As a key architect of Brazil's highly influential Tropicalia movement of the late 1960s, Tom Ze is one of the few figures from the era to continue to make artistically adventurous and politically conscious music in the tradition of the original Tropicalismo manifesto. Ze went through a period of creative dormancy and commercial obscurity during the 1970s and '80s; however, he returned to the spotlight in the '90s on the heels of a resurgence of interest in Tropicalia. David Bryne's Luaka Bop label released several albums of new material by Ze, including his 2005 concept record about male-female relationships entitled ESTUDANDO O PAGODE.