In Nation Beat’s latest musical odyssey, traditional Brazilian rhythms intertwine with the soulful grooves of New Orleans, funk, and jazz to create a dynamic tapestry that spans continents and centuries. Each track is a testament to the power of music to transcend boundaries, both geographical and temporal. Archaic Humans is a celebration of the timeless fusion of ancient roots and modern innovation.

As only could happen in today’s continuously shrinking world, Nation Beat singularly conjures up an elemental musical mojo, drawing on the wellsprings of rhythm that lit up jazz and got maracatu thundering. Archaic Humans takes off with bebop-via-Brazil drumming, propulsive bursts of New Orleans–flavored brass, and hair-on-fire jazz improvisation.  On Archaic Humans, the band lights up the afterburners to reach into fresh territory with a couple of new collaborators, too as GRAMMY-nominated progressive hip-hop/go-go artist Christylez Bacon from Washington, DC, and soulful South African voclist Melanie Scholtz braid radically new and uplifting strands into Nation Beat’s musical timeline.

 Replete with infectious beats, soul-stirring melodies, and a music-meld of the traditional and the cutting edge, Archaic Humans is an exploration of our collective heritage, inviting listeners to connect with the primal essence that unites us all right here in the present.  Dive in and let the music and history - past, present, and future - wash over you. Discover what it is to be an Archaic Human.

Recorded September 30 & October 1st, 2023.
Engineer: Sam Stauff
Recorded at Mercy University
Producer: Jason Olaine
Co-Producers: Scott Kettner & Paul Carlon
Mixed by: Alan Friedman
Mastered by Scott Anthony & Ben Davis, Storybook Sound
Additional Recordings: Pedro França, Fabrica Studios, Recife, Brazil
Management: Tom Frouge, Avokado Artists
Label: Ropeadope Records
Front Cover Collage Art: Melanie Scholtz
Front Cover Layout: Gina Graves
Album cover layout by Ropeadope
Cover photo by Krystal Pagán-De La Rosa. Photo assistant Janeivy Hilario (Neivy)

Nation Beat is:
Scott Kettner: drum set and percussion
Paul Carlon: tenor sax and horn arrangements
Mark Collins: trumpet
Tom McHugh: trombone
Heather Ewer: sousaphone

Special Guests:
Melanie Scholtz: vocals
Christylez Bacon: beatbox & rhymes
Luca Texeira: percussion
Michael Spiro: congas & percussion


Archaic Humans

Nation Beat is:
Scott Kettner: drum set and percussion
Paul Carlon: tenor sax and horn arrangements
Mark Collins: trumpet
Mariel Bildsten: trombone
Joe Correia: sousaphone

Special Guests
Spyboy “Honey” Irving Banister: interview on track #1
Cyro Baptista: percussion on track #10
Carolina Mama: vocals on track #10
Moses Patrou: vocals on track #4, keys on track #8
Rob Curto: keyboards on tracks #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
Alan Friedman: keyboards on tracks #1 & 3
Pitoco de Aira: Ilú on track #2
Collin DeJoseph: keys track #3

Produced by Scott Kettner & Rob Curto
Co-Produced and Mixed by Alan Friedman 
Mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound, Maplewood, NJ
Recorded at Kaleidoscope Sound, NJ by Kyle Cassel 
Additional recording by Scott Kettner
Cover Photo & Artistic Design/Concept: Carolina Mama
Make-Up Artist: Lyn Lynch
Photo Production: Anita Jacobs
Photo Assistant: Kassandra Charalampi
Manager & Artistic Support: Tom Frouge at Avokado Artists

The Royal Chase was was made possible in part by a
grant from the FreshGrass Foundation Album Fund / Freshgrass.org

The Royal Chase

Growing Stone

Puxa O Boi

Science Tribes

Maracatu Gigante

Try Try Try

A New Flow (feat. Christylez Bacon)

Mo Forro

Always Spring With You (feat. Melanie_Scholtz)

Give A Little (feat. Christylez_Bacon)

Race Car

Inutil Paisagem

Forro le Fonque

Rhythm of Your Dreams (feat Melanie Scholtz)

Be The Change

Tropicana (Morena Tropicana)

Scott Kettner and Nation Beat announce a new decade and a new sound with The Royal Chase album, due out in June, 2020.  

Forró, Funk & Brass.

Roseira Do Norte

Algunas Cantan (feat. Carolina Mama)

Feira De Mangaio

Big Chief

Ciranda For Lia

Forró No Escuro

Paper Heart

Hey Pocky Way (feat. Moses Patrou)

Morô Omim Má

Scott Kettner and Nation Beat announce a new decade and a new sound with The Royal Chase album, due out in September 18, 2020.   Available on CD and vinyl

Forró, Funk.  Brass.

Forró De Dois Amigos

FORRÓ - FUNK - BRASS!
The heartbeat of Nation Beat’s sound lies in a deliciously original 21st century fusion between thunderous Brazilian maracatu drumming and New Orleans second line rhythms. It is also the vibrant force of their explosive live show, which is frequently known to burst into crowd-wide Carnival-style drumming and singing. Nation Beat’s audacious energy seamlessly bridges folkloric Brazilian maracatu with classic NOLA roots music attracting an ever-growing legion of fans from across a wide demographic. Nation Beat plays the best kind of fusion in the world, the kind that doesn't try to fuse anything.  An American/Brazilian collective, Nation Beat belongs to both sides of the equator.

Nation Beat

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