As also demonstrated on Putumayo"s Brazilian Groove, there are inventive, exciting electronica scenes exploding in cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, where venerable styles like forro, bossa nova, and samba are crossed with and embellished by modern instruments and future beats. Some of the practitioners are classically trained, having studied 2oth-century composers like Edgar Varese and Karlheinz Stockhausen (Fernanda Porto), while others emerged from local hip-hop or DJ collectives (DJ Mystical of Macumbalada.) Even older MPB (musica popular Brasiliera) icons (Claudia Telles) have gotten into the act, either directly or via sampling. But what is most striking about these tracks, aside from their overall quality, is that despite the manipulated voices, crushing bass grooves, and hissing, looping, spacey sonic environments, nobody could possibly miss that they were recorded in Brazil. The passionate love of country that has always characterized Brazilian music still comes through loud and clear. --Christina Roden