Zona Zen

Zona Zen formed in São Lourenço in 1998, a small town in Brazil's Serra da Mantiqueira region. Their sound mixed rock, folk, and electronica in ways that didn't fit neatly into existing categories, which made it hard to find an audience at first. They kept working on it through live shows in smaller venues.

Their first album, "O Céu sobre a Serra," came out in 2003 and got some positive attention from critics. Two years later they released the album "Na Serra o Sol É Raro," which included the song of the same name that became one of their most recognized tracks. Other songs like "Doralice" and "O Paraíso de Dante" also show up in their catalog.

The band's core lineup has stayed pretty consistent, with André Abujamra handling vocals and lyrics, Zeca Baleiro on guitar and production, Fernando Nunes on drums, and Alexandre Fontanetti on bass. Their songs often came out of jam sessions where everyone contributed, blending acoustic and electronic elements into something atmospheric.