While people in the Nothern hemisphere occupy stock exchanges to protest against the corrupt financial system, people of Rio De Janeiro celebrated yesterday in their downtown area the first ever Funk Parade. Unimaginable only a few years ago, the publicly still stigmatised genre showed it´s cutural muscle in the center of the city with a party at which the major baile funk sound systems from Furação 2000 to Big Mix, Cash Box to Curtisom and Pipo´s, plus all big name DJs and artists performed. More than 100.000 people came to dance in the area of Carioca subway station. This was a great day for funk culture.

Hardcuore, the genius directors from Rio who made the amazing video for João Brasil´s “L.O.V.E. Banana” feat. Lovefoxxx have teamed up again. This time they João and Hardcuore did a commercial collaboration for one of Rio´s biggest clothing chains, “Farm”. See it here:

Curtisom is one of the oldest still remaining, independent baile funk sound systems in Rio. The late Amazing Clay has been a major part in it´s steady success over more than three decades. For a while now Curtisom parties have been taking place at the Boqueirão, right next to the Santos Dumont airport and is considered one of the best – police-hustle and gang-free – funk party in Rio.

With the help of our favourite photographer, Vincent Rosenblatt, Curtisom now run a blog which is worth checking out, as it is very accurately documenting each party and gives a great insight in current happenings in Rio Funk. Which, due to the momentarily urban transformation of Rio to a hyper expensive, favela cleaned out metropolis, have drastic effects in the city´s music and culture production. Check the latest photos and news here

Really great documentary on the beaches of the 1960s, check the edition of Copacabana here (in German and French only, sorry) :

http://videos.arte.tv/de/videos/straende_der_sixties_4_5_-3383826.html