Soundscapes of the Northwest Amazon: Rhythms, Land and Culture in Pará

Festival dos Rios. Alter do Chão, 2022 | Bárbara Vale

I have always thought that what really allows us to get to know a city is the chance to walk along its streets. Down its avenues, discovering shortcuts, stumbling on secrets, like such and such a bar, where they play that type of music and serve that type of food. The city reveals itself to those who inhabit it.

I only lived in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará and the city where I was born, until I was 18. Today, my city is considered unsafe, with unattractive public spaces and narrow, broken pavements. Still, I have memories of those streets, of when I used to scoot around squares on skates and skateboards. Or when I used to walk to the riverbank to watch the sun set over the stilt houses to the sound of reggae.

Although every time I return to Belém I walk through its streets, I can no longer get to know it the way I used to. I do not have the time to revisit my city every day and discover its new urban secrets. Which is why, for some time now, I have been walking through its sounds, listening to songs, playlists or albums. I must say that through music, the city reveals itself in a spectacular way. I would not change anything about this urban space.

Belém, Pará, Amazonia, Brazil, 2018 | Natalia Figueredo

The word “music” is a noun commonly understood as an object or product, although it is always more than just its sound. Music brings with it a landscape, memories, a way of dressing, a drink, a food. In the case of Pará – and, I dare say, in much of the surrounding cultures – many songs have been responsible for recording collective memories and local cultural practices, as well as the landscape. Music, and by this I mean melodies, lyrics and celebrations, is often the result of popular knowledge.

For example, the carimbó musical genre, one of the main cultural expressions of the state of Pará, has its origins in cultural manifestations performed by people from the interior of the state, such as fishermen and ribeirinhos.[1] The term “carimbó,” of indigenous origin, comes from the Tupi word “korimbó,” which means “stick that produces sound.” The name refers to both the drum used and to the rhythm and swirling dance associated with this cultural manifestation. More than a musical style, carimbó is considered a rite that combines the inseparable elements of coming together, dance and celebration.

The curimbó, considered an essential instrument in the carimbó, is a completely hollow wooden drum of approximately one metre long and thirty centimetres wide, covered at one end with deer hide. The syncopated beats of the percussion instruments are closely related to African presence in the Amazon, and give the carimbó an Afro-indigenous style.

The history of this rhythm has also been shaped by Pará’s urbanisation process. What is known as traditional carimbó refers to the music played with instruments made of wood and strings (in Portuguese, pau-e-corda) – the drum and the viola. When it reached Belém, the rhythm was incorporated into the cultural industry, taking on new instruments such as the saxophone and the clarinet, giving birth to what is known as “modern” carimbó.

In this way, the urbanisation of the carimbó culminated in the consolidation of its two main trends – the pau-e-corda (wood and string), with a rural or coastal sound, and the modern, urban sound. Thus, rhythm, lyrics and specific forms of festive socialisation are intertwined with the region’s different landscapes.[2] In other words, the music of the Amazon reflects its geography.

Belém, Pará, Amazonia, Brasil, 2024 | Natalia Figueredo

In one of his most famous songs (Garota do Tacacá), Pinduca, a master of the carimbó, sings about preparing cassava to make the typical Pará dish of tacacá,[3] mixing metal instruments with drums. Then there is Dona Onete, the queen of carimbó, who, through her lyrics and rhythms, transports any attentive listener to the landscape of the Atlantic Amazon, allowing them to travel, for example, between Cachoeira do Arari and Belém.

As well as carimbó, other genres highlight aspects of the culture of the northwest Amazon. The sonorities of the brega style, with its keyboards and guitars, speak of love (and suffering) while highlighting the inseparable relationship between Pará and the Caribbean. 

In the Paraense region, as the state of Pará is known, the physical distance from Brasil’s main economic, cultural and political centres, such as the metropolitan areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, was a determining factor in the construction of our cultural landscape. Belém is four hours by plane or two days by car from these cities. What is more, it was only in 1961 that work was begun on building the first road linking Belém to Brasilia, the country’s capital, while the other areas of the Amazon region remained isolated for several more years.

Without going into the impacts that infrastructure projects may have had and continue to have on the Amazon, and without considering the various historical factors that contributed to the current position of subalternity of these areas in relation to the rest of Brazil, this geographical “isolation” brought about unique cultural conditions in the region. Something that can be seen, for example, in the history of radio in Pará.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, signals from national medium wave (AM and FM) radio stations in southeastern Brazil had difficulty reaching the state, meaning that people often tuned into radio stations from neighbouring countries. This was because, during that period, the vast majority of radio stations in Central America broadcast using “tropical waves” –  frequencies that were able to travel long distances. This resulted in radio stations from Caribbean countries being picked up more clearly than national stations. Among them, Radio Habana from Cuba, with its repertoire of merengues and salsas, was quite popular in the region.

Maritime movement also played a relevant role in the introduction of foreign musical genres in Pará, in the form of both sheet music and records. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was mainly merengue, mambo and bolero LPs that arrived through the ports. In the 1980s, it was the turn of music from the French West Indies, such as cadence and zouk. As a result, references to the “Caribbean in Pará” are common when discussing the music of this area, with the tropical waves acting as a catalyst.[4]

Belém’s peripheral position in relation to the main national hubs allowed for a rich hybridisation of musical rhythms and tastes. In the mid-20th century, while the radio stations of the Rio-São Paulo region were airing a programme of music aimed at making samba a symbol of national identity, Belém’s radio stations were broadcasting a diverse range of musical genres influenced by both national and foreign cultural hubs,[5] with several sounds emerging from this dialogue.

This is the case of guitarrada, an innovative way of playing the electric guitar in the Paraense Amazon. The term refers to musical practices and knowledge around the electric guitar, including the sonorities and techniques associated with this instrument. The significant influence of Caribbean and Latin rhythms in shaping the region’s composers, instrumentalists and musicians has had a significant impact on the emergence of this style.[6] Thus, guitarrada is characterised by a unique blend of traditional Amazonian rhythms, including carimbó, together with influences from other musical styles, such as choro (an offshoot of samba), merengue, cumbia and Latin music in general.[7]

Caribbean music also influenced the creation of the most popular rhythm in the state of Pará – the brega. This genre of ultra-romantic songs emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, and was mainly consumed by people living in poor urban neighbourhoods or in rural areas of the country, especially in the north and northeast regions. Brega became nationally established as a “low quality” music associated with the lifestyle of the suburban working class.[8]

This musical genre was highly influenced by the Brazilian jovem guarda (young guard) movement,[9] which took rock and Motown soul as its main inspirations. When it reached Pará, the influence of jovem guarda was mixed with Caribbean rhythms. Artists such as Carlos Santos and Alípio Martins made a name for themselves by fusing bolero and calypso with local genres, such as lambada and guitarrada, to create brega.

In fact, the very mention of the term “brega” takes on a different meaning in Pará. In Belém, for example, brega is connected both to the concept of “popular music” and to “dance music.” Thus, the musical genre cannot be fully understood without considering dance, festivities and the links with the region. This rhythm has always been well received by the inhabitants of the outlying regions of Pará, who regularly frequented the itinerant dance circuit in the Metropolitan Region of Belém. Today, such events are known as aparelhagens.

This culture of festivities emerged in Belém between the 1940s and 1950s. What is now understood as an aparelhagem is the technological evolution of the old sonoros paraenses, which were originally produced by valve sound systems used at family gatherings or in shops. It could be said that the influx of imported goods through the region’s ports not only altered the music, but also the way it was played.

Over time, sound systems have been transformed to incorporate new technologies and cultural elements. Aparelhagem parties became a traditional cultural phenomenon throughout the state of Pará. Today, aparelhagens are large sound and lighting structures in which the DJ takes centre stage. These technological devices, which may be shaped into various designs, such as a spaceship, an altar, a crocodile or an eagle, are also equipped with hydraulic systems to make them easier to move.

Bufalo do Marajó aparelhagem party at Mangueirão Stadium, Belém, 2023 | Natalia Figueredo

While these celebrations were originally held to the sound of brega music, today it is the 100% electronic version, the tecnobrega, which adds beats and speed to romantic songs, making them more and more danceable. With its electronic rhythms, tecnobrega creates new sonorities for regional genres. In strictly musical terms, the genre is produced with synthetic sounds made in a studio, where producers use computers and software to mix samples and loops.

Sound technologies have fed a broad cultural movement in Pará. Firstly, as the creation of technobrega is based on technological appropriations and the use of audio files taken from the Internet, this music is produced thanks to access to technology. Secondly, the success of aparelhagens is closely linked to their innovative use of technology. The quality of an aparelhagem is measured by its ability to offer the best light, sound and media experience. Thus, both aparelhagens and tecnobrega are products of the relationship between individual creativity and sound technologies.

In countries on the periphery of capitalism, access to the technological media advances of the industrialised world is restricted to urban populations with high purchasing power. However, this has not prevented poor populations on the outskirts of Brazil’s capitals from finding ways to integrate into the emerging mass communication society, and Pará’s aparelhagens and tecnobrega are a case in point.

The condition of subalternity has also enabled connections between Amazonian regions, the Afrodiaspora and globalisation in different ways. The character of aparelhagem culture is cosmopolitan, as the agents involved in this cultural scene appropriate technologies and trends available in the global market, transforming them according to local culture. This creative interaction between local traditions and global influences illustrates the adaptability and innovation of communities on the peripheries of capitalism.

This allows us to understand aparelhagem culture as one of the means by which the people of Amazonia create, represent and disseminate their own culture. Through the appropriation of collective sound technologies, alternative soundscapes are built where electronic crocodiles and buffaloes move to the beat of electronic rhythms.

Tudão Crocodilo aparelhagem party, Belém, 2024 | Naré

Although the word Amazon is commonly understood as referring to the jungle, it could be considered as an umbrella term for different territorial features. The Amazon is a huge subcontinent where many Amazonias coexist. Each community has its own stories, languages and practices, which are fundamental to the identity and histories of these regions.

Rivers, roads and expanses of jungle are not only geographical elements, they have also played a key role in shaping the cultural identities of the Amazonias. Just like our biome, electric crocodiles and buffaloes, guitars, keyboards and drums are an integral part of life and of the way we understand ourselves as Amazonians. Just as there is no environmental balance without social justice, Amazonia could not exist without its cultures.

[1] A ribeirinho is a traditional inhabitant of the riverbanks whose lifestyle is adapted to their geography. Their culture is based on artisanal fishing as their main economic activity.

[2] Within the state of Pará, the carimbó can also be defined according to the regions, as is the case of the Carimbó Tapajónico, produced in the region of the Tapajós river. An example of this is the group Suraras do Tapajós.

[3] Tacacá is a very popular soup in Amazonian cuisine, especially in Amapá and Pará. It is a light soup made with jambú grass, dried shrimps and tucupí, which is the broth made from cassava.

[4] For more information, see Faro de Lima, A. (2014). Construindo fronteiras sonoras entre o Pará e o Caribe: das ondas tropicais aos intercâmbios portuários. A Importância Dos Laudos Antropológicos Para a Repartição de Benefícios: Um Elo Entre Empresas Privadas de Biocosméticos e Comunidades Amazônicas.

[5] For mroe information, see da Costa, A. M. D., & Vieira, E. B. C. (2012). Na periferia do sucesso: rádio e música popular de massa em Belém nas décadas de 1940 e 1950. Projeto História : Revista Do Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados de História, 43(0). 

[6] The emergence of the guitarrada is linked to the career of the musician, guitarist and composer Joaquim de Lima Vieira (1934-2018), better known as Mestre Vieira.

[7] Influenced equally by Amazonian and Caribbean rhythms, the 1980s saw the emergence of the lambada, which is both a rhythm and a dance. The lambada achieved national and international popularity at the end of that decade, mainly thanks to the success of the Franco-Brazilian music group Kaoma, which released the hit song “Chorando se Foi” (Crying She Went), a version of a Bolivian song adapted to the lambada style.

[8] Brazilian historiography already has several works that address issues related to the culture of the peripheries and the concept of “bad music,” such as the book Eu Não Sou Cachorro, Não by Paulo César Araújo (2010).

[9] Jovem Guarda was a Brazilian cultural movement that emerged in the 1960s. The cultural phenomenon fostered a whole new musical and behavioural language in Brazil. It was strongly influenced by rock-and-roll and soul, so much so that the movement was also known as “iê-iê-iê,” which is an anglicism of “yeah yeah yeah” taken from the Beatles song “She Loves You.” Many of the lyrics in Jovem Guarda music dealt with themes of love and adolescence, some of which were covers of British and American rock hits of the time. For this reason, Jovem Guarda became the first musical movement in the country to align Brazilian music with the international rock music of the time.