zopelar: charme
Francisco Espregueira
The Brazilian genius of Zopelar is back with Charme - an album of effervescent machine funk harking back to a golden era of Brazilian party music that drops tomorrow via Tartelet Records. This 10-track record stems from Pedro Zopelar’s emotional sincerity to reconnect with his Brazilian background, delving into textures of a genre that blends slow boogie, R’n’B and new jack swing wrapped by the unique Brazilian energy towards rhythm.
Zopelar’s approach to Charme conveys different moods and tempos. There’s blissful, sultry mystery lingering around “Clara” and “Do You Feel?” while “OSAGIE” lends some chops to the exquisite, Rompler-powered synth funk of “Chain Net”. The lead singles “Charme”, “Shibuya” and “Passado” all tap into varying shades of deep house, from slinky City Pop-tinted loungers to peak-time dance pop and Larry Heard-influenced flavors, with the constant being Zopelar’s immaculate production and the unbridled warmth of his compositions. This is another dime in the Brazilian’s prolific discography. Charme is available on vinyl and will drop tomorrow digitally.
“Charme was like a mix of slow boogie, R’n’B and new jack swing. DJ Corello started calling ‘charme’ the moment at a party when he played slow grooves and the people started dancing with sexier, synchronized moves. On this record I tried to make something that brings this feeling out in a modern way.”