May 5, 2023
Luaka Bop
1xLP
Out of all the artists to come out of Brazil’s Tropicalia movement, the one who had to wait the longest to receive their due was Tom Ze. Maybe the most radical and experimental of any of the Tropicalia artists, stardom alluded him for decades as he continually released mind bending music on his own until Talking Heads frontman David Byrne stumbled across one of his albums while on a trip to Brazil in the mid 80s and was completely blown away. This led to Ze being signed to Byrne’s then-new label, Luaka Bop, and a huge reissue campaign for Ze but also his Tropicalia peers which brought him and others to new audiences in the rest of the world. It’s the classic music story of a brilliant artist wallowing in obscurity for years before finally receiving his due. The music is also great. Should mention that too.