In Focus: Os Mutantes

Os Mutantes formed in São Paulo in 1966 as a trio fronted by Rita Lee with brothers Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias. After being introduced to musician Gilberto Gil they became affiliated with the Tropicália movement, becoming its most overtly psychedelic component. They operated in a complex social moment, in which the global countercultural youth and political movements of the late 60s clashed with the military regime which had taken power in Brazil through a U.S.-backed military coup in 1964. The original trio recorded five albums as Os Mutantes (with a sixth being released under Rita Lee’s name due to contractual reasons) before Lee left to pursue a solo career; the remaining members recorded two more albums before disbanding in 1978. Os Mutantes began touring again in 2006, with Dias as the sole original member.