VOLUME 05 - ARNALDO ANTUNES

We're from São Paulo, but, in pocket music, there wasn't any artist from SP... yet. Arnaldo Antunes is from SP, so surely, we did something in a place that was iconic: the old downtown.

He composes with a guitar, but he never plays it on stage, usually he dances and jumps a lot. But, here, he chose to take a chance and play two songs with his guitar to go along with his strong and deep voice.

Arnaldo has an extensive cv, it goes from his participation in a popular brazilian band called Titãs, going to an extensive solo project, which includes soundtracks and music for ballets, to his participation in other super popular brazilian trio called Tribalistas (with Marisa Monte & Carlinhos Brown). So, there was much to choose from.

But we wanted more, so we asked him a never-heard-before-song. And we've had it!

SIDE A - VÁ TRABALHAR
(go to work)
august/2007 - são paulo (sp) - in the vale

"Vá trabalhar" (Arnaldo Antunes) is our never-heard-before-side A-shot in the old downtown of São Paulo. He's in a place called "Vale do Anhangabaú", a wide kind of square. It's a song that, according to Arnaldo, was made years ago when he was part of Titãs, but they never recorded it. It talks about the hole that you can get into, when you start working and forget about your family.

SIDE B - VOLTE PARA O SEU LAR
(go back to your home)
august/2007 - são paulo (sp) - in a place under construction

And in our side B, Arnaldo gets into a hole to play a song that says to a leader to go back home, in its superficial essence, of course. It's a song that has been recorded by Marisa Monte in her album "Mais" (1991) and in Arnaldo's "Um som" (1998). He recovers, here, the first arrangement of the song when he presented to Marisa, 16 years ago.

EXTRAS

• photos
• arnaldo antunes' official website
• buy the new CD "Qualquer"
• buy the CD/DVD "Nome"
  
• making of:
  

VOLUME 04 - CHINA

China is from Recife and was part of a band called Sheik Tosado in the 90's. Since then, he left his own mark on the stage. You never know where he is, because he's always jumping, running, sliding and dancing, dancing, dancing.

Today, Sheik Tosado does not exist anymore, so, China divides his time between his solo career and the lead vocal for a band called Del Rey. Alone, he's preparing his sophomore album with his own songs. With Del Rey, a project with the boys from Mombojó, he's doing shows all over Brazil singing the amazing songs of Roberto Carlos. And, always, dancing, dancing, dancing.

So, Pocket music presents the opposite of this China. Just voice and guitar, one thing that he claims he never does in public. China sings two songs with a bossa nova style, sitting down and restrained like we've never seen him before.

SIDE A - CANÇÃO QUE NÃO MORRE NO AR
(a song that doesn't die in the air)
may/2007 - são paulo (sp) - in the bathroom

"Canção que não morre no ar" (China/ Bruno Ximarú) is our never heard before side A, but, soon it will be released in China's next album. It was made in a bathroom, because China said that's the place where he likes to compose his songs, because of the acoustic and the intimacy of the place. This song talks about being imortal in a song that could never die in the air, so, we had to recorded it in order to keep it surviving.

SIDE B - ANTI-HERÓI
(anti-hero)
may 2007 - são paulo (sp) - on the stage

"Anti-herói" (China) is our sweet side B. It is a sweet and personal lullaby that he talks a little about him and he dedicated it to his children, Matheus and Tom. He doesn't intend to record it, so this is a unique moment for him and for us, too, in a empty stage of Studio SP, between some instruments and a wide view of the night lights of São Paulo.

EXTRAS

• photos
  
• china's myspace
• buy the CD
• making of:
  
  
  
  

VOLUME 03 - MART'NÁLIA

Mart'nália is from Rio de Janeiro and is the samba in person. She's spontaneous like few people could dream of being and she can make samba in the stage of Carnegie Hall, just like she would do it in her backyard. She has the hability of transforming a simple and raw song in an amazing experience for those who hear it.

It was a rainy day in São Paulo when we went to shoot Mart'nália. At the night of that day, she would have a show, so, this bad wheather and her manager, Marcia Alvarez's threat "if you take my singer to the cold, i'll kill you all", made us stay inside Mart'nália's hotel room.

SIDE A - PRETINHOSIDADE
("blackousity")
june/2007 - são paulo (sp) - in the hotel

"Pretinhosidade" (Mart'nália/Mombaça), our SIDE A, is a union of the words preciousity and black, something like, blackousity. It's a declaration of love for someone who understands who you are. In Mart'nália's bed, this samba was played with everybody from her band: Alfredo "Doca" Machado, Analimar Ventapane (her sister), Jorge Ailton, Menino Ovídio, Cassiano, Macaco Branco and Junior Crispin.

SIDE B - CHEGA
(enough)
june 2007 - são paulo (sp) - in the hotel

"Chega" (Mart'nália/Mombaça), our SIDE B, is kind of the continuation of our SIDE A: Mart'nália goes away from her bandmates to go on solo outside her room. This song is about the end of a relashionship, when it's just embearable to be with someone. Like the song, she wants to go away to get free, so she goes from her hotel room to the top of the building and the cold light of that day arrives at the same time that the character from the song gets free. It was a beautiful moment when we took the singer out in the cold.... Her manager didn't killed us, Mart'nália did a beautiful show late that night and now we have a beautiful spontaneous video to show.

EXTRAS

• photos
  
• official website
• mart'nália's myspace
• making of:

VOLUME 02 - THALMA DE FREITAS

Thalma de Freitas is a carioca singer and actress. She's the daughter of another great brazilian musician, Laércio de Freitas. And she's also a part of a brazilian band called Orquestra Imperial, which is formed by 19 different brazilian musicians that, together, play from samba to cha-cha-cha.

Thalma was the first artist that we filmed. She got on board without knowing exactly what the result of this project would be, but she was as much excited as we. She had the spirit that the first day of shooting needed, a lot of good energy, beautiful songs and an amazing voice. We picked a public square called "Praça do pôr-do-sol" (Sunset Square) that's known for its perfect view of the sun going down in the city of São Paulo, and we managed to be in one of the most sunny days of the year in a city that's well known for its drizzle.

SIDE A - NÃO FOI EM VÃO
(it wasn't in vain)
may/2007 - são paulo (sp) - in the sunset square

Thalma says that nothing like a love disenchantment to tune the instrument in the right way and, in her case, her voice was the instrument to make this song, about a bittersweet end of a love affair, got completly tuned. Just her voice was enough to bring the melancholy that this song, written by her, needed. This version is completely different than the one in the new Orquestra Imperial's cd.

SIDE B - MONSTRO AO PÔR-DO-SOL
(a sunset freestyle)
may/2007 - são paulo (sp) - in the sunset square

Thalma invited Max B.O., a rapper from São Paulo, to make something totally improvised that suited the project's spirit. He arrived in the moment that the sunset was in its most beautiful light. A great orange sky was all over the city and with the beats made by an indian tabla in the background, Thalma made a delightful indian chant to go along with Max's verses. Together, they produced a simple and spontaneous moment that made its register more precious for us.

EXTRAS

• photos
• thalma's myspace
• laércio de freitas' myspace
• max b.o.'s myspace
  
• making of:
  

VOLUME 01 - PATO FU

PATO FU is a band from Belo Horizonte (MG) and formed by Fernanda Takai (lead vocal), John Ulhoa (guitar/ programming/ vocals), Ricardo Koctus (bass/ vocals), Xande Tamletti (drums/ percussion) and Lulu Camargo (keyboards/ accordion).

It's a cosmic relashionship between Pato Fu and Pocket Music. The friendship between us (Daniel, Rafael and Tati) began with debates about cinema and music - although it was just an excuse to drink beer and get together. And in one of these debates, the Pato Fu's cd "Toda cura para todo mal" (Every cure to every malady, 2005) had just been released and there weren't any discussion about it, all three really loved the cd. Years later, by coincidence, Pato Fu was the first band that we try to get in touch and present the project, and with a infinite kindness they accepted the invitation and got on board with new songs and open to different experiences. It took some time between the first contact and the day of shooting, but, somehow, it was all perfect. When we're just about to release the website, they were just about to release the new cd "Daqui pro futuro" (From here to the future, 2007) (only for online purchaise). So, it was a great way to start the website, with a lot of good energy going around. We couldn't ask for anything more special than that. And, now, here we go. From here to the future.

SIDE A - MAMÃ PAPÁ
(mammy daddy)
june 2007 - belo horizonte (mg) - in a toy store

"Mamã Papá" (Fernanda Takai/ John Ulhoa/ Rubinho Troll) was shot in a children's toy store, that made a robot doll, Silício, for Pato Fu's concert tour of the CD "Toda cura para todo mal" (Every cure to every malady, 2005). It's a really sweet song that was made for Fernanda & John's daughter. It talks about the good trip of parenthood with a childish language, with a lot of simplicity and poetry, as well. The arrangement of this song was made with a guitar, toys and the sweet voice of Fernanda.

SIDE B - VAGALUME
(firefly)
june 2007 - belo horizonte (mg) - in a backyard

"Vagalume" (Fernanda Takai/ John Ulhoa) was shot in a backyard, with some small lights and candles on the ground to illuminate this nightly serenade that talks about a nice encounter with a firefly. It was one of those few moments of magic that we could witness live. We hope that this gets transmited in such a small player.

EXTRAS

• photos
• pato fu's myspace
  
• making of: