We are Samba Masala, SMU’s very own percussion collective. We deliver beats that open our audiences’ eyes wide.
We’re rooted in the traditional music of Samba, hailing from Brazil. When we were founded, we also took on some aspects of traditional Indian rhythms, thus forging our unique musical identity. Over the years, we’ve built up a signature repertoire of traditional Samba pieces, passing this knowledge down to each successful generation of sambistas. We play these pieces very well.
Maybe a bit too well.
Carving out your own successful niche makes you comfortable, and leaves you content doing what has always been done. It also leaves you afraid. Afraid of treading onto unknown territory without a solid record of success to back you up. Afraid of infuriating the traditionalists. Afraid of losing your way back to your roots.
But the impulse to explore is still always there, isn’t it?
So this Arts Fest, we thought: it’s time. Let all the old expectations be left behind, we’re taking the plunge. We’re going to experiment with our music in new ways. Gonna try a whole host of things that’s never been done before. We’re gonna fuse Samba with a mind-boggling list of foreign
genres. Pop. Jazz. Drum n’ Bass. Electro.
Blasphemous? Brilliant? It all depends on how you look at it. However, let it be known that we’re not abandoning our roots. Far from it, we’re expanding our scopes. Pushing our limits. But at the core of everything we are doing, there still lies a strong grasp of the traditional Samba rhythms that we’ve grown to love and respect.
New and Old, they don’t have to fight all the time.
Melvin Tiong, Music Director