Audio By Carbonatix
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Shortly after releasing Bebel Gilberto’s phenomenally successful Tanto Tempo, Six Degrees commissioned numerous producers to try their hands at remixing this Brazilian royalty. Considering how Gilberto’s latest self-titled effort evolved her bossa-tinged sound, there’s little surprise that this second edition of dance-based mutations followed suit. Gilberto’s strength is in her backing team; her voice is painfully beautiful at times, though her true musical domination resides on the incredible artistry behind her. Brooklyn-based DJ Spinna jump-starts numero dos with down-tempo home-grown flavor, a bass-heavy head-nodding translation of “Céu Distante.” Tom Middletown picks it up with a dreamy rendition of “Simplesmente,” and Thievery Corporation’s treatment of “Cada Beijo” is made for lounges, 18th Street or otherwise. But it’s the Latin Project that sets off the record properly with a keyboard-led bottom-heavy version of “Aganjú” — already masterfully crafted by Carlinhos Brown — that’s the hands-down winner. Later, when Spiritual South tweaks the same song into a quirky, electroclashing floor jammer, you’ll appreciate the attempt. Then you’ll press rewind again to lose yourself in a fit of Portuguese wizardry.
