Tom Ze

• Genre: Tropicalia

About

A pioneer in the short-lived Brazilian Tropicalia movement of the late '60s, Tom Ze has made a career of quirky experiments that combine Brazilian and American pop sounds. A musical dadaist, he came to light on the 1968 compilation Ou Panis et Circensis. Releasing a series of records throughout the '70s that went virtually unnoticed in both his homeland and abroad, he was eventually re-recognized at the onset of the '90s via his inclusion on a collection released by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. A pioneer in sound loops, noise experimentation, and bizarre lyrics, Tom Ze peppers his rigidly produced music with a playful surrealism that makes you wonder if the whole thing is a parody. Of his '90s output, the first, The Hips of Tradition, was a less edgy, more straightforward Brazilian pop record; its successor, 1998's Fabrication Defect, found him back in fine form with its combination of avant-pop, Bossa Nova, and a myriad of layered effects. A remix record followed shortly, allowing a new wave of pop experimentalists to have their way with his uniquely infectious pop.

- Jon Pruett