BaianaSystem are from Bahia, the state with the strongest African cultural heritage in the country and a motherlode for Brazilian music. BaianaSystem manifest and champion the sound of the Black Atlantic, deep and future connections between Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean, from the roots of samba to global bass culture. The group was founded in 2009 by guitarist Roberto Barreto, vocalist Russo Passapusso , bassist Marcelo Seco and visual artist Filipe Cartaxo . Centre stage is the guitarra baiana – the mini electric guitar invented in the 1940s by Salvador carnival kings Dodô and Osmar - Barreto revives classic Bahian sounds and mashes in rock reverbs and swirling melodic lines wired to his love of vintage Congolese rumba. Russo Passapusso brings conscious lyrics and quickfire vocals in a flow that ricochets between dancehall, rap, dub and samba duro. Marcelo Seco is the master cook on beats and bass fusing Bahia’s syncopated rhythms with digital dub. The group’s visual identity comes courtesy of signer/photographer Cartaxo - from the masks handed out to BaianaSystem’s fan-tribe to live VJ mixes - visuals are a core dimension of all their shows.

The group operates as an independent DIY collective – that collaborative, open energy resonates in their music and their attitudes and is pivotal to how they’ve become the phenomenal cultural force they are today. On 2018 BaianaSystem released BatukeBox, a compilation which was originally idealized for Vinyl for it features songs that were previously released as singles, part of EPs or remixes. It's an important collection of tracks that include the fan favorite on concerts "Forasteiro", previously released on the compilation 20Before17 by Red Bull International, the hit "Capim Guiné" which features the kuduro queen Titica and Bahia's own iconic singer Margareth Menezes, and the dub remix of the same song. BatukeBox is released on a partnership between the group's own label Máquina de Louco and Polysom.