The Brazilian Night returns to Kaserne Basel in 2026 as part of the Fasnacht celebrations, bringing once again one of the liveliest and most anticipated events in the city’s multicultural calendar. This edition features a powerful encounter between two vibrant forces of Brazilian music in Europe: Samba do Tio Pê and Dandara Modesto. We are also very proud to present DJ Swinguero from Lisboa!

Samba do Tio Pê – Tradition, research, and the living pulse of the Roda de Samba

Samba do Tio Pê embodies samba not only as a musical form but also as a cultural language and way of life. Rooted in centuries of Afro-Brazilian history, samba continues to reinvent itself — and the group is part of this ongoing renewal. Through dedicated research, they explore lesser-known composers and songs, bringing new arrangements and fresh interpretations to the traditional samba repertoire.

With the classic instrumentation of a roda de samba — pandeiro, cavaquinho, 6- and 7-string guitars, percussion, and vocals — the group evokes the sound that accompanied some of the genre’s most iconic singers. Their repertoire honors masters such as Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, Arlindo Cruz, João Nogueira, Nei Lopes, Zé Kéti, among many others, celebrating the poetry, swing, and collective spirit that define samba.

Dandara Modesto 

Dandara Modesto is a Brazilian singer, performer, producer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Zurich. Her work moves fluidly between sound and body research, exploring themes such as memory, rhythm, displacement, reverberation, ecology, decoloniality, and ancestry.

She has collaborated widely across music, dance, theater, visual arts, and performance in Brazil and Europe, creating soundtracks for films and stage works presented at institutions such as Theater Basel, Museum Winterthur, and KenooFilmi. In 2022, she received the Performancepreis Schweiz for her work Neon Bush Girl Society, affirming her place as one of the most distinctive artistic voices in Switzerland. In 2025, she released the EP Trinka (Agogo Records) with her trio, adding to her previous albums Dois Tempos de Um Lugar (2016) and Estrangeira (2022).

A night to celebrate the expressive diversity of Brazil

Bringing together the vibrant energy of Samba do Tio Pê with the expressive vocal and performative depth of Dandara Modesto, this Brazilian Night offers a unique artistic encounter. It merges the heartbeat of the roda de samba with contemporary performance aesthetics, expanding the horizon of Brazilian culture within the Fasnacht festivities.

A celebration of rhythm, memory, body, and community — honoring traditions while reimagining them for today.