Gil in the Studio

Gilberto Gil's producer Liminha was the one who encouraged him to have his own studio. Liminha had produced some of his albums, such as Luar (1981) and Extra (1983), and had also played bass on some of his recordings. He accompanied Gil on a trip to New York in 1982 to record an album produced by the percussionist Ralph McDonald, with musicians such as Grover Washington Jr. (saxophone) and Steve Gadd (drums).

In 1984, Gil recorded his first Nas Nuvens album, Raça Humana. His bond with his business partner Liminha was—and is—so strong that the pair appeared together in a photo for the LP's insert. Their idea was that Gil should have a place where he could work on songs and produce albums without any time pressure.

Recording at other studios and in other countries also became part of Gil's life from the 1980s onward. In 1984, while recording his Raça Humana album, Gil and Liminha set off for Jamaica to record the song Vamos Fugir at Tuff Gong, the studio where the father of reggae, Bob Marley, worked while he was alive.

Over time, the singer started to make more use of the studio he set up at his production company, Gege Produções Artísticas, in Rio de Janeiro's Gávea neighborhood. The studio, which he named Palco, is where he applied the finishing touches to albums like Kaya N'Gan Daya (2002). With practically his entire family working in the same space, it has become the place Gil feels most at home when rehearsing.

Before setting up Nas Nuvens, Gil used studios such as Scatena in São Paulo, where several Tropicália records were made. While he was signed with Philips, he used the label's own studios, which were initially in Rio de Janiero's Centro district and later moved to the Tijuca neighborhood.