A Track A Day:
Kraak & Smaak

With the current circumstances and the weird, turbulent times all over the globe, we asked our friends to choose a favourite track or an album for these isolated days, and share it with us along with a photo. A track a day keeps the bad vibes away. Stay safe.

Next in line on our “A Track A Day” series is Wim Plug, one of the three core members of our beloved Dutch dance aficionados Kraak & Smaak. Wim Plug shares with us one of Kraak & Smaak’s favourite records of all-time, Chico Buarque De Hollanda & Ennio Morricone‎ 1970 subime LP “Per Un Pugno Di Samba”.

In Kraak & Smaak’s Wim Plug own words: “We’ve been longtime fans of both ’60s and ’70s Brazilian music and Italian maestro Ennio Morricone, but our hearts skipped a beat when we accidentally found out (via producer Pezzner no less, props to him!) that Chico de Barque actually made an album with him in 1970. This album, ‘Per Un Pugno Di Samba’, featured Chico taking a shot at singing in Italian, while the music just breathes the sounds, arrangements and production of Ennio – church organs, clavicords and choirs in Brazilian music? In short, a top notch combination of Brazilian and Morricone vibes from the late 60’s and one of our fave albums of all time.

However, the vinyl connaisseurs among the readers here may point out that this is not the original album, and I’m afraid they are correct. The one I’m holding here is a French repress from 1975 with the Brazilian versions of (most of) these songs. This is because, unfortunately, a good original Italian / Italian vocal version pressing is very hard to find and big bucks – bwah. So, if anyone can get me a reasonably priced original, do please drop us a line!

Although the whole album is fabulous, the stand out track for me is ‘Funerale di un contadino’. The Italian version is samba meets spaghetti western and pure beauty, with either a bunch of Italian housewives or female gypsies (still not sure) singing their guts out on backing vocals – gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

Again, this is not the version however on the French repress. That one holds the Brazilian version, ‘Funeral de um lavrador’, which is different in music and vocal, but also impressive. Probably best if we provide you both versions..”

Italian version…