Curio Curio

Pre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: Mr Bongo
Release Date: 24th July

A real summer in the city record, this one. It brings metropolitan city disco on a hot night with the street carnival dance vibrations of MPB. It's sharp European or NYC grooves with the chill of Brazil and Latin American dance music. 

Curio Curio came to flight by chance, two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based
singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had
separately reached a fork in their journeys - an opportune encounter soon
blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by
psychedelic disco and studio experimentation
In their own words Curio Curio's sonic vision "is not straight disco, not straight samba,
not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary
but still nostalgic".
A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She
and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of
freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of
reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album
is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that
runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a
Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and
existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling,
tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like 'Amor Doente'
and 'Mar sem Dar Pe' circle around relationships that resist clarity, while 'Menina
Passarinho' captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For
Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both
inevitable and difficult.
Braun's production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without
obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that
hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones
and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo's interest in
process as much as outcome. Highlights include 'Bem Querer', built on an authentic
samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and 'Vem pra Casa' with its
cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with 'A Cor do Meu Sonho', a
quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in
the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the
central question open. "I started to understand that I can belong to many places at
once", Luiza reflects. "And that can be something to embrace". Lyrics from the song
'Raiz' translate in English to "I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant
change is my companion".
With Curio Curio , that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut
that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.
Curio Curio's debut album is an uplifting, heartfelt and fresh take on MPB, shaped
by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation.
The coming together of Rio- born, Austria- based singer and actress Luiza
Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun.
Not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of
them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic.
"It's on rotation in my head" - Coco Maria.