A proud exponent of the São Paulo scene known for its subversive, alternative music underbelly, Naná Rizinni is a drummer, producer and composer who bridges improvisatory flavours with progressive electronics, Brazilian rhythms and expansive textures. Now based in London after relocating in 2020, her new album EPIBLAST chronicles a journey of transformation, rebirth and personal evolution, and will be released digitally and on vinyl on Friday 24 April via Bridge The Gap.

Written and co-produced with saxophonist Mark Cake over the past two years in London, EPIBLAST represents a full cycle of life in all its intensity. Beginning with the excitement and joy of new parenthood and the creation of relationships in a new home, the record also became a companion to Naná’s grieving process following the loss of her brother. The title refers to the early embryonic layer from which the entire organism develops, symbolising multiple births and rebirths — new roles, identities and directions — while holding both fragility and infinite potential.

Moving between wide, open soundscapes and jittering rhythmic interplay on tracks such as the title piece EPIBLAST, the Steve Reich-esque Fifth Life and lead single The Right Side of the Escalator, through to the consolidatory intimacy of VVV Rerework, the album presents a raw, unfiltered account of Naná’s recent journey. Known in Brazil for her fluid, experimental approach to genre, her work has evolved from alternative and post-rock textures into a hybrid, jazz-forward language rooted in rhythm, texture and improvisation.

That experimental edge deepens here, with the music sitting somewhere between the synth-heavy sonics of The Comet Is Coming and the future jazz of corto.alto, while nodding to the progressive fusion pioneered by contemporary drummer-producers such as Mark Guiliana and Richard Spaven. Alongside the exploratory ear of co-writer and producer Mark Cake and the enveloping modular synth layers added by Harry Jones (Lazy H), the record is underpinned by Naná’s deep knowledge of Brazilian rhythms, brought into new contexts through improvisation and interaction.