Segurança

Engenheiros do Hawaii recorded Segurança at a time when Brazilian rock was seeking to define its own path. The song floats over a rhythm that blends ska and reggae, something uncommon in the local scene of the mid-80s, when bands tended to lean toward rawer sounds or straight-up punk. It’s not an aggressive track, but neither is it soft: it has a catchy, almost danceable cadence that makes it stand out on an album where the rest of the songs sound more like garage rehearsals than professional productions. Humberto Gessinger’s guitar weaves clean lines, without distortion, and Carlos Maltz’s drums mark the tempo with a precision that keeps the ska from spiraling into chaos.

The album Longe Demais Das Capitais —where Segurança appears— was recorded in just four weeks at RCA studios in São Paulo, between May and June 1986. The band had not yet settled on its definitive lineup: Marcelo Pitz played bass, but he left the following year, making way for Augusto Licks. The record was released in October of that same year, with a promotion that included a single —Toda Forma de Poder— and two tracks featured in telenovela soundtracks, something that was crucial for gaining visibility at the time. The band wasn’t aiming to sound like the big international rock acts; instead, they wanted to find their own style, and in Segurança, that effort is clear: it’s not a noisy song, but it’s also not conventional. It has a structure that repeats with an unexpected twist, as if ska and reggae had met in a back alley in Porto Alegre and decided to walk together.