Listen: you will dance! Forro is that extremely heartening Brazilian folk and party music. Forro In The Dark are four Brazilians with a homebase in New York, where they translate this effervescent party sound for the big city (and the rest of the world and the 21st century). With thanks to David Byrne (who on occasion also sings along) and Bebel Gilberto (with whom they sometimes tour). Also a new CD this year via Rough Trade, and below a few of their own words:

'Picture this: it's an exceptionally hot, muggy night in the heart of Northeast Brazil. While the ambient forest and wildlife sounds engulf most of the region, a bright rhythmic pulse beats out of a large, illuminated dance club. A sweaty group of men and women, who should be exhausted after a long week's work, dance exuberantly pelvis-to-pelvis in a waltz-meets-salsa like motion to a colorful vibrant band effortlessly performing a style of music centered around the bass-like thump of a zabumba, the awkward wail of an accordion and a large metal triangle rattled so quickly, you'd think the musician was having a seizure.

Well ok, Forro in the Dark is not quite that type of traditional forro band, instead they are bringing an updated style of the music to the hipsters and club-goers of NYC, but the sweaty, excitable vibe is still undeniable. Supplementing the traditional instrumentation with electric guitars, an array of flutes, modern percussion and other contemporary instruments, along with the help of David Byrne, Bebel Gilberto and Miho Hatori, Forro in the Dark capture the immediate, pleasure-craving core of forro for modern audiences to relieve their stress on the dance floor just like the Brazilian workers of the early 1900s.

Forro in the Dark is Mauro Refosco on Zabumba and Vocals; Gilmar Gomes on Percussion and Vocals; Davi Vieira on Percussion and Vocals; Guilherme Monteiro on Guitar and Vocals; Jorge Continentino on Pifano, Baritone Sax and Vocals; and Smokey Hormel on Baritone Guitar, Slide Guitar and Vocals.'

EXTRA EXTRA BANDINFO
Abandoning the accordion, they've added Jorge's pifano, a wooden flute from the Northeast of Brazil, Guilherme's twangy guitar, and Davi's timbau, a Bahian drum. The new additions float between the beat of Mauro's zabumba, a drum with both snare and bass pitches, and the tweet of Davi's triangle.