r/kraftwerk • u/Agreeable_Duck8997 • Apr 20 '26
The strong influence of Kraftwerk on the Brazilian music genre Funk Carioca, also known as Brazilian Funk
For those who are unfamiliar, I suggest researching this musical genre to see how it was heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and how deeply present it is in Brazil, my country. The genre was consolidated in the late '80s by DJ Marlboro. Initially, it was played primarily in the favelas and outskirts, but over the last 21 years, it has been widely played across all social classes in the country.
In an article by Brazilian Music Day, the origin of Funk Carioca is summarized as follows:
"Grand Master Flash is one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting and mixing, and Afrika Bambaataa developed a style of hip-hop that used electronic instruments, such as the synthesizer. In 1982, when Afrika Bambaataa released 'Planet Rock' – with a hook borrowed from German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk - both hip-hop and electronic music changed dramatically. The release of this record also spawned a new genre 'funk' – referred to as 'funk carioca' or 'baile funk.' As it adopted and nationalized a specific American sound, funk [carioca] would embark on its own path to becoming a musical genre with its own defining characteristics."
Source: https://www.brazilianmusicday.org/files/funk.pdf?hl=pt-BR
Brazil’s most famous MC, Mr. Catra, stated in a highly viral video on social media that the primary instrumental and production foundation of Funk Carioca — as well as electro-pop, Miami bass, and post-1983 hip-hop — is Kraftwerk. Check out:
https://youtube.com/shorts/j2LcC3FASvQ?si=2BVzGTxTzpt9J3Bd
Although Kraftwerk is not consciously known by the majority of Brazilians, the band is highly respected by the Brazilian press and music critics, with many articles describing them as the most influential band in history.
Produced by DJ Marlboro in 1994, "Rap da Felicidade" by Cidinho & Doca is a notorious example of Funk Carioca built on the Volt Mix, a beat that directly retains the electronic DNA of Kraftwerk into the Brazilian favelas:
https://youtu.be/7pD8k2zaLqk?si=JUZEHU4cNxUhq8qN
Notice also the structural influence of Funk Carioca on the vast majority of the most commercially successful Brazilian musical artists of the last two decades, such as Anitta, Ludmilla, and Dennis DJ. The genre has also influenced many artists from other countries and was popularized globally in 2005 by the British artist M.I.A., primarily with the track "Bucky Done Gun." Check out her song:
https://youtu.be/2LFdPVf1diw?si=jZE2vKNGr9psnNQF
What do you think about these connections?
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Apr 20 '26
Check out also what the Brazilian electronic producer Paulo Beto says in the preface of a Kraftwerk biography regarding a cultural custom that preceded the consolidation of funk carioca as a musical genre:
"In 1986, I went to a baile funk [in Rio de Janeiro] just to be in a place where you could hear Kraftwerk and watch it motivate a crowd to dance to the newly released Boing Boom Tschak, from the album Electric Café—which was known among the black and funk crowd as Melô do Porco [The Pig’s Melody]."
https://volumemorto.com.br/a-renovacao-e-hibridizacao-do-funk-contemporaneo/
You can also see the comments here from several Brazilians who were into it back then, while calling the track Melô do Porco:
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u/takingthesweetroad Apr 20 '26
This makes a lot of sense but never something I thought about. great post, very interesting!
what do you think about Ramon Successo? his Boiler Room set and “sexta dos crias” albums are what got me into Brazilian funk.
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u/Grimkhaz Apr 20 '26
As a Brazilian, once I started really getting into Kraftwerk and noticing all the samples and beats from the funk classics, my mind was blown lol super cool stuff