I used to be a developer but now I own a record store in São Paulo. Our store (bigpaparecords.com) won't be online until december, and we do not sell a lot of Brazilian music, anyway - we actually specialize in selling US & Europe labels to Brazilians. We sell independent local music in our physical store, though, and will probably add it to the site in the near future (around Jan/Feb 2013). That said, allow me to refer you to some very nice independent local stores and labels that sell directly to consumers: - Afro-Brazilian, new samba, jazz, experimental (Luciano Valerio): desmonta.com - MPB, Samba, Bossa, Roots (Carlinhos): disco7vinil.com.br - Experimental, rock, free jazz (Fred Finelli): submarinerecords.net - African & Brazilian (Fred Typhagne): gomagringa.com - Post-rock, experimental (Muriel): dissensorecords.com Specifically from Desmonta, I would recommend you take a look at the excellent works by Kiko DiNucci, Thiago França and Juçara Marçal, all together in Metá Metá, or in their individual releases. Thiago's "Gafieira" and Kiko's "Na Boca dos Outros" are first-class, simply delightful. I hope this helps. If you need more specific help, feel free to contact me through our site! :) Katia

In a perfect world, full of rational, just and sound-minded people, I would agree with you - but then it would be a world without those crimes, anyway... Unfortunately, it's fairly easy to foresee some misuse of that kind of information. People in power have a way to turn these things against people they don't like - be it the Homeland Security agent using his/her job to snoop on and persecute an ex-spouse, or the TSA agent using his/her job to get away with fondling people and stealing small stuff. If "they" have samples from everyone, and you disagree with them or cross their path somehow, who's to say a bomb won't show up with traces of your DNA? Years ago I would read this comment and crack a joke about tinfoil hats, but in these days of FBI grooming homeless people to frame them as terrorists... well, it just doesn't sound funny anymore. :(

Wow... somewhere in the thread a guy said we Brazilians do not like "yanquis" (sic). Assuming your post isn't just a rude joke, then it shows exactly the kind of bigotry and lack of culture we see in SOME (not, by any means, all) American persons. And those things, along with racism, extremism and other "isms", we really dislike. As ANY other country or people in this world, Brazilians and Brazilian culture are not perfect - but, as we say over there, one usually sees others as a mirror of self ("tira os outros por si"). Feeling ugly, already? By the way, do your "friends" know what you think about them and their culture? See... what a forgiving bunch, eh? Perhaps you could learn from them!