Song of the Day: Rosalia de Souza “Bossa 31”

Rosalia de Souza‘s dreamy “Bossa 21” is a product of her work with Italian house musician and producer, Nicola Conte. While she is not terribly well-known outside of Brazil, this a real pity as de Souza manages to play bossa that is both very much of the tradition set down by the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, João Gilberto and Sergio Mendes while also including modern sounds and elements. As a result, de Souza‘s sound is very much an update of the classic 60s bossa sound.

“Bossa 21” is a great example of this, sounding like it could have been recorded in Rio circa 1964 or so with the exception of a few modern production flourishes and a subtle House beat inserted just below the surface, lending the song to modern remix culture. The song also includes a number of “breaks”, allowing it to be more completely exploited by modern DJs.