By Gregory Scruggs, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Only a few blocks from the corner that gave birth to the sweet acoustic strains of “The Girl From Ipanema,” Oi Futuro Ipanema will host the second Geração Eletrônica II (Electronic Generation II) and remind visitors that Rio – and Brazil – is also justly known for its more recent musical innovations. The exhibit runs from May 20th to July 3rd and will showcase the work of 31 DJs and music producers from across Brazil, in addition to panel discussions with industry insiders.
The hope is to turn Oi Futuro into a “day club,” with a constantly rotating schedule of live sets and recorded performances that highlight how technology can be used to make music in today’s age. “With the availability of new technology, do-it-yourself is now in everyone’s reach,” explains Tom Leão, artistic director of the event.
The inaugural edition, shown in Brasília in 2005 and Rio soon after in 2006, sought to introduce electronic music to a broader public. Five years later, with electronic music more mainstream, Geração Eletrônica II will profile several new names that have emerged on the Brazilian scene, like Carioca mash-up maestro João Brasil and São Paulo’s underground house producer Renato Patriarca.
The new will be featured alongside the classic as well, such as Ramilson Maia, better known as recording artist RAM Science. In addition to playing a live set, he will also make the Brazilian debut on May 20th and 21st of an audiovisual performance he perfected on his last European tour.
Rio partygoers will likely recognize some of the talent on display, including party photographer Eduardo Llerena, the nightlife blog PartyBusters, Fosfobox owner Cabbet Araújo, and multimedia collective Apavoramento Sound System. The latter will perform on May 27th and 28th with their characteristic blend of electro and funk Carioca in addition to live visuals for a rich multisensory experience.
Mary Fê, a stalwart of Rio’s nascent noise scene, will present her new piece Solucionática Modular, in which she transforms her body into an electronic instrument and becomes a traveling show, starting on the street and carrying the sound into the theater.
While Rio will get plenty of billing, the emphasis is definitely national, with plenty of representation from São Paulo, the electronic music capital of Brazil and a major point on the map worldwide. In addition to the aforementioned RAM Science, other Paulista scenesters on hand include DJ Flanicx and Ronaldo Mendonça, from the top nightclub D-Edge.
Outside of the Rio/São Paulo axis, there is a healthy dose of other Brazilian talent, including DJs from Sergipe and Rio Grande do Sul who submitted mixes that were selected for the exhibit and VJs from Brasilía, Belém, and Porto Alegre will animate the screens at Oi Futuro.
With six weeks of attractions, Brazilian beat fiends won’t lack for a warm-up before heading out for their next night on the town.
Geração Eletrônica II
May 20th-July 3rd, Tuesday-Sunday, 1PM-9PM, free.
Oi Futuro Ipanema, Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 54/3º andar.
Tel – (21) 3201-3010.
Full schedule of events here.