Formed in 1995 in São Paulo, Brazil, 15-member group Barbatuques, make music using their bodies.

AYÚ is the groups fourth album – a fusion of styles and aesthetics, reaffirming the essence of the band's 'body music' sound. It is another chapter in their going research into the body as a source of rhythms, melodies, harmonies, timbres and textures.

AYÚ explores many inspirations from their extensive touring both within Brazil and around the world; Brazilian rhythms including carimbo, coco, indigenous toré, choro, maracatu, baianá, rock, beatbox and kecak, as well as African styles and rhythms. Barbatuques' members composed the majority of the record. Special guests Naná Vasconcelos and Hermeto Pascoal contributed several songs. In their own words: "Body music is inclusive, contributes to a better quality of human relations, promotes encounters with others, brings different cultures closer together and stimulates the expression of essential human values!"