Da Lata

Da Lata, a Brazilian fusion ensemble rooted in London, gained recognition well ahead of any trend among dance acts quoting South American influences. Core members Christian Franck and Patrick Forge launched Batu in 1992; that project delivered multiple live performances and contributed a pair of tracks to Big Cheeze in Paris and to the excellent Rebirth of Cool, Vol. 4. After several years of inactivity the duo revived the endeavor in summer 1998, now under the Da Lata name, and added Portuguese percussionist Oli Savill and Brazilian singer Lilana Chachian. Joined by an extensive roster of string musicians, horn players, vocalists, and percussionists, the group released Songs From the Tin on Palm in 2000. Working from a mainly Western European standpoint, Da Lata respectfully interpreted Brazilian musical styles by fusing Savill’s live percussion and Chachian’s authentic Brazilian vocals with Franck’s gentle guitar work and Forge’s production. The Remixes album followed two years later, and their proper follow-up Serious appeared in 2003.