Upon their arrival in Brazil after the traumatic Atlantic crossing, enslaved populations from West Africa sought to reconstruct their sacred cultural and spiritual systems within a profoundly hostile environment. Five centuries later, the vitality of terreiros (ritual grounds) across the country bears witness to a living and adaptive religion that continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in ancestral traditions. Today, Candomblé is celebrated throughout Brazil and increasingly recognised internationally, far beyond Afro-descendant communities.

The double vinyl compilation (also available digitally) brings together a rich and expansive selection of recordings, including archival material captured between 1985 and 1988 at Ilê Axé Opô Aganjú, a Candomblé terreiro in Lauro de Freitas, alongside newly commissioned works by DJ Anderson do Paraiso, Xexa, Felinto, DJ Sandrinho, Jonas Albrecht and many others.

This bilingual book, part of the project Candomblé: Sacred Rhythms in Brazil, brings together a curated selection of archival documentation alongside newly commissioned texts and artistic contributions. Through historical research, essays, and visual materials, it honours this tradition by tracing its foundations while reflecting on its contemporary transformations and future trajectories. By placing past records in dialogue with present-day perspectives, the publication becomes both an archive and a space of reflection on the enduring and evolving nature of Candomblé.