Ministerio Taus

Ministerio Taus formed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1984, with founding members André "Pinguim" Tausz, Paulo César Barros, and Chico Amaral. Their name translates to "Ministry of Silence" in Portuguese, which gives some sense of the contemplative space they were working in. They drew from Catholic liturgy and Brazilian Tropicalismo, creating music that mixed Gregorian chants with folk melodies and experimental rhythms.

Their song "Ave Cheia de Graça" became something of an anthem for them, a point where their spiritual themes and contemporary rock approach met. Other tracks like "Pra falar de paz" and "Ser Feliz" show the same blend of sacred and secular elements. Their sound wasn't exactly what traditionalists in the church expected, and that created some friction, but they kept working in that space between devotional music and popular Brazilian forms.

They released a series of albums through the late 80s and 90s that developed this approach. The music had a particular texture, part hymn, part rock, with those chants floating over electric guitars and percussion. It was specific to its time and place, a Brazilian take on what sacred music could sound like outside the cathedral.