many of which are collaborations between U.S. and Brazilian artists

"We were surprised," said Mr. Dranoff in his office recently. While he knew Beck's 1998 recording, "Mutations," is a reference to the group Os Mutantes—key figures in the Tropicalia movement—Mr. Dranoff found other fans. "Devendra [Banhart], the members of Of Montreal and Beirut, the kids from Brooklyn"—a reference to the members of Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear—"they all loved Tropicalia; it made us think, 'maybe this is what we should do next.'"

Tropicalia, which followed bossa nova in the 1960s, was a wide-ranging cultural movement that had expressions in visual arts and poetry. But it is best known for its music. Singers and songwriters like Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, and the members of Os Mutantes fused their native sounds with American pop and other styles to create a vibrant mix. "They took all the rock and soul music coming from Europe and the U.S., all the energy and rebellious spirit," said Mr. Dranoff. "They made it Brazilian and sent it back out into the world."

Mr. Dranoff, who is 47 and was born in S?o Paulo, Brazil, said that the cross-cultural blend has enabled Tropicalia to remain a force in contemporary music. For many U.S. musicians, their introduction to the style may have come from David Byrne, whose Luaka Bop imprint has released several superb compilations dedicated to the genre. Mr. Byrne is one of 64 artists who appear on the 33 tracks of "Red Hot and Rio 2," many of which are collaborations between U.S. and Brazilian artists.