“Brazilian trio mash ’60s flower power with traditional tropicialia and samba, upping the chill factor ten fold.â€
Continuing the trilogy of The Plus 2’s, Moreno/Domenico/Kassin+2, Futurismo nimbly threads the lyricism and playfulness of its predecessors Music Typewriter (2001) and Sincerely Hot (2004). The +2’s arrive on the scene again, this time alongside other bands from Brazil, like Bonde de Role and CSS, all of whom demonstrate that music from other places is no longer considered outside of the mainstream. The album includes tracks that feature collaborative work with Sean O’Hagan (High Llamas) who co-wrote and sings with Kassin on ‘Ya Ya Ya’ and ‘Back Bow,’ and additional instrumentation and production from John McEntire (Tortoise) on the song ‘Lakeline.’
With a rising profile as a producer for popular Brazilian artists, including Bebel Gilberto and Marisa Monte, this album closes the Plus 2 trilogy, but opens up a new realm of musical possibilities for the leader of Brazil’s new garde.
Press Hearts Kassin and The Plus +2’s:
Rolling Stone Breaking Band – Â May 2007 on Kassin +2
“Their hour long set sums up the +2’s distinct, hard to classify sound: the Band touches on an array of Brazilian styles- in particular, bossa nova and samba, the pounding dance beat that’s the soul of Brazil’s carnival parades. But it’s all jumbled together and run through samplers, meaty guitars and rocking drums. At one point, +2’s sound like a Seventies punk band with a Latin crooner; at another they sound like  TV on the Radio jamming with the Buena Vista Social Club.â€
The Fader Domenico +2
“…shit hot hot shit from their album Sincerely Hotâ€
Entertainment Weekly Moreno +2
“Music Typewriter puts Moreno in the thick of next-generation Brazilian movement that combines deep roots with dazzling new branches.â€
| Kassin, Futurismo’s main songwriter, producer, and lead singer, is known for his bass playing and avant-gardism.  With Futurismo, he skirts the expectations of those who associate him most with experimentalism.  He has created a classic sounding album that reflects the heart of his own record collection.  It overflows with a mix of samba, garage rock, and bolero, all of which is inflected with electronic flourishes and bubbles of bossa nova.
For the past few years, Kassin has been one of the most exciting names in Brazilian music. From his Monoaural Studio in Gavea he has produced records by singers like Marisa Monte and Bebel Gilberto and made an album from the bleeps of a Gameboy. He has played bass for Caetano Veloso’s live shows and masterminded the Orchestra Imperial project, in which samba classics are given a modern twist by a loose and ever-expanding live band. And given his status as a leader of Brazil’s musical avant-garde, the biggest surprise of Futurismo is its bossa-rooted accessibility. The songs on Futurismo are melodic gems. They were written at different periods in Kassin’s life and recorded quickly, mostly on acoustic instruments with electronic flourishes added later. |
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TOUR DATES
12.7- Â Museum of Fine Arts- Boston
12.9- Yoshi’s- San Fransico
12.10-  Hotel Café- Los Angeles
12.11- Â Cedar Cultural Center- Minneapolis
12.12- Â Detroit Institute of Arts- Detroit
12.13– Â Old Town School of Folk- Chicago