Album Notes

‘Laidback listening… recharge your batteries’ 4/5 The Times

Far Out Recordings ease us into 2003 with Volume 4 of ‘Brazilian Love Affair’, the world’s leading Brazilian music series compiled by the UK’s premier Brazilian DJ and aficionado Joe Davis.

Far Out is one of the world’s leading Brazilian labels formed by Joe Davis over a decade ago and with an influence on Brazilian music most labels based in Rio would die for. Volumes 1 – 3 of ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ have sold over 50,000 worldwide – remarkable for a world music album on a small UK independent.

Joe fills us in: “Brazilian Love Affair is a good synopsis of all the styles and current trends of Brazilian music and therefore Far Out’s roster. On Volume 4 you’ve got the classic, contemporary sounds of Brazil from Far Out artists Marcos Valle (‘Escape’), Joyce (‘Todos Os Santos’) and Azymuth (‘Papa’ and ‘ Rede De Espera’) as well as the more electronic dance side that we release on 12” such as Democustico (‘A Sereia’), 4 Hero (‘Without Words’) and Osunlade’s remix of Grupo Batuque. I think that Brazilian music makes excellent chill out music too because it’s very melancholic – it has complex chord structures and harmonies bursting with soul and melody.” ‘Brazilian Love Affair 4 also includes forgotten gems unearthed by Joe on his last trip to Brazil (his 80th to date!) and cuts from Patricia Marx, Max de Castro and Jairzinho Oliveira all signed to hot Brazilian urban label Trauma.

Over to Joe again: “I know of supposed ‘Brazilian’ compilations that don’t even have one Brazilian artist on them. Every track on this comp has either been made by a Brazilian or produced in Brazil. Imagine if in Brazil someone released a compilation of UK music with just Brazilian artists on – it would be a sham. ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ is the real deal.”

Joe’s ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ began in the mid 80s. Whilst everyone around him was getting down to the sounds of Acid Jazz, Joe was immersed in Brazilian bossa novas, batucadas and sambas. As a young London DJ he introduced Brazilian music into London’s burgeoning jazz dance scene – getting DJs such as Gilles Peterson and Jazzanova hooked on Brazilian music. Joe’s tastes eventually out grew those of the record stores and he made his first trip to Brazil in 1986 when he was just 17. He progressed from being an avid collector to a record seller, traveling throughout Brazil and buying up peoples collections until he knew all the major players in Brazil’s music scene. In 1992 Joe decided it was time to start making and releasing music too and set up Far Out Recordings – 10 yrs and 75 releases later, Far Out is one of the most influential label’s in world music.