Sudaka is the debut release of noted Brazilian percussionist, programmer, and producer Ramiro Musotto. Sudaka was released on Fast Horse Recordings and is an interesting combination of field recordings of Amazon Indian chants, Afro-Brazilian Candomblé spirit rituals, the call of an Argentinean urban street vendor, and Musotto’s own urbanized and intuitive electronic beats. Using the skills he honed as a percussionist for Brazilian standouts Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Marisa Monte, Sergio Mendes, and Carlinhos Brown, Musotto set out to fuse the musical origins of the region with his own keen passion for electronica. Musotto hopes to prove that two conflicting cultural ideals can exist in harmony and benefit beyond. He calls it “a psychedelic trip throughout and into the Afro-Brazilian and South American culture; an optimistic way of interpreting the effects of technology in our everyday life and art.” The result is an eccelctic listening experience that invokes both ethnic and world textures. Although not traditional club music, Sudaka would find a home at any after hours chill-out session. Check out this release for that "something different" experience!

A lifelong student of musical styles, Musotto has kept the pulse for Latin American folk music, carnival samba, Brazilian pop, and, as a young man, behind a drum kit for a punk band. Venturing beyond the ethnic field recordings and electronic sequencing Musotto also includes a wealth of other samples drawn from unique percussion and other organic sounds. Musotto’s beat structure is as diverse and far-reaching as the music layered underneath.

Sudaka’s USA release is coincides with the debut self-titled CD by Mylene, a singer from Rio de Janeiro, produced by Musotto as well. Musotto’s hypnotic production style—combining street smarts and futuristic beats with ancient sensibility—is the perfect mesh for Mylene’s back-to-the-future lyricism. Featuring an exotic blend of traditional Samba and Bossa Nova, mixed with Folkloric and modern electronic styles, Mylene dances and entrances with the soul of Brazil itself.

The two albums by Mylene and Ramiro Musotto find a home on Fast Horse Recordings, which is best known for its releases of Tuatara. Featuring members as diverse as Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey of REM, Barrett Martin formerly of the Screaming Trees, Justin Harwood formerly of Luna, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and renowned jazz/experimental saxophonist Skerik, Tuatara has carved out a wide path in the realm of modern, instrumental composition. Their latest recording, The Loading Program, features Tuatara remixes by DJ Spooky, DJ Logic, DJ Wally, Spearhead's Michael Franti, producer Eric Rosse, and New Zealand's Mr. Reliable. The album plays out as a perfect blend between the organic, live instrumentation of Tuatara, and the electronic wizardry of these top producer/DJs.