Nação Zumbi

The Nação Zumbi emerged from the Manguebeat movement in the city of Recife in the 1990s as the band of singer Chico Science. With the sudden death of the lead singer in 1997, the group took on the challenge of continuing a body of work established by two albums that are essential to Brazilian pop music: Da Lama ao Caos (1994) and Afrociberdelia (1996), which demonstrated how regional culture could be reinvented and updated.

The double album CSNZ (1998), released after Science’s death, featured remixes, live tracks, and previously unreleased material, bringing one phase to a close and opening a new chapter for the Nação Zumbi.

Jorge du Peixe (vocals), Lúcio Maia (guitar), Toca Ogan (percussion), Alexandre Dengue (bass), Gilmar Bolla 8 (percussion), and Pupillo (drums) released the first album of this new phase in the year 2000. Titled Rádio S.A.M.B.A., the album was released on the YB Music label and featured the hit “Quando a Maré Encher.” In 2002, the group signed with Trama Records and released the self-titled album Nação Zumbi, driven by tracks such as “Meu Maracatu Pesa Uma Tonelada,” “Blunt of Judah,” and “Prato de Flores.”

The album Futura (2005) featured Scott Hard (who worked with De La Soul) on production, focusing on experimentation and electronic textures that pushed the maracatu drums into the background. Among the guest artists, Mauricio Takara (Hurtmold) and Fernando Catatau (Cidadão Instigado).

Produced by Mario Caldato Jr., Fome de Tudo was released in 2007 by Deckdisc. After a long hiatus without releasing any new studio material, the band returned in 2014 with their second self-titled album.

Starting in 2015, the lineup suffered significant losses: Gilmar Bolla 8 left the group, followed by Pupillo in 2018. In the meantime, in 2017, they released Radiola NZ Vol. 1, a cover album featuring versions of tracks by Gilberto Gil (“Refazenda”), Tim Maia (“Balanço”), The Beatles (“Tomorrow Never Knows”), Marvin Gaye (“Sexual Healing”), and David Bowie (“Ashes to Ashes”), among others.

In the early 2020s, guitarist Lúcio Maia also stepped away to focus on personal projects.