ROOTS AND JOURNEY

Gil Felix from Salvador de Bahía, mandingo and brasilero, embodies the Afro-Brazilian experience, with family roots in both West Africa and South America.

Gil Felix met the explosion of West African Afropop in Europe, which inspired him to create his own pan-ethnic sound inspired by Gilberto Gil, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Oloudum, Salif Keita, Bonga. Here the regional Bahían Reconcavo culture meets Caribbean and African musicality: Bossa Nova, Samba Reggae, Rocksteady, Soukous and Afropop in a unique musical universe. The result is an irresistible polyrythmic swing, where storytelling about mankinds´ history and our African roots is combined with poetic paintings of everyday life. 

During the 90s, Gil Felix formed the band Passo 48, who were among the pioneers of reggae in Brazil at that time and also ran Salvador's reggae hub which inspired and trained many musicians who followed in their footsteps. The reggae album ”Galan” got a special reception in São Paulo and Gil Felix´ emblematic interpretation in Portuguese of Tenement Yard - Ti, ti, ti, bla, bla, bla - is still a must on playlists of classical reggae in Brazil.

The first album ”Travesso", produced in Denmark, was followed by a series of albums produced in Europe and Brazil. Gil Felix has played at festivals such as Fest'in Bahía and Femadum and has filled the arenas in São Paulo. From 2000 onwards he lived in Switzerland and played several times at the Montreux Festival, but also on the festival scene in the rest of Europe, not least at Europe's biggest carnival: Berlin.

Gil Felix´ music is mainly popular, however he managed to get two EDM-hits in England, remaining for more than two years between 2003/04 in the 1st of the ranking: "Capoeira" (Drum and Bass) and ”Qué alegría” (House music).

Since 2020, Gil Felix is based in Sweden where he released his latest album ”Enfim” in 2021. ”Enfim” is an international production with musicians from three continents, recorded in Stockholm and Salvador de Bahía, produced by Nestor Madrid.

”Enfim” is an album where Gil Felix brings us on his journey through Bossanova, Reggae, Samba Reggae fused with Jazz, all based in the African music. The titel track is rooted in smooth jazz with subtle guitars and warm instrumental melodies. Gil's soft and intimate voice stands out with grooves ranging from funk to samba.

”Enfim” also includes the emblematic song ”Kanga Musa”, a Brazilian Afropop track with musical influences from Fela Kuti, Bonga, Salif Keita and others. "Kanga Musa "is the result of Gil Felix' studies of African and American history and tells the hidden story of the African gold that financed the conquest of America and the subsequent looting that founded Europe's richness and global power. With the song ”Kanga Musa” Gil Felix joins the black intellectual artists who return the history to those who were deprived of it and inspire everyone to use music as a means of expression, spreading truth and humanism.

In Sweden, Gil Felix has performed at the Stockholm Culture Festival, Festival Latino, Latin Village, Brazilian Day, Katalin Jazz Club, Engelen Music Pub, Lasse i Parken, Kulturoasen, African Jazz Club etc and he runs his own SalvadorStokolmo Klub, for musical encounters of Brazilian, Latin and African music at the Pygme Theater in Stockholm.

An evening with Gil Felix and his band always ends up with the crowd dancing, singing and celebrating life and human affinity. Gil Felix puts us all both to dance and to think!