Zumbi do Mato

Zumbi do Mato (roughly translated into English as "Zombie from the Grasslands") was a Brazilian experimental and noise rock band from Rio de Janeiro famous for their humorous, surreal songs, written in a stream of consciousness-esque way and filled with acerbic allusions to popular culture – referencing in particular aspects such as Western philosophy and literature, daily life in Brazil, and real-life public figures and fictional characters from different forms of media –, technobabble, scatology, nonsense, and elaborate metafictional devices, word plays and puns.

Zumbi do Mato
OriginRio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
GenresExperimental rock, noise rock, comedy rock, math rock, psychedelic rock, minimal music
Years active1989–2013
LabelsQualé Maluco Records, Tamborete Records, Deckdisc
Past membersSee below

Having amassed a strong cult following throughout the mid-1990s and 2000s which lasts to the present day, the group had many different line-ups during its tenure; the only members to remain on a consistent basis were vocalist/trombonist/lyricist Löis Lancaster, keyboardist/lyricist/illustrator Marlos Salustiano, bassist/lyricist Zé Felipe[Note 1] (the band's only remaining founding member until his departure in 2009), and drummer Henrique Ludgero, with the noticeable absence of a guitarist. Some of their most well-known compositions are "Potinho de Anhanha", "Tiroteio do Esqueleto sem Cabeça", "O Buraco do Jabor", "O Alien que Veio pro Espaço" and "Primo Pobre do Kassin", and among their vast musical influences they count Frank Zappa, David Bowie, King Crimson, Arrigo Barnabé, Damião Experiença (with whom they played a show in 2009), Iannis Xenakis, John Cage, and Tom Waits.

History

Zumbi do Mato was formed in 1989, and released two demo tapes by the early to mid-1990s, the eponymous Zumbi do Mato (1992) and Macacomóvel (1995),[1] which catapulted them into fame in the underground circuit. Macacomóvel in particular caught the attention of producer BNegão (also a member of rap rock group Planet Hemp), who signed them to his label Qualé Maluco Records in 1997; their debut album, Menorme, came out through the label the same year and was lauded by the likes of singer and poet Rogério Skylab and music critic Alexandre Matias.[2][3] Two follow-ups, Pesadelo na Discoteca and Adorei a Mesinha, came out in 2000 and 2005 respectively by Tamborete Records.[4][5]

In 2008 the band self-released their only live album, Toma, Figurão, recorded at a gig in Niterói and initially available for free download on their now-defunct official website; as of now, it can be purchased on their Bandcamp page. The album would later be included in website La Cumbuca's list of the Top 200 Brazilian Albums of the 2000s, in 121st place.[6] In 2010 the EP Saideira do Zé, their final release with original bassist Zé Felipe (and final release overall), came out, containing studio outtakes from the Toma, Figurão sessions; the recordings, dating from 2008–09, were originally planned to be included in a deluxe physical release of Toma, Figurão which never came through. A DVD of Zumbi do Mato's performance was also scheduled to be released at some point, but those plans were eventually scrapped as well.[7]

Zumbi do Mato played its final show on January 13, 2013,[8] after which Löis Lancaster announced the band's end.[9]

Legacy

Zumbi do Mato is known for its association with another famous musician of the Rio de Janeiro underground scene, Rogério Skylab; he has claimed it is one of his favorite bands and major influences,[10] and at times has collaborated with members of the band. Skylab and Löis Lancaster sing the duet "Samba", included in his live albums Skylab II (2000) and Skylab IX (2009), and he was also a guest musician on the band's 2000 album Pesadelo na Discoteca (on the tracks "São Abdul", "Doente Porém Vivo", "Calendário 1999" and "Humilharal"). Zé Felipe and Marlos Salustiano co-wrote a handful of tracks of Skylab's 2007 album Skylab VII, and in 2009 Felipe and Skylab released a collaborative album, Rogério Skylab & Orquestra Zé Felipe, originally intended as a full-fledged collaboration between him and Zumbi do Mato.[11] Lancaster was also an interviewee for Skylab's talk show Matador de Passarinho.

A documentary about Zumbi do Mato's history, entitled Quem É Mais Idiota do que Eu?, was directed by Vítor Rocha and released to YouTube in 2017.[12] To celebrate the film's release, the band's catalogue was remastered and re-released digitally by Deckdisc.[13][14]

Lancaster released his debut solo album, Malva, in 2017.[15] Besides his musical career, he published in 2003 the short poetry anthology Ceneida, and also co-wrote the experimental novel Palmyra with Eliana Pougy, which came out in 2011 by Confraria do Vento.[16]

Marlos Salustiano released his first solo album, Animal Apócrifo, back in 2001.[17] As fine artist he did one individual show in 2004, called "Macróbios 1,5" in Goiânia (CCC - Centro Cultural Chafariz) and took part in the collective "Art Takes Time Square" in 2012.[18] More recently, in 2017, as "MarSaL" (contraction of his former artistic name), he launched his second solo album "AUTOMEMETERONIMONOMANO",[19] a surreoconcrette sonic adventure[20] with special guests Gustavo Jobim (former Zumbi keyboardist), Julian Quilodran (Módulo 1000) and Péricles Cavalcanti, paying homage to Noigandres, seminal Brazilian group of concrete poetry formed by Décio Pignatari, Haroldo de Campos and Augusto de Campos (with whom Marlos exchanged letters and sent a copy of Menorme in 1997).

Discography

Studio albums
Year Album
1997 Menorme
  • Label: Qualé Maluco Records
  • Format: CD
2000 Pesadelo na Discoteca
  • Label: Tamborete Records
  • Format: CD
2005 Adorei a Mesinha
  • Label: Tamborete Records
  • Format: CD

Live album
Year Album
2008 Toma, Figurão
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital streaming

Extended play
Year Album
2010 Saideira do Zé
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital streaming

Demos
Year Album
1992 Zumbi do Mato
1995 Macacomóvel
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Cassette tape

Members

Final line-up
  • Löis Lancaster – vocals, trombone (1994–2013), bass guitar (2010–2013)
  • Gustavo Jobim – keyboards (2005–2013)
  • Sandro Rodrigues – drums (2010–2013)

Former members
  • Tadeu Aor – vocals (1989)
  • Alessandro "Fumê" Camacho – vocals (1989–1994)
  • Zé Felipe – bass guitar (1989–2009)
  • André Mansur – bass guitar (2010)
  • Luciano Callado – keyboards (1989)
  • Marlos Salustiano – keyboards (1990–2000)
  • Ricardo Dias – keyboards (2000–2005)
  • Érico Garcia – drums (1989–1992)
  • Bernardo Carvalho – drums (1995–1998)
  • Marcelo Pancinha – drums (1998)
  • Henrique Ludgero – drums (1998–2005)
  • David Oliveira – drums (2006)
  • Renzo Braz – drums (2006–2010)
  • Fábio Bola – electronic drum (2010)

Notes
  1. Not to be mistaken with the sertanejo universitário singer of the same name.

References
  1. "Zumbi do Mato – Macacomóvel". Deckdisc.com.br. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. "Disco Furado: Zumbi do Mato "Menorme" (Qualé Maluco Records, 1997)". Discofurado.blogspot.com. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. "Menorme". Deckdisc.com.br. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  4. "Zumbi do Mato – Pesadelo na Discoteca". Deckdisc.com.br. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  5. "Zumbi do Mato – Adorei a Mesinha". Deckdisc.com.br. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  6. 200 Discos Nacionais dos Anos 00 - A lista completa (in Portuguese)
  7. "2008 Toma, Figurão (ao vivo), by Zumbi do Mato". Zumbi do Mato. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  8. "Zumbi do Mato encerra atividades com a formação mais recente". Olho Vivo (in Portuguese). January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  9. Eduardo Rodrigues (January 16, 2013). "O fim do Zumbi do Mato". O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  10. "Bate-papo com Rogério Skylab - Arquivo - Bate-papo com convidados - Bate-papo UOL". Tc.batepapo.uol.com.br. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  11. "Rogério Skylab & Orquestra Zé Felipe (2009; s/g, Brasil)". Camarilhadosquatro.wordpress.com. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  12. "Quem É Mais Idiota do que Eu?". YouTube. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  13. Júlia Amin (December 13, 2016). "Zumbi do Mato e seu rock experimental são relembrados em filme". O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  14. "O Inimigo – Música por quem gosta de música". 9 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-12-09. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  15. Amanda Cavalcanti (April 10, 2017). "Löis Lancaster brinca com os limites da canção em 'Malva'". Noisey (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  16. "PALMYRA". Confraria do Vento (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  17. "ANIMAL APÓCRIFO (2001)". SoundCloud (in Portuguese). Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  18. "Marlos in NY" (2012)". Art Takes Times Square. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  19. "MarSaL - AUTOMEMETERONIMONOMANO (2012)". Bandcamp (in Portuguese). Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  20. "MarSaL's Schizo-Bop". Botequim de Idéias (in Portuguese). 23 August 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
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