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Music

Breaking Digital Barriers With João Brasil

The Brazilian DJ creates crazy mash-ups and sets dancefloors on fire.

Thanks to the DIY culture of our generation, remixes and mash-ups have proliferated as fast as fungi and bacteria on the beach, and so have the regional music genres they spread in the process. In Brazil, the tech revolution has caused the sound of the suburbs to gain a competitive status in the crucial musical battleground, as is happening with hip-hop, funk and the tecnobrega scene—the latter being a unique Brazilian subgenre that’s extremely popular in the north of the country, specifically in Pará, and is now spreading its reach beyond those borders. Lately, it seems as if the sounds of Brazil are seeping into the global music market, influencing musicians from all over, and one DJ in particular seems to be responsible for this Brazilian sonic invasion.

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Leading the charge (albeit, remotely) is Rio-born, London-based DJ and producer João Brasil, who has recently been introducing European audiences to the sounds of his homeland. Having received some hype among the European indie scene with the release of his EP, Love Banana, through German label Man Recordings and catching the attention of prominent DJs and producers with remixes of classic and current pop icons. The title track off Love Banana, with vocals by Lovefoxxx from CSS, is a mix of lambada with Miami Bass and Pop, as João himself defines it, but you can listen and judge for yourself below:

João Brasil – L.O.V.E. Banana feat. Lovefoxxx (Daniel Haaksman Remix Radio Edit) by Daniel Haaksman / Man Rec

The deal with Man Recordings came after João won the label's remix contest with a tecnobrega version of a Crookers song, and it comes as no surprise, too, since the DJ’s distinct technique has been studied at schools like the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition to being specialized in electronic music production, João is a true musician’s DJ and is proficient in classic techniques like counterpoint, harmony, electroacoustics, musical composition and, oddly enough, jazz. His mash-ups, which mix “high and low cultures”—as his famous remix of Caetano Veloso with tecnobrega superstar Calypso demonstrates—have been hugely successful for the past two years, particularly with the release of the album Tropical Baile Tech.

Among his “greatest hits,” which led him to be known and admired by critics and fellow DJs like Fatboy Slim and Nelson Motta, include the albums Let It Baile (Brazilian funk mixed with The Beatles) and Baile X (The XX mixed with Brazilian funk). Apparently, just about anything mashed-up with some Brazilian funk equals a recipe for success.

Look out for more tecnobrega and Brazilian funk to be infiltrating your local electronic music scene in the near future, but for now, here’s Love Banana's second track, a tecnobrega version of the classic Tom Jobim’s “Águas de Março”, featuring the voice of Gaby Amarantos (aka Pará's Beyoncé):

Gaby Amarantos – Aguas de Março by @dorgi_