rap producer Laudz. The thick bass, colorful scratching and simple catchphrases make this group another group just one single away from becoming a household name. If only they could land Lil Jon for a single...
02) Felguk
You may have thought that A-Trak and Chromeo's Dave 1 were the biggest pairing in Jewish electronic music (they're brothers) but they've got tight competition in Felguk. Yes, Brazil is also a land of many cultures, but culture ain't a thing when it comes to the popularity of this group. The duo's track "2nite" served as the trailer music for the Electric Daisy Carnival, and the pair would later be selected by Madonna to open for her during the 2012 "MDNA" tour Brazilian dates.
01) Marcos Carnavala
It doesn't seem like there could be a better name for a guy who's made so many waves in Brazil as Marcos <emphasis on> Carnaval. This DJ has made a name for himself not only behind the turntables but also behind the soundboard: Carnavala earned DJ Sound's Best Brazilian DJ award during 2012, and merited nominations for Best Brazilian Producer between 2010-'12. Now the figurehead is focusing on what he calls "tribal house"—house music that incorporates the native percussion of Brazil.
