Sem Nostalgia

Brazilian Lucas Santtana's first UK release contains a mixture of hyperactive mash-ups, soothing melodies and funky guitar workouts, all initially composed on acoustic guitar and voice. It's both a tribute to Brazilian greats such as João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi, who perfected those two instruments in Brazilian music, and a riposte to the musicians who've failed to hone their formula since. Here, Santtana attempts to make up for those lost years in one fell swoop, cutting up the guitar riffs of those greats on album opener ‘Super Violão Mashup’ until they resemble the kind of shapes that you'd expect from Squarepusher or Coldcut. The album's title (Without Nostalgia) could not be more appropriate.

Since his first album, Eletro Ben Dodo (1999), Santtana has been capable of writing blisteringly infectious grooves, as typified by ‘Who Can Say Which Way’ and ‘I Can't Live Far from my Music’. Yet this is an album which has a quieter side too, highlighted by ‘Ripple of the Water’, recorded at night in Rio's Botanical Gardens with just the sound of Santtana's voice and guitar, with the insects coming to life in the background. This nocturnal effect is continued on ‘Hold Me In’ and ‘Night Time in the Backyard, two collaborations with Arto Lindsay that help ensure English is the dominant language on the album.

The addition of sampled guitars played as programmed drum beats turn the sound of ‘Amor Em Jacuma’ and ‘Cira, Regina E Nana’ into something close to the electro-folk of Four Tet or Tunng. Santtana infuses Brazilian music with his own unique ideas, while also possessing the voice and craft to make those ideas work. In the process he has put himself in the company of progressive-minded musicians the world over.