Japa System

The percussionist Japa System, born in São Paulo, Brazil, moved to Feira Santana, Bahia, aged 8 years old. At age 12, he found himself on a musical path. In the following year he already participated in music related events in his neighborhood. Still a teenager music had become his profession. In 2001, he was part of the Brazilian Cultural Group “Bahia Brasil” with which he went on a one year long tour in Japan showcasing Brazilian music. Following that experience, the artist went back to Japan two more times, with the goal of learning more about music and culture in the the Asian country. From that came his nickname that became his artistic name, Japa. In 2008 he took part in the “Summer Festival” in Salvador, and shared the stage with artists such as keyboard player Mausiki Scales and the British singer Julie Dexter. He was also part of the bands: Terra Samba, Timbalada, Mc DaGAnja, Armandinho Dodô e Osmar and Arrastão da Timbalada, thus reaffirming his contribution, admiration to Bahia’s music and building himself as an artist through the music and rythms of the Northeast of Brazil. In 2013 he played a part in the concert of the band S.O.J.A., and on this same year he became part of the band BaianaSystem. As the Lead Percussionist of Baiana, Japa played in many festivals, like Lollapalooza and Rock in Rio in Brazil, and also internationally in the USA, UK, Japan. The band was celebrated around the world and was awarded the 28th Brazilian Music Award and the Latin Grammy, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In parallel projects, Japa began experimenting to create a new system that would allow him new musical possibilities applying technology. From that, “Nave System” was born. It is a musical setup which aims to use electronic and organic instruments to create the possibility of percussion commands, executing various rythms that would only be possible by using several different instruments, thus making it easier to produce music. With everything that Nave System offers, in May 2021 Japa was able to release his first solo album “Sistema Percurssivo Intrgrado”.