São Paulo Underground
Sauna: Um, Dois, Três

Like a bolt from the blue, Sauna: Um, Dois, Tres by Sau Paulo Underground, whether because I didn't even know of the project's existence, or because managing to blend electronics, jazz, bossa nova, and avant-garde in a fresh and relaxing way isn’t a talent everyone possesses. Also, I discovered the mastermind is hyperactive Rob Mazurek (Chicago Underground, Tortoise, Tigersmilk), practically synonymous with quality, along with South American percussionist Mauricio Takara.

This is a physical album first and foremost, with both composers working on computers, samplers, and electronics (in addition to trumpet, piano, and drums), and it’s the electro-analog component that makes the opening title track grounded and present, magically shifting almost unnoticed from ethereal free jazz to an enveloping and hypnotic melancholic bass. Reminiscences of Davis's Bitches Brew can be found in "Pombaral," a spectacular warm and fluid funky track, nine minutes that flow and cleanse, condensing into a single black block, then re-exploding and extending again. The off-kilter refrain in "Realm of The Ripper" is just an introduction to the dreamy Olhosssss, with Boards of Canada having fun (and entertaining), a trumpet bouncing on electronic tricks, slowed-down Squarepusher, which loses aggression and gains in chromatic range while AFRIHOUSE, here it is, the track I was looking for, with a mad groove, intertwining black and white matrices, clean air in the lungs, a sun that warms but doesn’t burn, pure soul coming from above, it’s undoubtedly blessed by David Byrne. Not content with all of this, they (successfully) attempt electropop with "Black Liquor," then dive into the tribal ride of "Balao De Gas," from which they extract a trumpet that sweetly embeds itself in your head and never leaves, only to then fall asleep quietly with Numa Grana, voices filtered by who knows what idea.