Released: 2004
SCCD 374 | EAN: 8018344013749 | 
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Some records capture a moment. Others quietly create one.
When Instalação do Samba was released in 2004, few could have imagined that this understated debut would become one of the defining albums in the history of Schema Records. More than twenty years later, it remains a landmark—not because it followed trends, but because it simply ignored them.
At a time when Brazilian music was often revisited through nostalgia or diluted into lounge clichés, Toco offered something remarkably different. Together with producer Stefano “S-Tone Inc.” Tirone, he created an album that embraced the essence of samba and bossa nova while allowing them to breathe naturally within a contemporary musical landscape. Jazz, soul, understated electronics and sophisticated arrangements were never added as stylistic statements—they were simply part of the same musical language.
The result was timeless from the very beginning.
Curiously, Instalação do Samba was originally released only on CD. Although it has become one of the label’s most beloved recordings, it has never before been available on vinyl. This edition finally gives the album the analogue home it always seemed destined to have, revealing new depth and warmth in performances that have aged with extraordinary grace.
This first vinyl edition also includes a genuine rarity. Qui C’Est Celui-Là has never appeared on the original CD release and has never before been available on vinyl. The recording was issued exclusively on the French edition released by Bonsai Records, making its inclusion here a long-awaited addition for collectors and devoted listeners alike. Rather than a bonus track, it feels like the missing final chapter of the album.
Looking back today, Instalação do Samba can be seen as the beginning of a remarkable artistic journey. Over the years, Toco has become the most streamed artist in the entire Schema catalogue, introducing his music to audiences far beyond the traditional boundaries of Brazilian jazz and contemporary bossa nova. His songs continue to resonate with listeners around the world, proving that authenticity never goes out of style.
Yet statistics tell only part of the story.
What continues to make this album special is its quiet confidence. There are no grand gestures here, no attempts to impress. Instead, every melody, every arrangement and every lyric unfolds with natural elegance, inviting the listener into a world where sophistication is effortless and rhythm feels as essential as breathing.
More than two decades after its original release, Instalação do Samba sounds less like a debut album than the opening chapter of a musical conversation that is still unfolding.
Some records belong to their time.
Others simply wait for time to catch up with them.
CREDITS
Toco - vocals, guitarAdi Souza - vocals on 04
Rubinho Jacob - guitar on 03, 04, 05, 07 and bass on 03, 05
Jacopo Pellegrini - percussion on 02, 03, 04, 05, 06
Stefano "Marlon" Marinoni - flute on 03, 04, tenor saxophone on 03, 05, soprano saxophone on 03
Fabrizio Bernasconi - piano on 01
Marcello Testa - acoustic bass on 01
Stefano Tirone - keyboards, programming
Tracks 01-05 mixed by Davide Rosa and Stefano Tirone at Panorama Studio
All songs written by Tomaz Di Cunto (Toco) except 04 by Tomaz Di Cunto / Stefano Tirone and 05 by Tomaz Di Cunto / Jean Kuperman
Produced by Stefano Tirone (S-Tone Inc.)
Co-produced by Toco
Mastered at Nautilus by Giovanni Versari
Photographs by Roberto Cifarelli