Bio & EPK

Antonio Guedes is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has built a singular path between Brazil and the United States. Born in Rio Grande do Sul and also raised in Florianópolis, he began performing at 13 and, at 16, released his first single with a classic-rock band in the South — a constant presence at festivals and radio stations in inland Rio Grande do Sul, sharing stages with acts like Bandaliera, Fuga, and Doce Veneno.

In Florianópolis, Guedes dove into the local alternative scene, playing MPB in bars, reggae with regional bands, and sharing stages with groups like Dazaranha and Iriê.

At 22 he moved to San Francisco, California, where he expanded influences that already included classic rock, MPB, reggae, and blues to embrace American soul and funk, afrobeat, disco, hip hop, and electronic music.

In the United States he was guitarist for Francisca Valenzuela, a celebrated Chilean pop artist, on her 2011 tour. With her he played festivals like Austin City Limits and historic stages such as the Troubadour (Los Angeles) and Yoshi’s (Oakland).

As guitarist, collaborator, and DJ with the Afrolicious collective led by guitarist and songwriter Joey McGuire, he joined euphoric tours where shows were promoted more as parties than conventional concerts — through festivals like Wakarusa and stages like the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, opening for acts like Morcheeba and Thievery Corporation.

In the early 2000s he collaborated with Japanese producer Hideo Kobayashi at the legendary Sy Klopps Studios (founded by Herbie Herbert, Santana’s manager and linked to bands like Journey and Tower of Power). Hideo was fascinated by Brazilian music, and because Antonio had classical and MPB training, he auditioned and began sessions recording acoustic guitar. From that partnership came tracks like Violet Mountain, released on compilations such as Tropical Japonica and Om: Beached (Om Records, 2007) alongside artists like Afro-Mystik, Chuck Love, and Bebel Gilberto, and Shiroi Mayu - Hideo’s Deep Mix (Soulstar release).

It was also in that partnership with Hideo that Antonio fell in love with music production, watching how the Japanese producer worked in Studio B. "I remember walking into a huge complex, with cutting-edge gear used on mega-artist tours, and in the back was Sy Klopps Studios. The hallways of Studio A told the story of rock framed on every wall. I especially remember one [enormous] frame of Journey’s album sales count — close to 30 million at the time, if memory serves." In that contrast of scale and intimacy, Guedes found his true vocation as a producer.

In other production collaborations, he took part in the remix California Dreaming - Izzy Wise Remix with Izzy Wise for Afrolicious’s California Dreaming Remixed album, and co-created Aniche with Ozgood (Afrolicious co-founder, producer, DJ, and Mixto Records owner).

In parallel, he co-founded the BRAZA! event in San Francisco — named "Hottest Monthly Party" by SF Weekly — which brought names like Nu-Mark, DJ Spinna, DJ Nuts, and Marcelinho da Lua. From that connection also came the partnership with Marcelinho (Bossacucanova), who produced the single No Leblon.

Today, at the helm of his Rum & Records label, Antonio Guedes translates more than two decades on the road into original work that joins pop, Brazilian identity, and global references.

His next step is an EP release in September 2025, with four new tracks produced by Tranquilo Sounds (Marcelinho da Lua), including the single No Leblon. The work brings Brazilian flavors, Brazilian soul, and light samba grooves, evoking names like Tribalistas and Tim Maia. A genre chameleon inspired by artists like David Bowie, Guedes believes in the freedom to express multiple personas — always starting from one principle: create first for yourself.

After two decades living in the United States, he recently returned to Brazil and settled in Florianópolis, in the south of the country, where he is fully dedicated to music production. With plans to build a production company in the region, he is developing conceptual albums that include a Brazilian pop-rock project with alternative and southern-rock influences — exploring Brazilian identity and the global references that mark his path, with a tour planned to support the releases — a chance to express the full cultural baggage he carries into this new chapter.