Samba comes from Brazil and is a fusion of the African rhythms brought there by the black slaves and the European music of the Portuguese colonists.

Samba music in Brazil is very diferrent in style in different parts of the country. In Rio de Janeiro, "Samba" refers to Batucada whilst further north in Bahia variations of Samba Reggae are more common. In Pernambuco the dominant musical form is Maracatu, a rhythm which goes back to the traditional election of a King and Queen by the slaves on the local plantations. Afoxe is another common rhtythm - this is closely linked to the Candomble religion, a mix of African and Christian beliefs.

In the UK and Europe we tend to use the generic term Samba to cover all these forms of Afro-Brazilian music.