WEDIDIT's Rising Star Purple Has Remained A Mystery... Until Now

When you say the words "WEDIDIT," I immediately think "brand loyalty." And that means that when Shlohmo's LA-based label comes out of the cut with a new record from a virtually unknown artist, nobody asks questions—they just swarm like Wu-Tang. Such is the case with Purple, a London-based, Lisbon-born mystery man whose debut EP, Salvation, comes out tomorrow, November 5, on the WEDIDIT imprint. I've never heard of him, but you can bet money I'm going to download the shit out of that EP.

It's a dark, hypnotic record pairing shoegaze synths with trill snares and clouds of paranoid energy, like Three Six Mafia for art school weirdos in 2021. Purple is not an inappropriate shade to capture the feeling that pervades on Salvation, and the artist himself—who has been preparing a live set with a stack of synths, drum machines, and his own vocals—imagines the ideal listening environment to be a "dark, wet and foggy 90s alley." I'll stick to my bedroom for now, but I know what you're getting at, homie. With no high-profile web presence, very little information exists about this enigmatic horrocore personality, so I sent him some cheeky questions to figure out who the hell WEDIDIT's hot new rookie might be. He says he's not Burial, but the jury's still out on that one.

THUMP: Your Internet presence is kind of nebulous. Is that on purpose? Are you Burial? Are you even old enough to drink?
Purple: I never felt I needed to reveal to much of myself—I always wanted to give people space for imagining whatever they wanted. I like that [laughs]. No, I'm not Burial, but I'm a massive fan—we all are, no? And yes, I'm old enough for many things.

Is purple a reference to lean (codeine promethazine)? Do you like to lean? Do they even have that in London? Or is it more of just an impressionistic feeling?
London has everything—you just need to find your way to it if you want to. But no, I've never tried that, I like to keep sharp. The name came up very naturally; I was recording new material, completely different stuff from what I was doing till then and the word just came up, sort of as an apparition. I keep feeling that relates directly to the atmosphere I imagine my music in, like a dark, wet and foggy 90´s alley. That always inspires me.

How long have you lived in London? You grew up in Portugal? Tell us a bit more about that.
I was born in Porto in the north of Portugal, where I spent most of my life, but I also lived in Barcelona and Berlin for some years—I've been around. I moved to London earlier in May of this year, but I used to come here sometimes to visit friends and hang out, so this city just seemed the right fit for what I was looking for. Some of my best mates are here and that´s important for sure—it really holds me on, and makes it easier to deal with the hard shit and to enjoy even the good stuff even more.

How did you link with Shlohmo and WEDIDIT? Are you super excited about that?
I guess it was after I released my first self-titled record on Terrain Ahead. By that time [label founder] IVVVO was talking a bit with Shlohmo, and he also told him about me. We kept reaching out to each other, sharing each other's music and then the thought of releasing an EP came up and I was really into it. It's a really exciting moment right now in my life—a lot of stuff as been changing lately and this EP symbolizes so many things, which is so intimate in several aspects. I just can´t wait to share it with people.

Your music is really beautiful and serene, but I feel like it's teetering on the edge of being dancefloor music. Do you have a club-ready side? Do you like to smash dancefloors?
Before I started writing and recording as Purple I was producing almost only techno and all of a sudden Purple was born. I love club culture, tech-house stuff, you know… Also some of my best friends who hang around me are amazing producers like Ivo (IVVVO) and Bruno (Trikk). We have a great bond. I´ll always be intrigued by the darkness, love and atmosphere of the dancefloors

Have you ever performed live as Purple? Will you? What's your setup like?
The last time I played was a year ago and I've only played shows few times. I like to DJ as well, but live performance is really my thing, to sing my tracks, to play them live for people. I experiment a lot with the vocals when I go live. I also play my keys, some drum pads if I have them, a Microkorg, and a Juno 106 used to be a part of it for a while too. I will keep playing live, on and on.

Are you a good dancer? Can you do a two-step? Running man?
Yeah, I love to dance, to feel the strobes hitting my face. I'll always be in love with that smoke.

What else are you good at besides making awesome sad music? Can you paint? Are you a programmer? Have you ever won an eating contest?
I'm good at letting myself be amazed by things.

What are you wearing right now?
A black t-shirt, black trainers, black Havaianas.

Are you gonna come hang out with us in the US? Will you DJ at my house party?
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to getting out there—that truly needs to happen. I can't wait to get back to the US. And yeah, sure, put it down, I'll be there.