Zuco 103

Formed in Amsterdam in the mid-1990s, Zuco 103 brings together Brazilian singer Lilian Vieira, German-Dutch keyboardist Stefan Schmid and Dutch drummer Stefan Kruger in a trio that blends Brazilian music, jazz and electronic sounds. Originating from an initial project called Rec.a, Zuco 103 quickly developed a hybrid aesthetic where samba, bossa nova and funk intersect with breakbeats, drum'n'bass, touches of dub and European club sonorities. The group established itself on the Dutch scene before circulating on European jazz and so-called 'world' music festival circuits, while remaining close to the clubs where its repertoire retains a danceable dimension. The first album, 'Outro Lado' (1999), laid the foundations of this fusion around Lilian Vieira's Portuguese vocals, followed by 'Tales of High Fever' (2002), then 'One Down One Up' (2005) and 'After the Carnaval' (2008), which continued to explore bridges between Brazilian traditions and contemporary electronic production. Zuco 103 has undertaken numerous occasional collaborations with Brazilian and European musicians, regularly works on remixes and alternative versions of its tracks, and occupies an intermediate space between the jazz scene, electronic music and Afro-Latin legacies.