BEM QUERER / AMOR DOENTE [7']

Floating into our inbox on the East winds came a mysterious bunch of tracks by a mesmerising new act called Curio Curio, which we simply couldnt ignore. Named after a vibrant Brazilian songbird, Curio Curio consists of singer, lyricist, and actress Luiza Monteiro, based in Austria, and producer and musician Dustin Braun from Germany. Together, the duo brings a fresh voice and a twist on MPB, taking influences from 1970s Brazil and blending them into a modern fusion of psychedelic, MPB, disco, and samba. Curio Curios vocalist, Luiza Monteiro, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and raised listening to the rich sounds of MPB. She started taking classical singing lessons weekly by the age of 14, and later developed a career in acting, skills of which she brings with her into her songwriting. You may be familiar with Dustins production through his recent collaborations with the Turkish artist Peki Momes on Mocambo Records, or by his earlier incarnations, including a neo-soul release on Sichtexot and projects with Village Live Records and HHVs record label. His music has a tangible analogue warmth and a feeling of a real band performing live. For this 7-inch release, Bem Querer (Beloved in English) takes the A side. In it, Luiza calls a missed love to come close and dance with her. Even without an understanding of Portuguese, this feeling and energy radiates throughout the production; one of partying together, loving each other, living in ecstasy, feeling pleasure, and freedom. Built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super catchy sing-along chorus, that collective, carnival energy comes in part due to the choir that Dustin and Luiza assembled. A group of Brazilian friends, some of whom Dustin met whilst DJing in Leipzig, joined together in the studio. Half of them were non-professional singers, bringing that organic atmosphere of Rios streets to the recording.The B-side Amor Doente has a more bitter-sweet taste; the song speaks playfully about a relationship that goes on without really developing. Both parties cannot fully commit to each other, but they are also unable to end it. The production, however, has a delicious loose funk groove, sun-soaked and sultry. Dustin wrote the instrumental with Lucy Liebe, who joins on bass, guitar, synths, and trumpet, with Max Lobner also featuring on trumpet. A track that is equally adept at warming up a dancefloor as it is closing out a night.We were genuinely blown away by the vibrancy and joy of this new project when we first heard it, instantly feeling like a familiar friend. In the bands own words, Curio Curio is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic.