Latinaotearoa's third studio album Influencis et Collabis collaborates with Kiwi music icons Nathan Haines and Laughton Kora, as well as hip hop artists Black Alien, Melowdownz and Team Dynamite
Influencis et Collabis is set to be released on July 27 through Mucho Aroha Records.
To celebrate the release, the band are taking their unique brand of latin soul on the road:
Thursday July 26th - Album Listening at Ante Social (Auckland)
Friday July 27th - Darkroom (Christchurch)*
Saturday July 28th - Yonder (Queenstown)
Friday August 3rd - Laundry (Wellington)
Saturday August 4th - The Common Room (Hawkes Bay)
Friday August 10th - Whammy Bar (Auckland)*
Saturday August 11th - Sly Fox (Sydney)
Sunday August 12th - Section 8 (Melbourne)
*Tickets on sale from undertheradar.co.nz
LATINAOTEAROA - INFLUENCIS ET COLLABIS
From the smooth salsa of Oscar D’Leon to the rolling guaracha of Celia Cruz and the groove of Jorge Ben, Latinaotearoa is all about our influences. The artists playing on the radio while growing up in South America inspired us to embark upon our musical journey. Today, these unique rhythms fuel us – in the studio, on stage and throughout life. This album acknowledges the positive effect these musicians have had on our Aotearoa band. By creating Latin inspired collaborations with some of New Zealand's finest musicians, we hope to one day help influence the next generation. - Bobby Brazuka
Latinaotearoa have embarked on their most adventurous project yet – an almost spiritual journey through the latin and soul influences that inspired their musical careers. The album is a collection of original songs that Brazilian band leader Bobby Brazuka and Venezualan front woman Jennifer Zea selected to be given the Latinaotearoa treatment, alongside a host of handpicked collaborators.
Influencis et Collabis covers a broad range of genres, from traditional South American styles like samba and bossa nova to modern soul and hip hop.
The new album consists of contemporary re-workings of classic material; 'Leave It' featuring the Portuguese narrative from Rio de Janeiro rapper Black Alien, the hugely successful bossa nova meets West Coast hip hop track 'Jazzy Samba', featuring Team Dynamite and an upbeat version of Raphael Saadiq's neo-soul cult classic 'Skyy, Can You Feel Me', featuring Laughton Kora.
Other standout collaborations include 'One Tree Bossa' featuring jazz great Nathan Haines & multi-talented Julien Dyne, 'Luz y Fiesta' combines forces with Auckland's four piece electronic hip hop group Yoko-Zuna and 'Under the Sun' features the rising West-Auckland rapper Melodownz.
The nine explorative tracks which make up Influencis Et Collabis blends distinct South American flavours with the innovative brilliance of some of New Zealand's most talented musicians. The result is an album that redefines the boundaries of modern latin music – with Aotearoa being its new frontier.
The stunning cover art was created by Japanese psych-pop artist Tokio Aoyama and the album recorded at Studio 509 in Auckland.
