Kassin

Alexandre Kassin stands out as a prominent Brazilian music producer responsible for more than one hundred recordings, in addition to his work as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Although recognition beyond Brazil largely stems from his involvement in the trio +2 alongside Moreno Veloso and Domenico Lancellotti—particularly the 2008 album Futurismo, now regarded as a classic—he had already built substantial experience prior to the group's formation. Furthermore, he created the soundtrack for the anime series Michiko to Hatchin. Throughout the 21st century, his contributions in the studio as both producer and sideman have been remarkably extensive.

Kassin grew up in Rio's southern district of Zona Sul, absorbing not only Brazilian sounds but also the rock, pop, and dance music sweeping Latin America. He became part of the funky punk rock outfit Acabou La Tequila, a band notorious for its chaotic, incendiary live shows within the independent Carioca scene of the 1990s. Their self-titled 1996 debut later earned status as a genuine Brazilian classic. After years of touring and activity, the group delivered its final release, the sophomore album O Som Da Moda, in 2004. While still active with Acabou La Tequila, Kassin simultaneously established himself as a producer and sought-after session player.

Under the alias Monaural in 2000, he scored the hit indie film Casa. That same year, he joined Veloso and Lancellotti to form +2, resulting in the album Music Typewriter, released under the name Moreno + 2; Kassin produced the set and performed on it, with guests including Daniel Jobim and João Donato. He also oversaw sessions for Natiruts' Verbalize and Los Hermanos' Ventura while contributing to Marisa Monte's Memórias Crônicas e Declarações de Amor. These projects confirmed Kassin's rising demand. In 2004 he produced and played bass on the next +2 album, Sincerely Hot, now fronted by Lancellotti; additional credits that year include bass on Caetano Veloso's A Foreign Sound, where he also served as producer and band member, plus bass on Arto Lindsay's Salt. Recording as Artificial in 2005, he issued Free U.S.A., an experimental project built solely around a Game Boy, with backing vocals from Stephane San Juan on "Let's Make" and piano by jazz musician Hiromi on "Palestina." The release became a club favorite and sparked numerous remixes. After producing Oio Ai's self-titled debut in 2006, Kassin joined the Orquesta Imperial supergroup as bassist and co-producer for their first album, Carnaval Só Ano Que Vem, released in 2007. Other members of the fluid ensemble have included Rodrigo Amarante, Lancellotti, Veloso, Fabrizio Moretti, vocalist Thalma de Freitas, and percussionist Wilson Das Neves. Kassin has remained a full-time participant, appearing as bassist, producer, or both across half a dozen recordings by the group. That year he also produced and performed on Bebel Gilberto's Momento.

Kassin took the lead on +2's 2008 album Futurismo. In 2009 he handled drum programming and played synths on Gal Costa's Recanto. He produced and performed on Vanessa Da Mata's Ao Vivo, later reuniting with her for 2013's Vanessa da Mata Canta Tom Jobim and 2014's Segue O Som. Additional production or performance credits from this period include work with Melvin Gibbs, Lenine, Ana Carolina, and Mallu Magalhães. His debut solo album, Sonhando Devagar, arrived in 2011, followed by a remix collection the next year. Also in 2012, +2 composed and produced the soundtrack for the film Ima, associated with Grupo Corpo.

Kassin worked on Arnaldo Antunes' Já É and Costa's Estratosférica, both released in 2015. In 2016 Luaka Bop reissued all three +2 albums along with Moreno Veloso's Coisa Boa, which featured Lancellotti and Kassin. That year he produced Jonnata Doll's Crocodilo and appeared on recordings by Emanuelle Araújo, Clarice Falcão, Cometa, and as part of Sonzeira's Tam Tam Tam Reimagined, a Gilles Peterson rework of José Prates' classic album. Kassin co-produced the Sonzeira track "Southern Freeez" for the Brownswood 10 Versions compilation and served as bassist and co-producer on Mario Biondi's 2018 album Brasil.

Kassin's second solo album, Relax, appeared in Japan and Brazil during summer 2017, with a slightly shortened version issued by Luaka Bop in the United States in spring 2018. Whereas Sonhando Devagar explored the pleasures of dreams, Relax examines waking emotional states ranging from bittersweet and ordinary to euphoric and ironic across an eleven-track collection—fourteen tracks on the Brazilian edition—that moves through disco, funk, bossa, jovem guarda, samba torto, pop, and bolero. Although Kassin performed most of the material himself, he received contributions from San Juan, Lancellotti, Alberto Continentino, Gabriela Riley, and Davi Moraes.