Release Date: January 21, 2019
Label: Reverb Brazil
The surf community’s influence extends across the globe, seamlessly blending music and culture. Since the early 1960s, music has been an inseparable companion to surfing, shaping and reflecting the lifestyle that surrounds the waves.
Reverb Brazil curated an impressive collection titled Brazilian Tsunami in 2019, featuring 63 tracks and nearly three hours of music. Although released almost seven years ago, it demands attention. This compilation remains a testament to music’s unifying power and the vibrant community it fosters, no matter where it originates.
*When you go to their Bandcamp page and see the write-up, it is in Spanish. I have provided the English interpretation below.
The music’s appeal goes beyond sound—striking artwork is integral to the experience, something fans appreciate and expect. The compilation’s visuals capture its origins perfectly, with a memorable, eye-catching color scheme. Ultimately, these factors converge, and the community’s response will determine whether the release is embraced or fades into obscurity.
From the outset, the striking artwork drew me in, and the music maintained that captivation throughout. Highlighting individual tracks wouldn’t do justice to the breadth and eclecticism on display. With such a vast instrumental selection, this release is best evaluated by considering its sound quality, mastering, engineering, stylistic variety, instrumentation, and genre diversity.
For digital downloads, the sound quality and instrument separation are exceptional. Tracks merge seamlessly, a testament to meticulous mastering. The compilation covers a broad spectrum of surf-instrumental styles and several subgenres (rock, punk, spaghetti western, exotica, etc). Ultimately, it all starts with top-notch engineering—without it, none of these elements would coalesce as effectively as they do here.
Several tracks showcase a distinct Brazilian flavor, which adds depth and authenticity. Rooted influences drive the music, and the featured bands consistently honor the genre’s essence. Guitar remains front and center, commanding attention without overshadowing the vital contributions of drums and bass. These elements work in harmony, with many tracks blending rock energy and surf influences, while others remain true to classic surf instrumental rhythms. Then, at times, they go off into some psychedelia with some pedal effects, which I also enjoyed. I appreciate the music going in different directions, with many transitions within a single track. You will experience that in this collection.
"Brazilian Tsunami" is an engaging, high-caliber release that spotlights the finest of Brazil’s surf instrumental scene. It’s living proof that surf music remains vibrant and evolving. Shining a light on this region underscores the global reach and vitality of the genre—and there are countless other surf communities worldwide, waiting to be explored.
In today’s information age, discovering new music is just a search away on your PC or phone. Whether you ask Google, ChatGPT, or explore Bandcamp and Spotify, you’re bound to uncover something remarkable.
Keith
“MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Surf Music and Art Review Founder
December 28, 2025
*Documenting the current moment of the surf music scene in Brazil is the main goal of Brazilian Tsunami, a compilation produced by the labels Orleone Records and Reverb Brasil, in cooperation with the 63 bands that make up the three CDs presented here.
This initiative portrays a true flood of reverb coming from all four corners of the country; from north to south, east to west, surf music has spread across Brazilian territory in recent years. With a steady seat at festivals and radio programs, the wet instrumental music is once again in the spotlight of the alternative scene, actively participating in today’s music market.
There is no doubt that we are living the most prosperous moment for the style in Brazil. The rise of a new scene with bands that forged their own path—sometimes free of pre-established standards—combined with seasonal visits by several international artists in our country, helped feed the circuit, which multiplied and extended its tentacles across all of Brazil.
Another key factor was the intensification of contact and connections built and carried out with our Latin brothers. Many bands from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, and others approached our scene, crossing borders and witnessing in loco the intensity of the reverb practiced here.
Overall, Brazilian Tsunami carries the DNA of Brazilian surf music in all its forms and branches. The bands present here developed their identity based on what they listened to and, in many cases, on the environment in which they were created, sometimes brushing up against the pioneering work of groups like The Jordans, The Clevers, Jet Blacks, Os Incríveis, Os Milionários, etc.—bands that started the history of the genre in Brazil in the 1960s and achieved great success, securing their names in the history and memory of music in the country.
Beyond the early origins, the style began “talking” to the mainstream public again in the 1980s through the Beach Boys-like João Penca e Seus Miquinhos Amestrados. In the 1990s, it expanded tremendously due to the release of the film Pulp Fiction, a pop-culture pearl that features the anthem “Miserlou,” performed by the owner of the ball, the king of kings—DICK DALE—as the driving force of its soundtrack.
The 1990s scene was directly responsible for what we are experiencing today. The effervescent youth just emerging from the military dictatorship encountered the democratic system and demanded its space—like all sectors of green-and-yellow society—expanding through fanzines, magazines, websites, record labels, distributors, festivals, and more. From that wave, fundamental names emerged to consolidate the style in the largest country in South America. This “second generation of Brazilian surf music” was very productive, and some groups still perform today. Bands like Os Ostras, Stanley Dix, Estrume’n'tal, Gasolines, Go!, Os Argonautas, Tri Dux (just to name a few) paved the way and repaved the road that led to the creation of many of the bands featured on this compilation.
Across these three discs, we were able to compile 63 songs by 63 different bands! Yes, it is an incredible feat for a scene that is not supported by mainstream media and whose driving engine is its own members, self-managing their decisions and keeping the wheels turning across different corners of this immense country.
Being part of this history, living this moment, fills us with pride, and that is why this compilation is truly special to us. We owe a special thanks to everyone involved directly or indirectly in this project: to the forefathers who started this story in such an unlikely country, to the generations that followed in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and especially to every single band involved, for all the effort, patience, and camaraderie. Also to the great Leopoldo “Mocotó” Furtado, my brother, captain of the most important surf-music-dedicated label in South America—Reverb Brasil—and main coordinator of this project. Each one of you is a drop in this great wave. You are the protagonists of this story. Truly—thank you!
Put
the CD in the player, turn up the volume, open a beer, and get intoxicated with
reverb through the Brazilian Tsunami. SURF’S UP!
Tracks:
01. The Dead Rocks – Surf Explosão — 02:12
02. Os Brutus – Billy The Ghost — 02:13
03. Jubarte Ataca – Chafurdo Com A Gangue — 01:46
04. Joanatan Richard – Silence and Thunder — 01:47
05. Kingargoolas – Dirty Plexus — 01:58
06. Búfalos D'Água – Mandíbula — 02:18
07. Mary O and The Pink Flamingos – Little Coconuts — 02:04
08. Los Pollos Caipiras – Surfando na Serra do Cipó — 03:20
09. Surfadelica – Questionable Navigation — 02:58
10. Sex On The Beach – Eldorado — 04:26
11. Jacaré Junkie – Pirarucu Attack — 05:34
12. Esquivo Devoluto – Pique-Nique Beibe — 02:12
13. Superguedes – De Volta ao Banheiro — 05:03
14. Os Pontas – Banana Boogie — 03:24
15. Marcelo Callado – Munheca — 02:11
16. The Raulis – Chicken Haole — 03:20
17. Os Gatunos – Onde está o Wally? — 01:54
18. Quentin Brothers – The Last Ride to El Dorado — 02:59
19. Reverba Trio – Siberia — 01:36
20. Beermudas – Ode à Rainha Diaba — 02:23
21. Gasolines – Cheira Carimbó — 02:48
22. The Mullet Monster Mafia – Black Coffin Board — 01:46
23. Light Strucks – Sábado Violento — 03:19
24. Baleia Mutante – Organicool — 03:07
25. The Violentures – Surfin' Lava — 03:12
26. Brian Oblivion e seus Raios Catódicos – Tereza — 02:01
27. Drakula – Death Surf — 02:02
28. Apicultores Clandestinos – Tererê — 02:11
29. Maniáticos do Reverb – Rubi's Valley Halfpipe — 01:48
30. Buzz Driver – Tutube — 01:36
31. Barbatanas – Bico Liso na Quissassa Medonha — 02:40
32. Surf Aliens – Enigma de Nazca — 02:13
33. Los Prego – Casa Cheia de Veneno — 02:04
34. The Old Jack – Tsunami — 02:15
35. Moreia The Surf Monsters – Boldró — 02:36
36. Beach Combers – Rei da Praia — 03:06
37. Hitchcocks – Duelo Surf — 03:26
38. Comanches – Raulis CWB — 02:22
39. Os Aquamans – Maracaípe — 02:24
40. Sangue de Androide – Sangue de Androide — 02:41
41. Ted Boys Marinos – Space Station — 04:23
42. Footstep Surf Music Band – Sasha Stomp — 03:05
43. Intóxicos – Disaster — 02:28
44. Trabajo Cubano – Sunset Vista — 02:41
45. O Boi Solitário – Trágica Noite — 02:15
46. Wood Surfers – Nice View of Paradise — 03:17
47. Retrofoguetes – Telemetria — 03:22
48. Movie Star Trash – Granizo — 02:13
49. Paquetá – Guanxuma Jamaicana — 03:37
50. Shark & Os Tubarões – O Pingaiada — 02:14
51. Terremotor – Intacto — 02:32
52. Surfabats – Big Wave Surfing — 03:21
53. Ivan Motosserra Surf & Trash – A Misteriosa Lagoa do Abaeté — 04:50
54. Os Carburadores – El (Santo) Mariachi — 02:54
55. The Pulltones – Storm Fisherman — 02:49
56. Tartarugas de Patinetes – A terrível perseguição intergaláctica ao último quilombo de Emme Ya — 02:46
57. The Almighty Devildogs – Dizzy — 03:25
58. Robotron – Regeneration of Reptilicus — 02:35
59. Reverendo Frankenstein – A Vingança de Frank — 03:46
60. Surinames – Skapeta — 01:55
61. PROA – Transilvânia — 03:27
62. Gabriel Thomaz Trio – Babababa — 02:53
63. Capitão Parafina & Os Haoles – Fugindo desesperadamente do helicóptero malvado na densa selva sombria e úmida e com muitos perigos — 02:23
TOTAL RUNTIME — 2:54:26
