Heard this on Gideon Coe's BBC Radio 6Music show last week... Junip's ‘Oba, Lá Vem Ela' is a cover of a track by the legendary Brazilian musician Jorge Ben... of course I didn't know that until I researched more about this song for this brief feature. Over the last few years I have become a lot more open to music of different cultures, perhaps owing something to the fact that my hero Damon Albarn has been dabbling in world music for quite a few years now... But I still have no awareness of this Jorge Ben character. One thing I do know is that this song is fantastic, and if the original is as good as this, I must seek out some of Ben's recordings. A dark, slinky funk groove meets shimmering acoustic guitars, the fantastic instrumentation growing bolder throughout, before a deliciously spacey synth towards the end provides the cherry on the icing. This can be found on the ‘Brazilian Beats 7' compilation, celebrating 25 years of Mr Bongo Records. According to the press release "This compilation continues the label’s persistent dedication to shining a light on the country’s wealthy musical heritage, both past and present. The hype surrounding all things Brazilian will only increase in the coming months due to the fast approaching 2014 World Cup. Brazilian rhythm fever is brewing." Indeed. Junip are a psychedelic folk trio from Sweden, consisting of childhood friends José González (guitar, vocals), Elias Araya (drums) and Tobias Winterkorn (organ, moog). http://www.mrbongo.com/https://twitter.com/junip_musichttps://www.facebook.com/junipmusic
