Os Mutantes

Os Mutantes stand tall among the gods of Brazilian rock music. Formed in São Paulo in 1966, the band became a cornerstone of the Tropicália movement, which melded Brazilian popular music with influences from Anglo psychedelia, African rhythms, and musique concrète. The band's original lineup consisted of brothers Arnaldo Baptista (bass, keyboards) and Sérgio Dias (guitar), and lead singer Rita Lee, who found creative and countercultural allies in Tropicália's other figureheads such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa. Os Mutantes' groundbreaking sound was first met with censorship from the ruling regime, though cuts from their 1968 self-titled debut—including “Bat Macumba” and “A Minha Menina”—have since become classics. The band released five LPs before Lee departed in 1972 to pursue a solo career, followed by Baptista's exit the next year. Dias kept the band going until 1978, when he dissolved the project to explore new creative avenues. Decades later, indie tastemakers like Beck and David Byrne reintroduced Os Mutantes to a new generation of music lovers, leading the band to reunite in 2006, followed by extensive touring and an appearance at Glastonbury four years later. The reunion came with new music, as the band returned to textured, percussive psychedelia on LPs Haih Or Amortecedor (2009) and Fool Metal Jack (2013), ringing with all the subversive glee fans have come to expect from these Brazilian trailblazers.