Six ways to experience the music culture in Brazil’s capital Brasília

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Out of the many Brazilian cities known for their music scene, Brasília is one hardly ever taken into account. Along with cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, and Belém do Pará, which are often reminded for having eventful music ecosystems, Brazil’s capital has long been a fertile ground of talented musicians (such as Renato Russo) and given birth to important music scenes in the country, such as Brasília’s choro, samba, and rock universes.

With the gradual reopening of performing venues across Brazil, it has again been possible to experience shows, concerts, and music stores that help define the identity of Brasília’s music culture – more diverse and fascinating than most people imagine. Below are 6 ways to explore this scene and get convinced that Brasília, too, is a vivid music capital, and definitely worth visiting.

1) Visiting Brasília’s Clube do Choro

Unlike choro music in Rio de Janeiro (where this style was born), the choro tradition in Brasília merges with the foundation of Brazil’s current capital. In the late 1950s/ early 1960s, the first choro musicians came from Rio to Brasília. The genre soon became the soundtrack of Brasília’s construction. Today, choro is not only a cultural benchmark of the capital, but has its own home: Casa do Choro, the Choro House, founded in 1977. At Clube do Choro, it is possible to appreciate typical Brazilian starters and meals at Café Musical or Qezzo Bistrô – the house’s café and bistro, respectively. What’s more, they host live choro shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For more info, check Clube do Choro’s link tree.

2) Listen to Brasília’s pagode artists of the moment

Not only Rio and São Paulo have a bustling pagode scene. A genre that was originally born from samba and has now multiple ramifications – such as pagode romântico, pagofunk, pagonejo, and others – pagode has also become a thing in Brasília. The capital is home to several groups that are becoming famous among the pagode-loving audience, such as Di Propósito, Menos É Mais, Se Joga, the all-female Elas Que Toquem, Fala Comigo, and Mesô. Discover more of Brasília’s pagode scene through this Spotify playlist.

3) Explore Brasília’s Rock Route

As important as the choro tradition for Brasília is the rock culture. While the first rock chords echoed in Brasília around the 1960s and 1970s, it was in the 1980s and 1990s when the rock movement gained contours in the capital, and huge momentum across the country with bands like Legião Urbana, Plebe Rude, Capital Inicial, Raimundos, Móveis Coloniais do Aracaju, among others. This year, the Tourism Bureau of Brasília created the “Rock Route”, an itinerary with bars, show houses, radio stations, restaurants, etc. that mark the history of rock music in Brasília. These are the 37 points that helped found the rock movement in the city.

4) Watch a Good Show Outdoors While Having Dinner at Vibrar

An open-air food park that hosts cultural attractions every week, Vibrar is the right option for those interested in bridging a nice gastronomic experience with top-notch music shows. Located in the Nilson Nelson Arena, Vibrar has already hosted names such as Lenine, Diogo Nogueira, Herbert Vianna, and Hamilton de Holanda. The park is open from Wednesday to Sunday. Check Vibrar’s music line-up and restaurant options here.

5) Visiting Outro Calaf

Since the 1990, Outro Calaf serves Spanish and Brazilian food in Brasília’s Asa Sul region. But the house has too been considered the best dancing venue in the capital, with music attractions from Tuesday to Saturday. Saturday, by the way, is a great moment to check Outro Calaf as they serve feijoada for lunch, host live choro during the day, and live rock in the evening. For more information, check Outro Calaf’s website.

6) Listen to Distrito Federal’s hip-hop artists

Born in the outskirts of Distrito Federal (the federal unit where Brasília is located), hip-hop is a culture that exists in the region since the 1990s with artists like Câmbio Negro and Tribo da Periferia. As for the new generation, names like Heitor Valente, Markão Aborígene, Thiago Jamelão, Rebeca Realleza, and Leo RD stand out in the scene.