The popularity of Brazilian music from the 60s, 70s and 80s has experienced quite the renaissance; artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Joyce et al, have become household names to an international audience passionate about global sounds. However, even for die-hard fans and collectors of Brazilian music of the past, discovering contemporary Brazilian artists is not always easy, nor accessible. But, if you know where to look, you will see that there is a resurgence well underway that can be epitomised by an exciting new wave of Brazilian artists beginning to break through and gather momentum overseas. Its with thanks to Sound and Colours, a website devoted to promoting Latin American music and culture, that we can help shine a light on one particular collective, bursting with creativity and camaraderie.

Hidden Waters: Strange and Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro is compiled by Joe Osborne (founder of specialist Brazilian music platform Brazilian Wax) and Russ Slater (editor at large of Sounds and Colours).

Focusing solely on the ‘Rio Scene’, rather than taking on the mammoth task of tackling Brazil as a whole, this collection presents 20-plus ground-breaking artists selected from Rios resurgent music scene. By presenting a snapshot into the pulse of the city and the vibrant musicians that live in it, Hidden Waters collates tracks from a wide spectrum of musical genres from the avant-garde edge to bossa nova, samba, Candombl, lo-fi rock, jazz and funk.

Hidden Waters showcases musicians such as iconic Rio mainstays Negro Leo & Ava Rocha, Brazilian jazz upstart Antnio Neves, critically lauded Avant-pop trailblazer Thiago Nassif, breakthrough artists Ana Frango Eltrico and Letrux, lo-fi psych rocker L Almeida, plus the Latin Grammy-winning Bala Desejo who are set to explode onto the world stage. The music featured on Hidden Waters is unequivocally Brazilian, swelling with samba, bossa nova, funk, and jazz. But its within the album’s blend; from sunny psychedelia to dusky synth-pop via experimental electronics, that marks the compilation as the sound of modern, multicultural Rio.

This comprehensive compilation comes with album artwork designed by Rio musics leading album artwork designer, Caio Paiva. It features essays by professor and music critic Bernardo Oliveira and music journalist Leonardo Lichote, plus extensive notes on each track by the artists themselves.