Modo Solar

Modo Solar

Group from Brazil

Genres: nu jazz, electronic, Blue-Eyed Soul, brazil, nu-jazz

About Modo Solar

The Brazilian duo Modo Solar started out together in 2005. DiMonaco and Barbera are both composers, producers and musicians, creating an electric blend of Brazilian rhythms, soul and funk. According to Rolling Stone magazine "their sonority seems to come from a group of half a dozen musicians with at least three guitars, percussion, mandolin, piano, flute, sitar, and synthesizers". "Natural" is the duo’s first release on Favorite Recordings, and the six-track EP includes two remixes by French producer Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart. Modo Solar are influenced by 70’s brazilian jazz funkers such as Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Azymuth and 70’s American soul music artists. Modo Solar Duo brings back the tradition of writing songs Gian Paolo La Barbera and Fabricio DiMonaco first met in advertising school. The duo comprises Modo Solar, whose sonority seems to come from a group of half a dozen musicians with at least three guitars, percussion, mandolin, piano, flute, sitar, and synthesizers. Barbera started playing at age 16 and has always been in bands. DiMonaco started listening to music at 9 and playing at 11. Barbera was heavily influenced by rock, especially from the 70’s. DiMonaco’s first record was Kiss’s Creatures of the Night (1982). When Barbera’s last band dissolved he decided to dive into Brazilian music. “I studied popular acoustic guitar at Tom Jobim Music Center”. Before splitting, DiMonaco’s last band mixed rock with soul and rap. Unhappiness in their previous bands led them into solo projects. “Dealing with other people to make decisions is a drag”, says Barbera, who, alone, invested in hours of recording studio for a record that was never released. Meanwhile, DiMonaco created his music using computers and electronic tools. “It was more an exercise in composing and songwriting”, he explains. Suddenly they fell in love with each other’s music and decided to join forces. “We met up one morning to try and write something. We started at 10 and by noon we had finished a song.” It was “Modular”, a sound portal that gives access to sensorial experiences such as a sunset at the beach and a mojito in your hands. “We write songs”, explains DiMonaco. Keeping clear of samplers, and critical of the modus operandi of modern creative processes that privilege production instead of composition, the duo, influenced today by the jazz-funk, funk, and soul of North Americans (Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder), Africans (Hugh Masekela, Letta Mbulu), and Brazilians (Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, Tim Maia, Marcos Valle, Deodato, and João Donato), recorded with the collaboration of percussionists Juninho and Marcos Banana, and flautist Gabriela Machado. Modo Solar’s MySpace has already received around four thousand visits and accumulates flattering comparisons with Azymuth and Clube da Esquina. Barbera is thrilled. “We get messages from Finland, Argentina, the U.S., Japan...” Still unsigned, the duo is in no hurry – they are waiting for the right moment. Until then, they don’t know how to refer to their demo CD of five songs. “We don’t even consider it as a record. But many people do”, says Barbera. “The music that we materialize is Modo Solar. It’s all we know”, ends DiMonaco. Márcio Cruz Rolling Stone Magazine Brazil

Taken from Last.fm

1,348 listeners  ·  5,605 plays via Last.fm