Ramiro Musotto

Origin

La Plata, BA

Years active

1982–2009

Genres

electronic, brazilian pop, experimental, patchanka, ethno-electronica

Instruments

percussion, berimbau, keyboards, programming, atabaque, caixa, repique, cuica, synthesizer bass, apito, cavaquinho, baiana guitar, accordion, mbira

Biography

Ramiro Musotto was an Argentine composer, percussionist, and music producer who became a significant figure in the Brazilian music scene. Born in La Plata, Argentina, he moved to Brazil at the age of 18, where he spent most of his professional career, deeply immersing himself in the country's rich musical traditions. He lived in various Brazilian cities, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador da Bahia, the latter becoming his home for many years. Musotto was particularly renowned for his mastery of the berimbau, an instrument he explored not only as a percussive element but also for melodic and looping purposes.

Musotto's musical journey began by exploring Afro-Brazilian rhythms, but he soon expanded his sonic palette to incorporate multiethnic global music, drawing influences from Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe. His solo albums, "Sudaka" and "Civilizacao & Barbarye," exemplified this fusion, blending field recordings of indigenous chants, Candomblé rhythms, and urban sounds with electronic dance grooves. He described "Sudaka" as a "psychedelic trip throughout and into the Afro-Brazilian and South American culture," aiming to interpret the effects of technology on art and life.

Throughout his career, Ramiro Musotto collaborated with a vast array of prominent Brazilian and Argentine artists, including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Daniela Mercury, Marisa Monte, Sérgio Mendes, and Lenine. His innovative approach to percussion and electronic music left a distinctive mark on the Brazilian music landscape. Tragically, Musotto passed away in Salvador da Bahia in 2009 at the age of 45 due to pancreatic cancer, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking musical exploration.