Curumin

Brazil's Curumin is no stranger to cultural mash-ups: one parent is Spanish, one Japanese, and he grew up in the cultural melting pot that is Rio De Janeiro. He showed an aptitude for music early on: he formed his first band at age eight and was playing percussion in Rio clubs by the time he was 14. But he took his cultural wanderings a step further when he signed with Bay Area-based underground hip-hop label Quannum to release his 2005 debut, Achados E Perdidos. Marrying a love of classic soul and funk with the unshakeable rhythms of Brazil, the release was treading in interesting territory. In 2008 JapanPopShow pushed further into that territory, pursuing an infectious combination of hip-hop, Musica Popular Brasileira (M.P.B.) and vintage funk.