Dropping next friday, Far Out Recording’s next release introduces us to Antônio Neves and his amalgamation of Brazilian musical expressions. A Pegada Agora É Essa (The Sway Now) triumphs in portraying, with a futuristic and dreamy perspective, Rio de Janeiro’s current music scene. From the regional to the universal, the popular to the erudite, from samba to rap, Latin rhythms to jazz, MPB and pop to good old rock'n'roll, Neves leads his band with fluency and mastery. This record is a mark in the young career of the city’s newest trailblazer; an enfant-terrible of Rio’s music scene, leading a vital and diverse constellation of both emerging and well-known artists advancing the city’s musical legacy.

Neves’ sophomore album (PA7 was released in 2017 by Rock It) reflects his affinities, dreams and anxieties, but also that connection to some of Brazil’s most revered living musicians, with whom Neves has worked with in recent years, such as Hamilton de Holanda and Leo Gandelman; and some of the country’s most exciting emerging talents, including Alice Caymmi and Ana Frango Eletrico. The mentioned connection comes from a long time sharing spaces and ideas together, matured in spirited recording sessions in which every member had the space to create. A Pegada Agora É Essa (The Sway Now) is an essential record from the Brazilian universe for 2021, and a defining piece in Antônio Neves’ musical career. Available in vinyl, via the invaluable work of London-based Far Out Recordings. “It all started in one sleepless night, after watching a Quincy Jones documentary”.

“My offer to the musicians was complete freedom to express themselves through the songs I proposed – classics like “Summertime”, “Luz Negra” and “Noite de Temporal”, and compositions of my own – creating a space of authorship for the band and the guests. A space for inventions, purges, delusions, laughter. The idea was to bring the freedom of jazz crossed by Brazilian rhythms, such as the traditionals Partido Alto (A Pegada Agora É Essa) and Jongo (Jongo no Feudo and Luz Negra); rhythms of African-Brazilian religions like Candomblé (Noite de Temporal) and Umbanda (Forte Apache); and a tribute to newest Rio de Janeiro’s contribution to Brazilian music, the Funk Carioca (Simba).” - António Neves