Suba

Mitar Subotic, otherwise known as Suba, was the first professional sound engineer to come to Brazil with an understanding of how to match his vision with the concepts of Brazilian artists. Sadly, late in 1999, a predawn apartment fire took the life of the vanguard producer and musician too early in his budding career.

"Suba had created such an innovative sound and was so far ahead of the curve that everybody wanted him. He opened a whole new door," said Beco Dranoff.

Suba was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, and while in Europe, studied jazz, classical composition, and wrote music for theatre, ballet, and film. A relocation to Sao Paulo in the late '80s sparked research in Afro-Brazilian rhythms and native Indian music.

By superimposing and synthesizing a wide range of dense and interweaving electronic textures, Suba was able to create expressive and dramatic environments. He was known to be exceptionally sensitive to nuances of mood and color. His intimacy with machines and programming and his feel for live beats and vocals made him a powerful player on the Brazilian scene. —Courtesy Calabash Music