Welcome to the first 2012Candy, our round up of new music that has come our way in recent days and weeks. We only feature music that has grabbed our attention, or that we feel really does deserve a wider audience, so no knocking other peoples art and efforts here!

Starting with Brazilian Beat (Putumayo World Music; release date January 31st, 2012). Selected from tens of thousands of songs collected by the pioneering label created to introduce new global music to broad audiences, Brazilian Beat chronicles the vibrant indie scene in Brazil and around the world. Musicians are taking samba, bossa nova, and MPB (Brazilian popular music) and deftly incorporating electronica, soul, funk, and just about every other music imaginable.

Sultry or upbeat, the tracks on this compilation of hip, rootsy artists aim to raise listeners’ moods and introduce even die-hard fans to a new crop of Brazilian music innovators. Featured alongside unsung icons such as samba soul master Marcos Valle are rising new stars like Tita Lima, daughter of the bassist from psychedelic hipster darlings Os Mutantes.

Brazilian music has bubbled into an indie scene-to-beat-all-indie scenes in underground clubs and on small labels from São Paulo to Rome. “You can go to Italy and find a hot bossa nova scene, and they have their own sound,” like Roman bossa band BungaLove’s “Minha Loucura,” explains Jacob Edgar, longtime head of A&R for Putumayo and passionate follower of the Brazilian music scene. “These retro sounds end up back in Brazil and shake things up.”

Listen: Tamy - Samba na Mão, Eu Tenho (Brazilian Beat).
Web: Putumayo Records HERE.
We Say: This just has so much atmosphere and feel to it, the song featured by Tamy is of course just one part of a massive variety of artists and styles. Unless of course you are in Brazil, this will transport you there for a while - enjoy!