The cocktail of African, European and indigenous cultures that formed Brazilian society has led to a vast music scene with a dazzling variety of rhythms, melodies and regional styles. Home to the samba, Brazil’s explosive Carnaval music, and bossa nova, a popular style derived from the samba but with more melodic and harmonic complexity, Rio de Janeiro is one of the country’s musical hotbeds where music is an integral part of everyday life. The Rough Guide To The Music Of Brazil: Rio De Janeiro is bursting with some of the most exceptional and innovative sounds of Brazil’s most vivacious city.