Austin, TX-based musician Frederico7 is proud to announce his debut solo album Exótico Americano, set for release on February 23rd. The album is an amalgamation of Frederico’s diverse background and experiences living in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina before setting his roots in the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Exotico Americano fuses Afro-Brazilian rhythms with American Funk, Soul, Dub and Psychedelia, coming together to form Frederico7’s cohesive 21st century vision of Pan-American Soul.
Frederico’s path began growing up in Brazil in a multi-cultural family during an economic crisis and the struggle to ‘fit into’ a socio-economic norm. From there, at the formative age of 16, his family moved to Mexico for a better economy. In Mexico, Frederico dove right in to the ancient mysteries, cultural riches and the creative and psychedelic adventures with a rich tradition. He learned Spanish and English and met Alex Marrero (Brown Sabbath/Brownout) and Pablo Larios and started a Latin Fusion band called Ghandaia that hit success with performances at Austin City Limits Festival (2006) and the San Jose Jazz Festival. At their peak, life gave Frederico a beautiful surprise; that he was going to become a father, and he left the band and put music on hold to focus on family life, knowing that he would return.
And return he did. In 2010, he settled back in Austin, TX and collaborated with world class musicians in three standout bands, including Os Alquimistas with percussionist Michael Longoria, with the World Funk Psychedelic band Suns of Orpheus, and the Brazilian 70s funk orchestra Macaxiera Funk. In 2015, Frederico recorded five demos during his travels to Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, which were originally intended for an Os Alquimistas EP, but after the project dismantled, Frederico kept recording new music, which would evolve into his debut album with the help of co-producer Greg Jones. The album came to fruition over the next few years starting in Frederico’s home studio Lion’s Lair and then in acclaimed ATX studios including Adrian Quesada’s (Black Pumas, Brownout) Electric Deluxe Studios, Beto Martinez’s (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, Money Chicha) Leche house Music, and the Texas Recording Conservatory Academy with Greg Jones.
Now, three years later, Frederico is ready to release Exótico Americano under the name of his new band Frederico7, and the result is an album that speaks to the times. The project is Frederico’s personal story of resilience, of being an immigrant, and of an artist who has been learning and growing across many cultures in the American Continent. It’s about being “the other”and not quite fitting in here nor there, but embracing all of the differences to unify rather than divide.
But that is not to say the lyrics and music are all a dark reflection of our troubled times, in fact they may be the opposite. Such is the case with “Nature of Love”, and we are excited to premiere the music video just in time for Valentine’s Day. Dedicated to his wife and sung in English, “Nature of Love” is an upbeat dance tune awash in soulful horns. There is a loose and frisky groove to the song as Frederico seamlessly blends funk, R&B and his own background of Brazilian and Latin sounds into a song that is infectious and danceable. The song marks an exciting direction for this talented artist, and gets us excited to hear the rest of the new album.
Frederico shares the inspiration behind the song:
“I’m a hopeless romantic in every fiber of my being. I wrote this song to celebrate being with my wife for 7 years now. We act in it and shot it at the park down from our street, just having some light hearted fun.”
WATCH:
For more music and info visit frederico7.com.
Photo credit: Luis Orozco at DP Cine
