
Intimate Brazilian folk reimagined through a digital lens. Acoustic guitars meet subtle glitches and warm samples for a quiet, modern take on bossa nova.
Lucas Santtana creates music that feels like a bridge between the golden age of Brazilian bossa nova and the experimental fringes of modern electronica. His sound is anchored by the nylon-string guitar, but it is never purely traditional. Instead, he treats the guitar as a source of data, sampling and looping its textures to create rhythmic beds that feel both ancient and futuristic. It is music that breathes, full of space and quiet intention.
What truly sets Santtana apart is his 'electroacoustic' philosophy. He doesn't just add beats to folk songs; he deconstructs the very DNA of Brazilian music. You might hear the faint crackle of a vinyl record, the sound of a room, or a digital hiccup that mimics a percussion instrument. His vocals are consistently intimate, often delivered in a soft, conversational style that makes the listener feel like they are sharing a private moment in a quiet room in Bahia.
For those new to his work, 'Sem Nostalgia' is the essential starting point. It is a conceptual masterpiece where every sound, including the percussion, is derived from the acoustic guitar. From there, explore 'O Paraíso' for a more lush, environmentally conscious sound, or '3 Sessions in a Greenhouse' for a deeper dive into his dub and reggae influences. It is the perfect soundtrack for moments of reflection and quiet creativity.
Lucas Mascarenhas Santana (born October 18, 1970), known as his stage name Lucas Santtana, is a Brazilian singer, composer and producer from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In his CD, Sem Nostalgia (YB Music, 2009), he recreates the Brazilian guitar tradition, mixing up sounds from the 1950s, like João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi, with mashups, samples and his own creations. His album O Céu É Velho Há Muito Tempo was considered one of the 25 best Brazilian albums of the second half of 2019 by the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA). APCA also chose his album O Paraíso as one of the 50 best Brazilian albums of 2023.
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