I do not speak Portuguese. While I’m focusing my learning brain on Spanish, Italian (with some French distraction) it’s going to take a little while to get to that study, although I think it one of the most beautiful of poetic languages. For now, it’s mostly music to my ears. For Dialectic in December we were gifted a short mix from Miguel Dorneles, aka DJ Cheech, aka RadioMixtape21, aka a Nave ..... resident connoisseur of alternative Brazilian music for online radio Groovalizacion and producer of Brazil's spoken word / music crew Freak Out Muzik. Miguel's mix features some great tracks from Bixiga 70 to Digital Dubs, via Fela Soul, Ky-Many Marley, Anelis Assumpção, Criolo and Toots and the Maytals.

As Dialectic is taking a break over summer, and this is such a perfect summer mix, I don’t want my southern friends to miss it so here's the link! ->

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/30121644" iframe="true" /]

I had been attempting to get Miguel “on the phone” for the best part of the last six months, but our language barrier, not to mention being on opposite sides of the clock, has meant we never managed to chat live for the Dialectic show. One day, magare!

For now, to celebrate the music of this language and to share the inspiration back and forth, here is a short Lapkat mix em português, also made for the radio show:

[playlist ids="4865"]

... In there, a couple of my favourite Freak Out Muzik cuts, mixed up with vintage tropicalia / poesia concreta sounds of the '60s/'70s, and, recent afro-brazilian and samba beats from Maga Bo (the remix of the Blick Bassy feat. Lenine track with percussion by João Hermeto) - and, from DJ Farrapo & Yanez with Botecoeletro, ‘Oliveto’ – a track I consider a good antidote to the passionless "1,2,3,4repeat" house music I found myself dancing to new years’ eve … Speaking of passion, a slow burn from Adriana Cavalcante with Patricktor4 is also in there.

The stars of this mix are really Miguel and his father poet Byra Dornelles and their many collaborators in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and across Brazil. I've talked about them in here more than once. Their work really inspired me to go on explorations through the tradition of poetry in Brasil. So it's been an enriching collaboration so far even though we cannot speak!  As Freak Out Muzik / A Palavra Electrica Miguel, Byra and co are an exploration in themselves. The mashups of MaickNuclear to the dark electronic sounds surrounding the voice of Sheyla de Castilho, the collaborative album LICIAMENTOS & ALUCINAÇOES, other collaborators and projects include Beatriz Bajo, Clauky Boom, Marcelo Ariel, Lucky Leminski, PSILOSAMPLES, (Byra, Miguel, Dj Robhinson) … not to mention, Radio MixTape#21 releasing music and also hosting regular Web Radio - http://www.mixtape21.com - there you'll hear from african beat, jazz, dub, samba to Brazilian rare grooves of the’70s, from Miguel, at the heart of it.

Feliz Ano Novo ...Is that right? Não faz mal. Let’s dance!

( PS "stay tuned" to http://dialecticradio.net or to http://www.uberlingua.com for Dialectic updates. The show is taking a break over summer 2012. )