Venezuela: Brazilian Music in Venezuela's Web 2.0

The cultural relationship between Brazil and Venezuela is commonly seen in the way carnival is celebrated and in the high ratings Brazilian soap operas have enjoyed in Venezuela for many years. But today, at a time when the web is made by the people, we see other manifestations that show a profound appreciation for Brazilian culture through its music. Through blogs, MySpace and YouTube, Venezuelan groups share their arrangements and interpretations of Brazilian music.

Petrusco, an engineer, blogger, musician and percussionist, is one of these Venezuelans spreading his love for Brazilian music online. In his blog Petruscosas [es] he shares photographs from his concerts and his thoughts about Brazilian music and life in Venezuela:

Luego de estar algunos años sambando sabroso por estas calles y locales así como también grabando junto con hermanos músicos verdaderos, bellas personas, talentosos, profesores, estudiantes y hasta familiares, me gustaría pensar que puedo ayudar un poco a entender y tocar esa clave “tramposa” que usan los brasileros en el samba la cual, por tendencia natural, “criollizamos” sin querer.

After spending some years dancing samba through streets and venues as well as recording with fellow real musicians, beautiful, talented people, teachers, students and even family, I think that I can help others a little to understand and play that “playful” key used by Brazilians in samba in which, by natural tendency, we have accidentally “adapted to the local flavor.”

And in his post “Caracas, Carioca” [es] [pt] he mixes styles, images and languages:

Yo imagino Río como mi propia ciudad
pero multiplicada 100 veces, una enormidad
con muchas calles oscuras como si fueran de noche
y otras que parecen pleno día de tan iluminadas
en el aire flotando un olor a ciudad obstinada
y el asfalto pulsando a ritmo de batucada
o salsa brava

Eu imagino Rio como a minha cidade
mas multiplicada cem vezes, uma enormidade
com muitas ruas obscuras como si fosse a noite
e outras que parecem meio dia de tão iluminadas
no ar frota um olor a cidade obstinada
y o asfalto pulsando ao ritmo de batucada
Ou de salsa brava

Con sabor a cachaça como aquí Ron
un gol como un jonrón
y la playa siempre anhelada entre tanto concreto
me imagino Rio como esto que vivo pero batiendo en samba
y más inimaginable de lo que creo
como mis calles de Caracas me son más cotidianas
de lo que pienso

Com sabor a cachaça como aqui Ron
um gol como um jonrón
e a praia sempre ansiada entre tanto concreto
eu imagino Rio como isto que eu vivo pero batendo em samba
e mais inimaginável de o que eu acho
como as minhas ruas de Caracas são mais cotidianas
de o que eu penso

I imagine Rio as my own city
but multiplied 100 times, something huge
with many dark streets as if it were nighttime
and others that look like broad daylight because they are so bright
in the air floating a smell of a stubborn city
and asphalt throbbing to the rhythm of the batucada
or salsa brava

With the flavor of cachaça as it tastes like Rum here
a goal as a home run
and always longing for the beach in the middle of so much concrete
I imagine Rio is like what I live here but in samba beat
and more unimaginable than what I think
as my streets in Caracas are more common to me
than what I think

Furthermore, through his YouTube channel he shares videos of concerts with his band Pimenteira Brasil:

In the same channel he posts videos of other Venezuelan groups playing Brazilian music:

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