BoTECOeletro is from Brazil. BoTECOeletro is eclectic. BoTECOeletro is electric. BoTECOeletro is brazilbeats handmade. Touring through Europe I catched him up in Barcelona to have a chat about the actual music scene, globalization, Internet and Brazilian music worldwide. Listen up and see more!
First of all, give us a short introduction about what you are doing and how you started with BoTECOeletro.
BoTECOeletro started actually when I was out of work. I had been working in event production and as a percussionist before. And when I was out of work I started to do some little things for the internet, some music jingles. I started to look for Brazilian music, folklore and popular songs, and out of this I made two different tracks of one minute each.
Afterwards in 2005 you brought out your first album "Brazilanity" with which you won the Brazilian prize TIM . How was the experience?
The TIM prize is one of the most important prizes in Brazil, so it was very important for me. It's a proof that things are going well. Not commercially, but artistically! The prize is given out every year by important people from Brazils music scene.
When you brought out your album, has there already been Brazilian electronic music as you do or was it something new to the people?
When I started I wasn't involved in the scene, because I came from another direction. But at the same time things started to move and more Brazilian music started to come up. But when it started I was in there as well.
When you started touring you played together with Men at Work and Suzanne Vega. That's quite a good start right?
Yeah of course! But things started as follows. I was working as a stage manager. But I was always playing an instrument as well, or percussion, so the artists usually asked me if I was a musician. And I said yes, of course! So they motivated me a lot to start as an artist again. I worked four years with a big rock band from Brazil in organisation, the "Titans". And I really liked them! But they told me, stop to work in organisation and play as a percussionist with us. So I went three years on tour with them. Afterwards, when the tour stopped and I didn't work, I started with BoTECOletro.
How is the music scene in Brazil right now? There is a big hype about the Baile Funk and electronic music in Europe at the moment. So how do you see this, since you have more insight in the things there?
Yeah, let's talk of the Baile Funk first. It's a very original and true music from Rio. And Rio itself is a very special city - because Bossa Nova, Samba, Forro and the Baile Funk are all from Rio. All those musical styles were born in Rio and are extended all over the planet now! Just imagine that. It's like the Jazz from the United States. However, the Brazilian electronic music has no space in Brazil. It's not really recognized there. That's why all the artists go to Europe and The States to play. We are concentrating a lot on playing in other countries. We don't really have a scene, or at least ther is no commercial scene. It's all very undergound!
Can you hear it on the radio?
No! And, sorry for the words, but that's real shit. There is so many music, Brazil is so rich in that, but you never hear it in Brazil. I mean, there is popular music like Caetano Veloso and Marisa Monte, but you don't listen any of the rest. So, we go to Europe to play there, and when we come back, maybe afterwards they start to say: Ah, he played in Europe, mh, so let's see what he does.
Rock! My first vinyl that I bought was Black Sabbath. And I really listened a lot of years to rock. Lateron I was also influenced by Samba, of course. But Rock is the main influence and then afterwards you just open for everything. I mean you have to be open, because there is so much!
How did you learn to play all the instrumentos that you are playing now?
I studied ten years of drums. Then I played in international bands and learned more instruments. And the percussion I learned over one weekend. They wanted to book me for a show the next Monday, and asked me on Friday. So I went to buy all the inmstruments, enclosed myself at home the whole weekend and learned! And BoTECOeletro was just an experimental thing afterwards, trying out a lot of things.
Globalization is a big word nowadays. And there are alot of things that come out. Do you think it's easier for an artist right now to do music and then easily go on tour?
I think that's for sure. Artists have a lot of possibilities nowadays. It's much easier than before, just because of the internet. When I went on tour in Europe last year everything was made over the internet. So the internet is a very important tool, and it's a result of globalization now. I mean, it's really boring and I don't like to do it, I prefer to do music, but it helps a lot. I have Hi5, Facebook, Myspace and all. But I think, I need to employ someone who can do this for me...
What are your plans for the future?
Well, I have some ideas. We want to do a project with two other musicians, that are doing more or less the same as me. That will be with computers and elctronic devices and live instrumentes. And then I want to tour with BoTECOletro with two female singers! That's will be good certainly!
You also have a new residency in Brazil. Where is that, how is the place?
That's in Copacabana. It's a really cool place, without walls, so that you can see the beach directly form the inside! It's really interesting, also because they do different styles of music every day. The owner, does the right thing. On Monday there is House, Tuesday there is Hip Hop, Wednesday there is me, Thursday there is Samba and so on. The idea is to program music to move the scene.
Any thing else you want to add?
Well, I want to thank all the people that support me and that helped me in Europe so far!
Thank you for your time and good luck!
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