Mangue Bit
Encyclopedia
The mangue bit or mangue beat movement was a cultural movement created circa 1991 in the city
of Recife
in Northeast Brazil
in reaction to the cultural and economical stagnation of the city. The movement largely focuses on music.
The movement has its own manifesto
, Caranguejos com Cérebro (or "Crab
s with Brain
s" in English
), written in 1992 by singer Fred 04
and DJ Renato L. Its title refers to Recife's inhabitants as crabs living in Recife's swamp and mangrove environment. A major symbol associated with mangue bit is that of an antenna stuck in the mud receiving signals from all over the world.
Mangue bit can be divided into two distinct waves: the first in the early 1990s led by the music groups Chico Science
& Nação Zumbi
(Zumbi
's Nation) and Mundo Livre S/A
(Free World Inc.), and the second in the early 2000s led by Re:Combo (a copyleft
movement that uploads half-sampled music for download) and Cordel do Fogo Encantado
(a music group that started as a roving theatre troupe with roots in a form of literature known as literatura de cordel
("twine literature")).
The original movement named itself mangue bit, mangue referring to Recife's mangroves and bit to the computer bit
central to the movement's electronic music
influences. Since then, mangue bit has far more commonly, albeit mistakenly, been referred as mangue beat.
Nowadays there are some bands that include this references, like Autoplágio.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
in Northeast Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in reaction to the cultural and economical stagnation of the city. The movement largely focuses on music.
The movement has its own manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
, Caranguejos com Cérebro (or "Crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s with Brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
s" in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
), written in 1992 by singer Fred 04
Fred 04
Fred 04 is the leader, singer, guitarist and Cavaquinho player of Brazilian band Mundo Livre S/A. He is the co-author, along with DJ Renato L, of the Mangue Bit manifesto, "Caranguejos Com Cérebros" . He has a degree in journalism...
and DJ Renato L. Its title refers to Recife's inhabitants as crabs living in Recife's swamp and mangrove environment. A major symbol associated with mangue bit is that of an antenna stuck in the mud receiving signals from all over the world.
Mangue bit can be divided into two distinct waves: the first in the early 1990s led by the music groups Chico Science
Chico Science
Francisco de Assis França , better known as Chico Science, was a Brazilian singer and composer and one of the founders of the Mangue Beat cultural movement...
& Nação Zumbi
Nação Zumbi
Nação Zumbi is a Brazilian rock band formed by Chico Science. The musicians of the group continued as Nação Zumbi after Chico died in a car accident on February 2, 1997....
(Zumbi
Zumbi
Zumbi , also known as Zumbi dos Palmares, was the last of the leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil.-Quilombos:...
's Nation) and Mundo Livre S/A
Mundo Livre S/A
Mundo Livre S/A, is a Brazilian manguebeat band, formed in 1984 in Recife, Pernambuco. It is also one of the founders of that musical style, which became popular in the 1990s. Fred Zero Quatro, the band's singer, was one of the authors of Caranguejos com Cérebro, one of the landmarks of the...
(Free World Inc.), and the second in the early 2000s led by Re:Combo (a copyleft
Copyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
movement that uploads half-sampled music for download) and Cordel do Fogo Encantado
Cordel do Fogo Encantado
Cordel do Fogo Encantado is a Brazilian band from Arcoverde who mix different Brazilian musical genres, such as samba de côco, toré indígena, embolada, and reisado, with pop-rock melodies. The band derives its name from cordel, a type of hand-made illustrated pamphlet literature made by woodcut...
(a music group that started as a roving theatre troupe with roots in a form of literature known as literatura de cordel
Cordel literature
Cordel literature are popular and inexpensively printed booklets or pamphlets containing folk novels, poems and songs, which are produced and sold in fairs and by sidestreet vendors in the Northeast of Brazil...
("twine literature")).
The original movement named itself mangue bit, mangue referring to Recife's mangroves and bit to the computer bit
Bit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
central to the movement's electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
influences. Since then, mangue bit has far more commonly, albeit mistakenly, been referred as mangue beat.
Nowadays there are some bands that include this references, like Autoplágio.