Mamah Soares, a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Salvador, Bahia, returns with Banho de Abô, a new single released on June 13 via Kaxambu Records. Featuring singer Otto, the track bridges the sacred rhythms of Candomblé terreiros with contemporary electronic sounds.
The track mixes chants in Yoruba and Portuguese with ijexá grooves and electronic production. Indeed, Banho de Abô draws from both ritual and popular traditions. The arrangement features the surdo virado (popularized by Carlinhos Brown), the agogô, and the xequerê, alongside Afro-Cuban timbales and subtle programmed beats. The song’s rhythmic base is rooted in ijexá,a style introduced to Brazilian popular music by artists like Gilberto Gil and João Donato, evoking the orixás Ossãe and Xangô while celebrating the spiritual power of leaves and healing baths.
The single was co-produced by Caio Leite and Mamah Soares, with lyrics written in collaboration with Ney Cardoso, a member of the Aguidavi do Jêje percussion group. Cardoso contributed Yoruba language expertise and deep cultural references, including plant-based symbology tied to the orixás.
Otto’s guest appearance expands the track’s Afro-Northeastern influence. Indeed, Otto complements Soares’ vision of music as both memory and movement. According to Mamah, “This sound is a call to ancestral memory and a tool for healing.”
With over 25 years in music, Mamah Soares has performed with artists such as Timbalada, BaianaSystem, Margareth Menezes, Gloria Groove, and Shawn Mendes. His work combines the foundational rhythms of Samba Junino with electronic and urban sounds. In 2011, he founded Coletivo di Tambor, a project exploring ancestral percussion in dialogue with modern music, later earning a Caymmi Award for Best Video and Best Direction.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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