Hilary Rawk

Sonotheque’s monthly Braziliance night offers a colorful flight of Brazilian music, drinks, film and food.

DJ Joe Bryl, the club’s co-owner, spins his favorite tracks in the Sampa Nova style. He says Sampa Nova has slowly evolved over the past decade and is "a more recent trend in Brazilian music that fuses the indigenous rhythms of the Samba with more modern musical currents like electronica, drum 'n' bass and hip-hop. This intermingling occur[s] rather organically, as most music does, with artists from within and outside of Brazil experimenting with Samba, Choro and Bossa Nova beats. Samba Nova draws on these influences and embellishes their forms within a modern context."

Bryl has been a regular in Chicago’s nightclub scene for the past twenty years and is both a fan and a student of world music. He explains that he "spend[s] a great deal of time listening to a wide range of music [e.g. jazz, African, Latin, funk, R&B, rock] … and [he] look[s] at music as both a social and historical form."

Bryl compares the development of Brazilian music to that of the American jazz movement, saying, "Both fused African and Caribbean rhythms with European elements to create their own unique sound. Samba predates American jazz, starting in Brazil in the late nineteenth century as a dance form and, like jazz, developed in its own particular way due to cultural changes and differences."

The night offers a traditional black beer called Xingu, as well as Brazilian-inspired cocktails like "The Tropicalia" and "The Brazilian Colata," which both use Cahcacha—loosely described as the Brazilian version of rum.

Club-goers also enjoy a glimpse into Bryl’s personal video collection, which he says "can include live musical performances and documentaries. Often they are selected because of the rarity." Bryl has recently screened footage of the Tropicalia movement from 1960’s Brazilian television.

The good folks at Sonotheque have sweetened the deal even more by partnering with Flo Café & Bar to provide a Brazilian menu and free admission to the club with a dinner receipt from Flo on the night of the event.

Joe Bryl DJs "Braziliance" at Sonotheque, 1444 West Chicago, (312)226-7600, on July 5 at 9pm. Free before 10pm, $5 after. Visit sonotheque.net for more info.

(2007-07-02)

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