Timbalada was formed in the early 1990s by Salvador's megastar, Carlinhos Brown. The group is named after the timbal, a small hand held drum which he designed. Today, Timbalada is one of Bahia's most popular bands, featuring 120 instrumentalists (most of them drummers). Based in the neighborhood of Candeal, Timbalada is also a neighborhood association. Timbalada's social mission includes educational projects, and aid to street children. "Like many cities in Brazil," says Brown, "we have many many street children. One of our projects is working with these kids, allowing them to work with professional musicians, and play with a wide variety of instruments."

One of the recording landmarks of Timbalada was the album Mãe De Samba (Mother of Samba), a record that looks at some of the links between Afro-Bahian and Carioca (Rio de Janeiro) percussion and features Rio's legendary sambista, Alcione. Timbalada is also one of the most important carnival groups in Rio. Almost like clockwork, every year, they seem to create songs that become carnival anthems in Bahia, including "A Latinha" and "Zorra" blending the Bahian bloco-afro percussion with a hard-hitting funk edge. Even more spectacular are the shows that Timbalada put on atop their "Trio Electrico" (Trio Electrico is the term used in Bahia for the huge tractor trailer trucks that most bands use to perform on during carnival). The entire band, along with hundreds of dancers appear in little more than shorts and are covered from head to toe in stripes of white paint. With their songs and corresponding athletic dances, they bring the Bahian crowds to a frenzy. To see more, click here for video footage of Timbalada's 2001 carnival performance.