Salve! This is a preview of our latest bonus episode.

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Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Onda" written and performed by Cassiano

Released on the third Cassiano album, Cuban Soul-18 Kilates, from 1976, "Onda" was never a big hit in Brazil until it found success through hip-hop samples. Combining Brazilian rhythms with American soul and funk elements, the song created a unique fusion, which now stands as a milestone in Brazilian black music.

It's a psychedelic funk trip of nearly 8 minutes, repetitive vocals, sounds of crashing waves and seagulls, and one of the most beautiful bass lines ever recorded in the country. A genius but troubled figure, Cassiano faced many battles with record labels during his career, and imprecise accounts suggest that in 1978, he lost a lung to tuberculosis.

Check the song translation at TranslationSmith.