Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant

Laboratorio is a Brazilian micro‑scene within contemporary hip hop that coalesced around artist‑run collectives and label ecosystems (most visibly Laboratório Fantasma). It blends boom‑bap and modern trap sensibilities with MPB, samba, and neo‑soul harmony, placing lyricism and social commentary at the core. The sound is defined by sample‑friendly, groove‑rich beats, live percussion drawn from Afro‑Brazilian traditions, and melodic hooks that often nod to MPB and samba‑soul. Artists use Portuguese lyricism to address race, class, identity, and everyday life, pairing incisive bars with warm, humanized production and frequent collaborations across rap, R&B, and pop.

Avant-rock is an umbrella term for rock that adopts avant-garde methods: extended techniques, atonal or post-tonal harmony, discontinuous song structures, sound collage, and non-standard instrumentation. Rather than pursuing radio-friendly hooks, it foregrounds timbre, texture, and form. Artists often treat the studio as an instrument, splice tape, deploy prepared guitars and unconventional tunings, fold in free improvisation, and import practices from modern classical music, free jazz, and experimental electronics. Rhythms may be polyrhythmic or asymmetrical; lyrics can be surreal, political, or purely phonetic. The result is rock that challenges convention while retaining some of the genre’s pulse and amplification.