as part of Fabbrica Europa 2024

Many know Rodrigo Amarante for “Tuyo”, his theme tune to the Netflix drama “Narcos” that earned him an Emmy nomination and made him known all over the world, but Rodrigo Amarante’s universe is much broader.

A Brazilian musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, Amarante is also known for having founded, together with Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes and Binki Shapiro, the band Little Joy, for having recorded and played on Devendra Banhart’s last four albums and for having founded the band Los Hermanos and the samba supergroup Orquestra Imperial.

He has recorded, arranged and written music with the biggest names in Brazilian music, from Gilberto Gil to Marisa Monte, and was included by “Rolling Stone” among the 100 best Brazilian musicians of all time.

And both these very different experiences and his two albums “Cavalo” and “Drama” show how Amarante’s universe can take on very variable and surprising facets.

photo: Eliot Lee Hazel