i need background music

i´ve loved music for a very very long time. i grew up playing an instrument (yay flute, ha ha), singing in the car and in the shower, and listening to music as much as possible, including during studying (sorry, holly) and sleeping (sorry again, holly), working out, on long car/plane/train trips, and even walking to class with the wonderful invention of the mp3 player (thank you, whoever´s responsible for this :D) - i really love music. i love most kinds, not all, but i´m open to anything that has a good beat, inspiring lyrics, insatiable soul, and creates an atmosphere that suits my mood...i´m not too hard to please :) through being out of my environment a little bit in terms of music here in salvador, i´ve come to discover some new things about it and my connection to it. maybe i should first tell you about how music is here though so you´ll understand what i mean a little better...

brazilians are known as party-loving people, in general. this is true, they loooove parties, dancing, music, food, and everything that comes with it. sweet, who doesn´t? in salvador especially, everyone is happy, helpful, hospitable, and loves loves loves music, lots of kinds...reggae, pop, rock/alternative, axé (carnival music), samba, forró (são joão music), pagode, arrocha, funk, electronica, mixes of all of these, etc. i´ve encountered so many new kinds since i´ve been here and i love them all...yay for a music-loving city and people! i have some cd´s but no cd player so i end up really only listening to it on my own when i´m at a compter (ie work or at home (sometimes)). i don´t know what it is about music, but it helps me concentrate, always has. the cool thing about listening to all of these different kinds, though, is the inspiration i get...the different feelings and moods of the music give me different ideas and i feel like have almost expanding my thinking in some ways, not to mention that listening to music in a different language helps you learn it. that´s one of the things i realized today while listening to some of my brazilian songs - it´s like a new song every day because i understand a little more, yay! even with songs in english, you can hear new things every time you listen, how cool is that?

the music scene in atl isn´t horrible, but i´m definitely going to miss the attitude toward music in general here, as well as the scene. what is it about music that makes people want to jump around like maniacs then cry then chill in a hammock next to the beach? how can one thing be so diverse and create such a diversity of feelings? and how did people all over the world come up with so many different types? i´ve heard beats and combinations of instruments i never would´ve thought of here, and it´s great. and i definitely feel like knowing someone´s music you come to learn a little more (or maybe even a lot more) about them, especially in terms of a culture.

i went to a brazilian wedding last weekend. the reception was all brazilian music, especially axé and samba since the couple had met at carnival. the bride and groom wore carnival-type accessories (glowing necklaces, fuzzy crowns, etc), and everyone danced until after 3am. when´s the last time you saw that in a wedding?

welcome to brazil :)

p.s. - if you want to hear some of this music let me know and i´ll try to send you some :D beijos.