Hypnotic percussion, spiritual chants and electronics weave in and out of each other in Roda de Santo’s music. Based in Lisbon and deeply rooted in the Afro-Brazilian Umbanda tradition, the group merges ceremonial practice with a contemporary sound when they take the stage. Last year, Roda de Santo played one of the absolute best concerts at the influential Le Guess Who? festival. This August, it’s time for ALICE, and we can’t wait.

Roda de Santo was formed in Lisbon by Brazilian musicians with backgrounds in Afro-Brazilian percussion, experimental music and sound art. Drawing on Umbanda – the syncretic Brazilian religion where African traditions, Indigenous cosmologies and Catholicism coexist – the group explores music as both invocation, resistance and community. In Roda de Santo’s work, traditional chants meet hand-played percussion, clapping, vocals and electronic textures in trance-inducing and extraordinary live performances.

Roda de Santo’s self-titled debut EP, released in 2025 on the independent label CONCHA, already signalled a boundary-pushing and exciting new project, and with their performance at the influential Le Guess Who? festival the same year, they established themselves as a strong new name on the international experimental scene. This August, Roda de Santo will perform at ALICE, and we can’t think of a better way to open the autumn season.