From charm to funk, black music sets the tone for parties and concerts in downtown SP; see schedule

From the famous Chic Show party, which hosted singer James Brown as an attraction in November 1978, to the funk dances that now liven up the streets until dawn, black music has always been present at night in São Paulo.

Whether it’s samba or jazz, reggae or Bahian pagoda, it doesn’t matter. The rhythms of African influence are everywhere in the capital of São Paulo – and all of them find space in the central region. Check out, below, a script with events by black producers with black music that will take place in the coming days.

The weather forecast for this Friday, the 19th, is a cold and rainy night. But the Perifa no Toque party, which takes place that day at Casa da Luz, in Luz, is there to prove that the weather can always heat up, especially if whoever is together on the dancefloor collaborates.

The eight DJs in the program promise to play a lot of funk. And there, as it was in the black dances of the 1970s, dancing is almost mandatory. Whoever stays close to the DJs’ table, even obeys the verses of the song with choreographed steps.

Another tour scheduled for Friday is the Discoteagem Preta, at Gruta, in the República region. Afrobeat, funk and Bahian pagoda are some of the rhythms that are played there, in musical selections made mainly by black artists.

With two years old, the party is known for rescuing Afro musicality around the world, in addition to making room for new artists — they can even sign up to participate via an online form.

Still about less popular black musicians, but now on Saturday (20), Black Awareness Day, Afrojam-SP is an event inspired by American jam sessions, where musicians take the stage and improvise with other bands.

The next edition is free and starts at 7 pm at Aparelha Luzia, a cultural space in Campos Elíseos headed by state deputy Erica Malunguinho, from PSOL.

The cultural producer and musician Hever Alvz, creator of Afrojam, claims that the event is guided by racial representation. “We bring together musicians from different areas and provide unprecedented encounters and partnerships. The idea is to reveal new names that work in the independent music scene and present new perspectives on the capital’s artistic scene.”

If you still don’t know the difference between charm and funk –a question that appears in “Rap da Diferença”, by MC Markinhos and MC Dollores–, Saturday is the day to find out. That’s when the special edition of Baile dos Escurinho, named after that, an event created by young black artists from the periphery takes place.

The Escurinhos collective dances take place once a month and have musical diversity as an attraction, with rhythms hardly heard at parties in the capital.

The charm, for example, is a type of party most popular in Rio de Janeiro, where people go to dance. In these events, DJs play rhythms such as R&B and new jack swing, a type of black electronic music, while the audience performs choreographed and very well synchronized steps.

At Bexiga, the bar and restaurant Ala! Jardim is an alternative for those looking for events that are a little more peaceful. A mix of restaurant, thrift store and concert hall, the business is run by the Monteiro family – the sisters Bruna and Juliana and their mother, Alaide, who inspired the name of the business. Juliana says that they always wanted to use the space for events with black music.

Thus, the space’s garden has a schedule of parties of different styles, in addition to receiving performances by singers and jazz bands. On Sunday, the 21st, whoever controls the sound in Ala! are DJs Estevam, Obi Orin and William Ere, who promise to play rhythms like soul and hip-hop. The next jazz concert is scheduled for December 18th.

Another quieter activity is Modulação Preta, the name of the program created by musician and producer Marco Felinto, which has monthly editions at Galeria do DJ, a space maintained by the Municipal Department of Culture within the Centro Cultural Olido, in the central region. The event provides space for black artists to play their songs and tell their stories.

The show is free and follows the rite of an interview accompanied by a guest musician. After that, there is a chat in which they talk about family memory, the importance of black music in the interviewee’s life, especially electronic music, and curiosities about the songs and styles presented. Performances are also recorded and available on YouTube. The next guest is DJ Akinn, on December 4th at 2pm.

Finally, rap —and derived rhythms, such as trap and drill— are not left out of São Paulo’s parties. As a reflection of the reopening of event spaces in the capital, more and more festivals have appeared on the agenda of concert halls in the city.

For the 4th of December, the Baile da Ceia is scheduled, an event produced by the Ceia record label, at Audio Club, in Barra Funda. The line-up features artists hired by the label, such as rappers Djonga and Febem, as well as trendy DJs, such as Djulia and the duo Ice Cream Girls.

Be it funk, R&B or jazz, black music has been the soundtrack of the São Paulo night for a long time. If you are going to leave the house to go to any of the parties, wear a mask correctly, also when you are on the dance floor, keep your hands sanitized and keep your vaccination card up to date.

Afrojam
Luzia appliance – r. Apa, 78, Champs Elysees. Sat. (20), at 7 pm. Instagram: @afrojamsp and @aparelhaluzia. Free of charge

supper ball
Audio – av. Francisco Matarazzo, 694, Barra Funda. Sat. (4/12), at 10 pm. Instagram: @audio. From BRL 180

Charm & Funk – Total 90
Point of the Bay – r. Counselor Carrão, 37, Bela Vista. Sat. (20), at 1 pm. Instagram: @bailedoescurinho. Free of charge

Crash Party + Neighborhood Jup
East Hip Hop Culture House – st. Sarah Kubitscheck, 165A, Cidade Tiradentes. Sun (21) at 10 pm. Instagram: @_crashparty. Free of charge

Black Disco
Grotto Bar – st. Major Quedinho, 112, Republic. Friday (19), at 11 pm. Instagram: @discotecapreta. R$ 10

link sounds
Allah! Garden – st. Rui Barbosa, 658, Bixiga. Sun (21) at 3:00 pm. Instagram: @ala.garden. Art cover: from R$ 12

Perifa do not touch
House of Light – st. Mauá, 512, Center. Friday (19), at 11:30 pm. Instagram: @perifanotoque. R$ 15 a R$ 20

Marsha!
Cultural Center for Diversity – r. Lopes Neto, 206, Itaim Bibi. Sat (27), at 3pm. Instagram: @marshaofficial. Free of charge

Black Modulation
DJ Gallery – Av. São João, 473, Centro. Sat. (4), at 2 pm. Instagram: @galeriadodj. Free of charge