The Evolution of Pagode

Traditionalists still raise their eyebrows at the defiantly crowd-pleasing pop hooks that have overtaken contemporary samba, but the celebratory variation known as pagode can't be stopped. With the banjos and bass drums of old supplemented by synthesisers and silky alto saxophones, this Rio-based genre reboot is party music for the young at heart: festive, insanely catchy and on the rise.