Edu K "FRENÉTIKO"
FORMAT: CD
CAT.NR.: MAN 08
CD RElease: APRIL 28 2006
DIGITAL RElease: APRIL
28 2006
Everybody knows Edu K's hit "Popozuda Rock n´Roll". Now is the time for a whole album by the man they call the "K". It's entitled "Frenétiko" and it´s the first baile funk inspired artist album ever to be released outside of Brazil. It's forty five minutes of pure energy, blending the hottest sound of 21st century Brazil into a breathtaking, musical masterwork.
Edu K is undoubtedly
one of Brazil’s most talented contemporary musicians. From the
late Eighties onwards, Edu K has been the singer and
front man of seminal Brazilian punk band De Falla (named
after the classical Spanish composer). Releasing more than seven albums,
and varying their musical style from heavy metal to punk rock and funk,
De Falla soon became a legendary name in Brazil, known
for musical innovations and their energetic live shows. Inbetween, the
Porto Alegre based Edu K released one solo album and
produced various important bands like the mangue beat kings Chico Science
& Nação Zumbi, Mundo Livre S.A. and Otto, as well
as the rap groups Câmbio Negro and Pavilhão Nove. Recently
he produced the Brazilian pop rock sensation Detonautas Roque Clube.
Edu K – Photo by Sebastian Mayer
In 2000, Edu K
produced the album "Miami Rock 2000". The album was a salute
from the punk rockers to Rio de Janeiro's baile funk movement. For Edu
K, the bass sound from the favelas of the sugarloaf city was
punk in it's very essence reborn. Only that with baile funk, it wasnt
three chords and a singer that made a song and a group, but three sampled
loops and a street casted MC. Parallelly is the music's energy level
as the DIY ethic of baile funk. "Miami Rock 2000" featured
the track "Popozuda Rock n'Roll", which became a big hit
in Brazil, and an anthem amongst Rio's funkeiros. The heavy metal rap
song with the memorable chorus of big bootied girls in tight jeans was
extensively played in the baile parties all across town. In 2004, "Popozuda
Rock n'Roll" was released on the seminal compilation "Rio
Baile Funk Favela Booty Beats" (Essay Recordings). From there,
it was licensed for a Coca Cola TV advert campaign in Germany, landed
on the famous mix CD by Belgium's A-List-Djs The Glimmers,
and has become a steady burner on international freestyle dancefloors
ever since.
In October 2005, Man Recordings
rereleased "Popozuda Rock n'Roll" as a 12“ single, alongside
remixes by Philadelphia's DJ Diplo, Rio de Janeiro's
DJ Sandrinho and Edu K himself, in
which he presented the first ever baile funk-reggaeton mash up to be
released. In January 2006 Man Recordings released the 2nd Edu
K single "Sex-O-Matic" featuring one of the hottest
female Mcs of Rio de Janeiro, Deize Tigrona. Notorious
for her ability to both sing the subtlest jazz tunes as well as the
most lust dripping slack lyrics, "City Of God" resident
Deize Tigrona'S MC skills were forged in the fires
of hundreds of funk balls all across Rio over the years. In her performance
she brillantly counters Edu's Mcing. The single was released with remixes
by Solid Groove, another Edu K reggaeton
mix and baile funk remixes by Rio's DJ Mavi+DJ
Sany and DJ Edgar.
And now Edu K presents his newest musical effort, the "Frenétiko"
album. It's the next level of Edu Ks musical vision in fusing a multitude
of highly energetic musical styles into a big new sound. Call it baile
punk, samba reggaeton or electro punk funk – Edu K's "Frenétiko"
album is Brazil’s new millenium answer to the post local, post
genre musical era we live in. It's a high energy mash up of kick ass
music that is fresh and unique. Take "Funkeiro C.B." which
includes hardrock riffs, percussive electronic beats and the ecstatic
MC shouting of Edu K and his brother and Co-MC Chilli
Willi. Or "Faz Que EU Gosto", where the electronic
and melodic Edu K songwriting shines through. "Hot
Mama" adds Cuban flavours to the booty bass. And "Sexxxy"
starts as a reggaeton track and then speeds up seamlessly into an electro
funk tune. Last but not least there's the rocking "Gatas Gatas
Gatas", the bass slapping "Da Punk Funk" and of course
"Popozuda Rock n´Roll".
You won't find another Brazilian album sounding so fresh
in 2006. Edu K – baile funking, reaggetoning, punk rocking around
the world! Watch out for live gigs!
| Tracklist Edu K "Frenétiko" Album |  |
| 01 Intro |  |
| 02 Funkeiro C.B. | |
| 03 Sex-O-Matic feat. Deize Tigrona | |
| 04 Faz Que Eu Gosto | |
| 05 Frenétiko | |
| 06 Quero Ser Ator Porno | |
| 07 Hot Mama | |
| 08 Sexxxy | |
| 09 Gatas Gatas Gatas | |
| 10 Bambambam | |
| 11 Bundalele | |
| 12 Da Punk Funk | |
| 13 Popozuda Rock n´Roll | |
| 14 Sex-O-Matic (Edu K Reggaeton Mix) | |
| 15 Popozuda Rock n´Roll (Edu K Reggaeton Mix) | |
An interview with Edu K, February 2006
Edu, when did you start making music?
I started in the early 80's with a band called Defalla in Porto Alegre,
a city way down Brasilian deep south. At the time, we were all hooked
on new wave n goth rock n' I was just a kid in dark heavy clothes, eyeliner
n a huge black Mohawk in a city where all youngsters where into Nativismo
(a gaucho folklore style of traditional clothes n music) n me n my crew
were the untamed freaks of the land, hehehe! You can only imagine how
wild were those days, hehehe!
Defalla changed its musical style over the years,
what where your main influences?
Lots n lots of different things: I was the kid at school
that nobody could get cuz I listened to Duran Duran and Culture Club
with the same devotion I did to AC/DC and Iron Maiden, heheeh! What
happens is that I always follow my heart n' the stuff I was in love
with, at any given time, was the stuff the band was gonna be playin.
But I have always been very deeply influenced by black music –
one of my first musical memories was seein' James Brown doin his cape
routine on TV - I just totally flipped when I saw that!! Later on I
was totally taken by the disco days – I was this lil' 8 year old
Tony Manero, hehehe – people would stop n stare in the streets,
droolin' as I passed struttin' my strut in full disco gear in the middle
of the afternoon, hehehe!!!!
What are the most memorable moments you had with
Defalla?
Whoa, there were lots n' lots of crazy moments –
we were really livin' fast to die young, hehehe, but, heeey: here I
am, hehehe! But, sure as hell one of the finest moments we had were
at this huge Brasilian mega rock festival, Hollywood Rock, opening for
the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, playin' for more than 70.000 people! Yeah,
that was wicked wild!!! N the funniest thing is that we had this crazy
tradition of doin' a totally wild n' wacked version of a song of evry
international band we would open for and, in this occasion, it happened
to be "Give It Away", their biggest hit at the time which
we not only played before they did, that night but, I also did it in
full sock-in-cock fashion, hehehehe! It was absolutely wild – the crowd went nuts and police all over the country wanted to bust me!
Heheheh!
Edu K in 1984
When did you first hear of Rio Baile Funk?
I'm from the good ol' days of Marlboro's Funk Brasil compilations,
when he n' Rio funk first hit big nation wide in mid 80's / early 90's.
I totally loved it from the moment I've heard it – I was already
a huge Miami bass fan so, I just connected the dots, y'know? Later on,
when I was producing a band of some friends of mine in Rio, Tubarões
Voadores, I discovered the radio stations that only played Montagens
all day long (a Rio funk syle with no vocals or rap, where the dj cuts
n' paste phrases from some popular tv shows, movies or whatever stuff
that was popular at the time over the beats) n' I totally went APE!!!
That shit was ROCKIN'!!! I remember telling a rock magazine at the time
that Rio funk was the music of the future – the 90's D.I.Y. – n', of course they laughed in my face! Look who's laughin' now? Hheheheeh!!!!!
What's the story with "Popozuda Rock n'Roll",
when did you record it?
"Popozuda“ came to my head when I was livin'
in Rio, in 1999. I was already a huge funk fan n' I started hearin'
all types of different Rio funk style slang in the streets n' on the
radio so, Popozuda (which means a gal with really big, gorgeous booty)
struck the lightining! In five minutes the song was ready in my head
n' , later on, in 4 hours we did the recording of the whole Miami Rock
2000 album, the one that features the song! I was totally commited to
the idea that Rio funk was the Brasilian son of New York D.I.Y. scene
with the whole Jamaican ska, reggae, dancehall culture!
Were you surprised by its success?
Not at all! It was a very catchy popular tune and it opened up the doors for Rio funk second coming all over the country! As the song was a Rio funk track with guitars, rock radio stations started playin' it so, the next time around, the song was everywhere! But there was a lot of prejudice too! Lots of people found the idea of a rock band playin' funk hideous! But, heeey, can't people learn from masters like George Clinton n' Sly Stone? Ohhh, c'mon – gimme a break!!!
What happened to Defalla after the release of "Popozuda" and the "Miami Rock 2000" album?
Well, actually I went on with my musical quest for different
styles and new flavors n my Rio funk phase stuck in the past until Mr.
Daniel Haaksman, my main man at Berlin's Man Recordings, released the
Favela Booty Beats compilation on Essay and Popozuda was a hit again – only this time all over the world!
Edu K freakin in the 80's
How did you come in contact with Man Recordings?
There's this guy, Hermano Vianna, who's a huge Rio funk enthusiast and he sent an e-mail to a friend of mine, Flu – who actually played bass in Defalla, sayin' that Haaksman wanted to release an EP with some of the Miami Rock 2000 tracks.
When did you start with "Frenétiko"?
What´s the story? Why "Frenétiko"?
What happened was that these German guys wanted the masters
of the Miami Rock 2000 album so they could remix it. But, in real Defalla
crazy ass fashion, I didn't have the masters of the album anymore, heheeh!
Well, tough shit: I told 'em "hey, why don't I redo the whole album
and add a few new songs to it? What do you say?" n, as they liked
the idea, Frenétiko started takin' form! Since Defalla ended
in 2005, after 20 years on the road, I decided to do the album solo style
and , since we wanted its name to sport some Rio Funk slang, Frenétiko came in handy cuz it means something frantic n cool n, heeey, what could
be better to describe myself, the wildest and hardest working man in
showbiz? – beside J.B, the master, of course, hehehe!! "Frenétiko" offers a huge variety of musical styles.
Well, it has to do with my wicked wide tastes in music – it goes
from Miles Davies to The Stooges, from 2Live Crew to Aerosmith, from
N.W.A to Justin Timberlake… well, on n' on it goes, hehehe! And
then the other thing is that I love to mix up stuff n' see what happens
– that's reeeally fun!!!!
What kind of technological set up do you have?
Very simple shit, in fact! I work with a PC in my bedroom and I use Reason and Nuendo software. I like to slice all samples up to bits n' then paste 'em together in the Reason, creatin' the beats n the lines n' shit.
Who is your co MC "Chili Willi"?
Chilli actually is my baby brother, hehehe! He sang with me in the Miami Rock 2000 album, ol' school MC style so, I called him back for Frenétiko!
Deize Tigrona & Edu K
How did you meet Deize Tigrona?
There's this friend of mine, Denise Garcia, that did a
real cool movie about Rio funkeiras, the girls of the scene, "Sou
Feia Mas Tô Na Moda" ("I'm Ugly But I'm Trendy")
n' the star of the movie is Deize! She REALLY rocks! I totally loved
Deize n' Denise introduced me to her. So we started talking about doin'
something together and I did a rock rmx of her track "Injeção"
(the one that inspired M.I.A.'s "Bucky Done Gun") and later
on she did this amazing cameo in Sex-O-Matic, my new single, which she
co-wrote as well. She's a real natural born star!
How do you see the Brazilian music scene these
days?
I think there's a lot goin' on but still the mainstream
rules over the land! The underground scene still needs to bulk a lot
more! But it's really harsh – people only want to buy what's on
the tv and radio! That sucks! But, at the same time there are different
scenes, totally off-off-mainstream, like the baile funk scene! That's
rockin'!
What are you up to at the moment? What are your
plans for the next time?
Sooner I'll be rockin' the US and European scene with
live gigs and there's a project for a full Deize Tigrona album produced
by me, as well. But, of course, I already have tons of nu tracks for
my next album to be, hehehe! Ye, I can't be stopped! Hahaha!
Last question, Edu, what are the ten most important
songs/albums in your life?
Well, now here it goes but, pretty please, can I say 11? Hehehhehe!
01 Miles Davis "Bitches Brew"
02 Iggy and The Stooges "Raw Power"
03 Rolling Stones "Exile on Main street"
04 NWA "Niggaz4Life"
05 Public Enemy "It Takes a Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back"
06 RUN DMC "Raising Hell"
07 Beastie Boys "Licensed To Ill"
08 2 Live Crew "As Nasty As They Wanna Be"
09 Tone Loc "Loc-ed After Dark"
10 Sex Pistols "Never Mind The Bollocks"
11 Chet Baker "Let's Get Lost"
Thanks, Edu.
EDU K FRENETIKO LIVE TOURS 2006
EUROPE:
CANADA + USA:
