Axé Blond

Axé Blond formed in 1995 when percussionist Carlinhos Brown teamed up with bassist Marcio Victor in Bahia, Brazil. They drew from the street-party rhythms of Salvador, mixing Brazilian percussion with electronic touches. Their debut album 'Pancadão É o Tchan' came out in 1997, and the title track 'Pancadão' became one of their calling cards.

But it connected with a lot of listeners, especially in working-class neighborhoods, and helped fuel what people called the Pancadão movement, those high-energy drum-and-dance parties that popped up all over. The band kept putting out records through the late '90s and early 2000s, including 'Nação Pancadão' and 'Swing do Pancadão'.

Songs like 'Pega Essa Levada' and 'Mexe Mexe' carried that same propulsive, party-ready feel. They weren't trying to reinvent Brazilian music so much as crank up the volume on a sound that was already happening in the streets. The group recorded nine studio albums before winding down.