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I had reason to be optimistic about Telepathique because in 2003 singer Mylene Pires made a pretty swell solo album, Mylene (Fast Horse), that tweaked MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) with well-deployed electronic flourishes courtesy of coproducer and percussionist Ramiro Musotto. Her slightly husky voice brought a sensual warmth to the melodies, and the tunes gently blended samba, reggae, and rock into an inviting whole.
I don’t mean to say that electronic music from Brazil is somehow required to make use of favela funk, as much as I enjoy it when it’s done right. One of my favorite albums of the year, also Brazilian, avoids it too. The self-titled debut by the trio Sonantes (Six Degrees) isn’t purely electronic, but the group is helmed by a producer, Rica Amabis (of the fertile production crew Instituto), who’s supported by percussionist Pupillo and bassist Dengue (both of the great manguebeat outfit Nação Zumbi). Earlier this year they released 3 Na Massa (Nublu), a concept album where they borrowed a gambit often used by the great Chico Buarque–writing tunes from a female perspective for 13 distinctive female singers (in this case they included Céu and Nina Becker and Thalma de Freitas of Orquestra Imperial).
