I was in the north of Brazil in the state of Para. I made the trip for two days from the coast down into the Amazon to arrive in Santarem, the last stop before the state of Amazonas. There is a little place called Alter do Chão outside of Santarem which they call the carribean of the Amazon and it is. During the dry season the rivers descend and the beaches grow to be endless. I was continuing my study of the Amazonic swing, Carimbo and was told that this was another one of its sources. The original plan was after fulfilling my studies, to continue onto Colombia and travel up Central America, eventually returning to the US. That changed though...
Being in the land of Ayahuasca (an ancient forest medicine used by the indiginous populations) I decided at the right moment,when it found me (I have never searched for these sorts of things, they have always appeared for me at the right time) to see what it was all about. I ended up meeting a crew from an agroecological site and traded working the land there for the medicine in return. My task was digging a hole for a dry bathroom, which was a foot over my head when finished. Nothing like two days of digging to prepare yourself for a spiritual cleaning. During the ceremony, the guides set the atmosphere. It was a combination of silence and music to lift or calm the vibrations. Simply put, it is a profound state of meditation. Among various visions and feelings I had, one was an overwhelming sensation that I needed to return to Rio De Janeiro (where I lived for three years) and record aother album. An undeniable calling that I needed to register at least some of what I had learned though my travels. So I returned (over the course of two years) and did just that.
The result are these nine tracks and my first full album as Vini De Groove. Composed with alot of profound thought and feeling, these songs are a few of my interpretations of some of the rhythms I encountered in my tour of Brazil including: Coco de Raiz, Maracatu, Bumba-Meu-Boi, Carimbo, and Frevo.