Da Lata Downloads

Da Lata: Brazilian Portuguese for anything really good. Literally, it means from the tin; urban legend recounts an incident when tins of the finest marijuana were washed up on the Brazilian coastline -- you can figure out the rest. Da Lata while coming from CDs and vinyl, is every bit as... Learn More »

Da Lata: Brazilian Portuguese for anything really good. Literally, it means from the tin; urban legend recounts an incident when tins of the finest marijuana were washed up on the Brazilian coastline -- you can figure out the rest. Da Lata while coming from CDs and vinyl, is every bit as intoxicating: a thick organic carpet of beats rolled out between London and Brazil. Really, really good.

Da Lata is Patrick Forge, world-renowned super-D.J., together with multi-instrumentalist Chris Franck of the brilliant bossa-trip-hop band Smoke City. The duo is augmented by Brazilian vocalist Liliana Chachian and Portuguese percussionist Oli Albergaria Savill.

Born from a shared passion for Brazilian music, Da Lata's instigators couldnt help bringing in their own dance club know how. Franck and Forge got together back in '92, and Da Lata's intermittent incarnations have whet appetites for a full-length album over and over again. First there was a track for Japanese soul jazz fixtures U.F.O, on their Brownswood label. Then a string of remixes for artists from Ruby to Bahian superstar Carlinhos Brown. Then "Ponteio," their version of the Edu Lobo classic earned its place in progressive house history, blowing up dance floors in Japan and New York (thanks to DJs Francois Kevorkian and Joe Claussell at the internationally known Body & Soul parties).

Da Lata released Songs from the Tin through Palm on August 1, 2000. A mesmerizing combination of acoustic instrumentation and electronic accents, Da Lata captures the sweet melancholy of Brazilian melody within the unforgiving funk of up-to-the-minute dancefloor technology. Crackling with Carnival percussion, jazz brass and seductive vocals.

Devotion to Brazilian grooves is reaching a fever pitch all over the world. DJs from Paris, London, Germany, Japan, and of course Brazil have united behind the sound sophisticated jazz melodies, light and airy vocals, and fat, Afro-derived percussion. Da Lata arrives at the perfect moment in an international underground movement. Expect Songs from the Tin to be killing em softly on dancefloors across the globe.

Rhythm pioneers Da Lata have always been a respected and creative force in dance music, with their sound being championed by leading players from Francois K to Gilles Peterson. Their debut LP, 2000's stunning Songs From The Tin, was a wholehearted tribute to the Brazilian influences that first bonded Patrick Forge and Christian Franck on their musical journey. Consequently, it's been easy to bung their music in some kind of world/balearic chill-out ghetto . . . it's time to think again! Serious is a whole different ballgame, though not a complete departure from the past there are plenty of surprises on the way. Serious achieves an incredible integrity of soul and purpose despite its diversity of sounds and styles.

From the opening salvo of afro inspired mayhem, Serious to the lyrical beauty of the fleeting "If u don't know," from the broken beats and electronic textures of "Reeling" to the earthy flavors of "Something," this is an album that defies easy categorization. Chris and Patrick feel that despite the wide range of influences it's London's unique musical culture that defines them as much as anything, and that means broken beats and Brazilian music, r n' b and afrobeat. It's all in there.

Serious features an incredible cast of contributors, names both new and familiar, including the incredible voices of Jhelisa Anderson, Baaba Maal, Nina Miranda, Courtney Denni, Bembe Segue, Mamani Keita and Pedro Martins, as well as some wonderful work from guest musicians. Once again Da Lata employed the talents of young Brazilian accordion wizard Marcelo Jeneci de Silva, who first worked with Da Lata on "Golden," the original track featured on their recent "Remixes" compilation. His playing on "Something" and the title track prove there's more to the instrument than the obvious cliches. Once again the Da Lata sound owes much to the superior sonic skills of Toni Economides whose wizardry and creativity have enhanced this project in many ways. Listen up it's time to get Serious.

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