Foi somente onda

Wave sounds, seagulls, a bassline that rolls in and out like the tide — Cassiano’s “Onda” commits completely to its title. It sits on Cuban Soul: 18 Kilates (1976), the third album by one of the founding voices of Brazilian soul, written — like the rest of the record — with guitarist Paulo Zdanowski.

By then Cassiano had fingerprints all over the genre: a stint in Os Diagonais, guitar on Tim Maia’s first album, songs recorded by Maia — “Primavera” among them. And if this groove feels familiar, you may know it secondhand: Racionais MC’s built “Da Ponte Pra Cá” on it in 2002. Better to take it from the source, ideally within sight of water.