Sophisticated sounds mixed with old European style music, African beats and Middle Eastern rhythms. That is how graphic design junior Stephen Cooper describes the type of music he plays on his weekly show, Mistura Brasileira, which means Brazilian Mix.
Cooper’s interest in this underrated style of music began after he met his girlfriend, who happens to be from Brazil, here at LSU.
A lot of Cooper’s interest in Brazilian music comes from her love for the music. His girlfriend, Jean Alvef, said Cooper did not listen to it before he knew her.
“There is a community of Brazilians here at LSU…They’re just hidden,” Cooper said with a chuckle.
Cooper feels like he relates with that community after taking a year off from school in May 1999 to experience life in Brazil.
“[Living in Brazil was] a really great experience. I lived in Sao Paulo with my girlfriend, but it was no vacation. I had to live like an everyday citizen. I didn’t have much money,” he said.
Cooper taught English at local schools and businesses to earn his living while in Sao Paulo. He also picked up on basic Portuguese.
But Cooper says the music is what really grabbed his attention while taking in the foreign nation.
“If you understand the music it’s like, ‘Wow it’s beautiful,'” he said.
The musicians are “real poets” whose music actually tells a story while creating a unique sound, Cooper said.
The Brazilians also create “interesting sounds,” like mixing the classical guitar with African rhythms. They even take in influence from the United States.
“There are so many different backgrounds mixed together to create the many sounds of Brazilian music,” Cooper said.
Cooper says this variety of influences mixing to create an assortment of unique styles is what inspired him to create a radio show dedicated to a type of music called Musica Popular Brasileira.
He introduced his idea to KLSU during the summer of 2003. The idea was quickly accepted and Cooper was hired to run Mistura Brasileira as a specialty show on Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“At KLSU we are looking for new and different shows,” said Jeremy St. Romain, program director at KLSU. “We don’t get enough people to interview who want to do something different.”
KLSU has decided to bring Cooper’s show back next semester at a new time, Sundays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“We gets lots of positive feedback [about Cooper’s show],” said St. Romain. “It’s at a great time. People get to relax before going out.”
Cooper said although the majority of his listeners are of Brazilian background, he also thinks that he is reaching out to people who have never heard the music.
“I want to be able to introduce music that not many people have ever heard to the students at LSU,” he said.
Cooper feels like his efforts are not being wasted.
“I do get calls from non-Brazilians,” he said. “They’re all like, ‘Whoa, what was that?'”
Although Cooper does have fun sharing his music with listeners, he does not plan a future in the radio business.
“This is just something I do while I’m in college,” he said. “I’m getting exposed to more music and more people, and getting positive results.”