Oruã
Oruã, a child of downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was born at night and attends parties at dawn. A poor man’s jazz. Working-class’ krautrock.
Formed during one of the most turbulent periods in recent Brazilian history (which has seen a coup d’état, political imprisonment, and the rise of the extreme right), Oruã was idealized by Lê Almeida, a cultural agitator in Rio de Janeiro’s independent scene, through his label Transfusão Noise Records. Based around the meeting point that became the Escritório, a space of collective creation which fosters an artistic community and a music scene that dialogues with the Brazilian underground from a unique place, Oruã emerged in improvisation sessions that mixed repetitive bass lines, electric phrases and indie guitar solos, doses of feedback and wall of noise to afrobeat and Brazilian references that ranged from Luiz Gonzaga’s primal Pernambuco sound to Brazilian guitar references.
Oruã is lead by critically-acclaimed guitarist and producer Lê Almeida and is joined by long-time collaborators João Casaes (synths), Bigu Medine (bass) and Ana Zumpano (drums). Together they blend lo-fi indipendent rock, krautrock, noise, afrobeat, and Brazilian references that range from Luiz Gonzaga’s primal Pernambuco sound to classic Brazilian psych rock. In 2019 their sound was discovered by indie rock legend Doug Martsch of Built to Spill, which led to him inviting Lê and João to become temporary members of the 90’s indie rock band. Later they recorded, co-produced, and co-mixed Built to Spill’s most recent album, When the Wind Forgets Your Name, released in 2022 on Sub Pop Records.
After touring extensively with Built to Spill and showcasing their high-energy shows in the US and Europe throughout the years, Oruã returned to the US in 2024 in support of the album PASSE on their own Transfusão Noise Records. Their sound continues to mix the electric pulses of deconstructed guitars over a mesmerizing groove, taking both audience and band into a collective trance.
At the end of the PASSE U.S. tour Oruã returned to Seattle and recorded their new album Slacker [KLP307] with Jim Roth, who also plays guitar, synth and percussion on the recordings. Oruã tours extensively in Europe during July, 2025, crossing over 10 countries, taking the collective trance of Oruã to many different cultures, exporting the best that Brazil has to offer: art! After the release of Slacker [KLP307] October 24, 2025 Oruã will then tour all over North America.
