brazil. brazil,he land of samba, football, and beautiful people. but there's more to this place than the carnival in rio or the rainforests. i'm traveling to a lesser known region, at least from the western point of view--the northeast state of paranambuco. the last time i was here was in 2008. i got me a bunch of albums, local stuff. on the plane, after reaching cruising altitude, i ordered cachaca on the rocks and slammed in the earbuds. the music had me flying even higher. it was a traditional paranambuco sound fused with rock, funk, hip hop, and reggae. it was something completely open-minded and

unashamed, music that didn't give a [bleep] about norms, melting together styles as it pleased, and in the pcess, creating something new and original. this movement started in 1991 and it's known as mangue beats. but i'm here to see what the musical situation is in recife now, over two decades later. [music playing] i'm sami yaffa, and i'm a rock 'n' rolling globe trotter with an endless curiosity about all things musical. this is my exploration into why music is so important to us all. this is "sound tracker." [music playing] [band playing]

[singing in portuguese] sami: punk has a long tradition in brazil. devotos was one of the country's first hard-core bands and is known all over the world by fans of the genre. devotos comes from the infamous favela of alto jose pinho. the members of the band still live here and help the community by organizing music lessons, concerts, and different events for the local youths. devotos try to keep the kids off the streets and off the drugs. with the power of hard-core punk. the band's guitar is neilton, builds world-class axes, amps, and pedals. diy is the only way in the favela. [singing in portuguese]

[singing in portuguese] sami: with your lyrics, with the

devotos lyrics on your records, are they politically inclined? are they talking about the situation in the neighborhoods where you grew up? sami: is neigorhood heard thaused to kind ofough. younow? ad, uh, an--do ou think that music and bands can affect neighborhoods and bring consciousness to their situation and try to make people's lives better?

sami: terveet kadet. man in backseat: he always played with the shirt of this finnish band. always. he had this shirt. it was black and became white. [speaking portuguese]

sami: devotos seems to be like a diy band. do it yourself. you started your own radio station and made your own thing happen without much help from other people. how did you end up starting making amplifiers?

sami: yeah. well, good luck with everything, man. that's really great, man. absolutely. inspirational, man. [music playing]

[singing in portuguese] sami: recife is filled wit talented musicians. what is it that makes this place so unique? this is what i will discuss with karina buhr and isaar franca, members of the original manguebeat tribe. [isaar franca speaking]

[singing in portuguese] sami: playing beach football at midnight with these kids is the best possible ending for a wonderful day. i get some cokes, some beers from the bar and bump into a couple of

enchanting ladies. woman: ♪ are are the world ♪ [laughing] sami: give it a go. come on. woman: ♪ we are [indistinct] we are the ones that make a better day ♪ [all laughing] [indistinct chatter] [drums] [band playing] sami: spok is the king of

frevo, an incredible sax player, band leader, and all around busy bee in the recife music scene. frevo is the wholly original musical style of recife. it's mainly a drum and bass based affair, where bands play lightning-fast riffs with high tempos.

sami: i checked out on youtube, i checked out some old frevo and then i checked out your band, and that's like... [whistles] somewhere else. it's like you're taking trevo music, which has been traditional in a

way, but you're taking it to another place.

[band continues] [music playing] sami: fred zero quatro is already a legend in brazil.

the general of the manguebeat revolution, the man who wrote the manguebeat manifesto, "caranguejos com cerebro," "crabs with brains." hallelujah. you know? [laughing] sami: fred zero quatro's band, mundo livre, has a long and varied discography. the band tours all over the world, tirelessly creating new music.

sami: yeah. little by little... sami: so i don't know if you can compare it to lat seventies in helsinkwhere i grew up, 'cause there was kids who, you know, there was one band in this

barrio and another band in this neighborhood, but nowhere to play together. so we ocupa. we did an ocupa. we took over a big building and we built stages over there, rehearsal places, a radio station, and all that, and then everybody started to get together, and it created a huge scene and...

[band playing]

fred: a red bus. sami: red bus. i remember that one. fred: yes, yes. sami: absolutely, man. aah! [laughing] [indistinct song] sami: times change. new contenders enter the ring. the young generation of recife is probably not even conscious of the classic manguebeat bands. somewhere on the edge of recife is the meeting place of these new groups. it looks like we're driving straight into the deepest, darkest jungle. but then we come across a sma bar with a tiny stage and a big party. [singing in portuguese]

sami: you can't escape the energy of creativity. great bands, one after the other, musicians without prejudice who are taking the music of brazil forward, each in their own way. andrell: we are making the best sound of this [bleep] city right now. you are in the right place. sami: it seems like that, uh, in recifeagain, you have something happening which is completely different. it's not one scene, one band following what they, you know, want to sound like this and that. everybody has their own individuality. andrell: yes. sami: so...callate. it's-- [laughing] juvenil: i got it, i got it, i got it, i got, i got.

♪ oh, oh... ooh ooh ♪ [indistinct chatter] [cheering and applause]

sami: can you show me what's in ur bag? andrell: oh, yeah. you will find that here. [indistinct chatter] sami: that's about two euros. andrell: yes. two euros, yes. sami: going cheap. going once, going twice. i found a hanoi friend in recife. andrell: yes! i'm the only one, you know. it's right. it's amazing. sami: oh, it's [bleep] beautiful, man. thank you so much. i mean it. andrell: it's weightless, you know? it's hard to make tha kind of sound. sami: absolutely, man. you don't want to pollute the beautiful recife.

andrell: i want to. you have to sign here, you know. sami: ah, [bleep], man. andrell: [bleep] great, man. sami: exactly. andrell: for that, you get hit. sami: a [bleep]. andrell: [bleep] you, world! [band playing] juvenil: ♪ right now whoa! ♪ [singing in portuguese]

sami: for centuries the catholic church has tried to exterminate african religions in brazil. grupo bongar is a young group leading a small community dedicated to the xamba faith on the outskirts of olinda. the leader of the band is guitinho, whose unique vocal styles make grupo bongar sound like nothing else. with influences from west african yoruba rhythms and the dance rituals of the [indistinct] cult. [singing] sami: grupo bongar is keeping the tradition of candomble alive, and the next generation is learning at an early a.

mi: this place is more like a spiritual center,n a way. it's a--wouldou call it like a religious center? or is it more about the spirit and about ssing on the cuural aspects of your tradition? sami: ok. it can't have been easy to keep this going on all through the christianity. there must have been a lot of opposition to continue african traditions.

sami: so the next generation, no problem. [laughing]

sami: yeah. it's a blessing, then. yeah. it's amazing. [singing in portuguese] sami: i got a tip about this forro festival. it's supposed to be one of biggest musical events in the world. the place is filled with restaurants, bars, stages, all over the festival grounds.

the party's in full swing and the people fill their heads with cachaca and music. sami: walmir silva is one of the big names in forro, a gentleman of over 70 years of age who was a big brazilian star in the seventies. this father of 18 is still filled with energy. he continues to tour. at this festival, walmir is the main attraction, performing on this completely bonkers party stage. sami: when you're singing the

lyrics, what is usually the content? sami: when did forro become very in rest of brazil?