Bass Music Mix 11 - Edu K
The next Bass Music Mix drops, as the December clouds part for a moment and proffer a glimpse of sunlight. It's from Edu K, one of Brazil's biggest dance music exports, and he claims to have uploaded it from a beach. Nice! Edu made his name with some wicked baile funk releases on Man Recordings, but since then his focus has shifted, and he has recently been pursuing a percussive and chunky, tribal/tropical house sound. So thanks to Edu for this mix, hope you enjoy it, and his infectious enthusiasm that comes through loud and clear in the interview! Tracklist follows at the bottom...
So, tell us about the mix. What were you trying to do with it - is it like one of your club sets?
Yeah, you could say it's like what I play in my sets, only in a compact kinda way, hehe! I tried to get the two styles I play the most in there: the upbeat sunny tropical house stuff, with lotsa Brasilian drums in it but also the more techy dark stuff I love too! Party music for the shinny happy peeps & for the crazy techno heads (with a twist of salt n' pepa, haha) too!
I'm really interested in your change of styles this year - what made you do it?
Hmmmm…I think, 1st of all it’s important to say that I have always been like that thru my whole career – a crazy fuck, hauhuahua! I mean, I’m interested in lotsa different kinds of music and I always follow my heart (n’ my hips, haha)! The thing is, peeps outside of Brasil didn’t know yet about that (dark) side of me, hehe! I started my international carrer on a baile funk tip but since then I’ve changed styles like Kyle Minogue changes outfits & sometimes it can be a lil’ too crazy, haha! But, the stuff that ignited this new housey-drummy-techy phase was seeing Teki Latex doin’ a DJ set in Sydney last summer. Dude really blew my mind with his new tech gospel! It was also my booker & DJ friend from Sydney, Andy Campion (AKA Tha Fizz) who kept pushin’ my buttons, showin’ me stuff like Smith N’ Hack n’ tellin’ me to move away from fidget, hahahahah! But, I have to mention that hangin’ around Zombie Disco Squad for the last 4 years is one of the BIG reasons for that change too – the dudes are THE pioneers (along side Radioclit n’ some others, of course) for that kinda nu approach to groovy percussive house; it took me a while to really get it but, when I did I was fuckin’ hooked! Hehe!
How did people react? Did it take time for promoters to realise?
Well, sort of…some peeps still think I play baile funk but, not all is lost: there are already peeps that think I play fidget, HAUHAUHAUA! Pretty confusin’, huh? Heheh! But, the good thing is that the nu grooves are sooo hot that there’s no way peeps are not gonna get it. That kinda music ALWAYS fills the dancefloor with hot chicks shakin’ their bodies like there’s no tomorrow, so you can’t go wrong with that shit, hehehe! I think that the fact that I believe sooo much in what I’m doin’ at the moment I’m doin’ it & giving all I got at my DJ sets helps a lil’ too! But the feedback I’m getting’ all over the world right now couldn’t be better! In fact, that kinda sound is really makin’ it happen in a bigger way than before for me right now!
How did you get into music production in the first place?
I started playin’ guitar in bands in early 80’s and learned a bit of the craft doin’ demos in studios n’ shit like that but I was always an electronic music buff – from Kraftwerk n’ Moroder to synth pop, hip hop & the 90’s rave craze. So, I always knew I was bound to produce some electronic music. The thing is, it took me ages to really start doin’ it, cuz in the 80’s & early 90’s it was impossible to buy a computer or a sampler or any kind of equipment in Brasil – it was waaaay too expensive. So, around 1990 I met this dude, Vicente Rubino (AKA Push Da Button Man, hauhau) who was a huge fan of my band at the time, Defalla, and knew I was into producin’ some stuff with computers n’ shit. So he took me to his studio and we started producin’ some stuff for the band with Notator, Logic’s grandpa, hehe! That’s how it really started for me.
What do you think of the way some of the 'global' sounds (like Baile, or maybe Baltimore) kind of get picked up by certain DJ's or scenes, who play them for a while and then move on? It really seemed like Brazil was in the dance music spotlight for a couple of years, but not so much now...
Well, I think it’s all good! Everybody’s always searchin’ for the next big thing, the next big trend n’ I think it’s a natural thing. At least to me, DJin’ is about bringin’ nu shit to peeps at the clubs - so it’s really nice that finally Brasil had it’s time under the spotlight too! I think that what’s happenin’ now is that Brasilian producers n’ DJs are beein’ accepted more like part of the electronic music international community n’ less as an ethnic kinda dance music trend – which I think is pretty kool!
What is influencing your sound at the moment? Are you checking much UK Funky?
Hmmmm, I don’t know that much about UK Funky but I like what I’ve heard so far – even though that’s not the kinda stuff I been playin recently. But, influence wise there’s sooo much stuff I can’t even get started, hehe! But I love all the German dudes like Heinrichs & Hirtenfellner, Krause Duo, M.In and Mathias Kaden, but also Saeed Younan (which is number one on my list right now! Dude’s insane!), Mastiksoul, Yankee Zulu, The Dolphins, DJ T., Worthy (the guy's a fuckin’ genius!) Sweet N’ Candy, Hobo, Foxy Watley, Coyu & Edu Imbernon and the Round Table Knights (who I think are the best new boys in town, when it comes to this new afro-techy sound).
What projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m workin’ on this project about Afro-Brasilian orixás Ogum n’ Xango and a whole batch of new original trax. But also shitloads of remixes includin’ one for the almighty Yankee Zulu, comin’ out on Anabatic pretty soon!
What's out next? Anything you want to plug?
Hell yeah! Anytime now I have this killa track, “Dos Gusanos”, comin’ out on the Dirtybird 5th anniversary release n’ this shit is gonna be HUGE! You can check Von Stroke, the man himself, droppin’ the track here:
Also there’s this amazing release poppin’ on Australia's own Scattermusic, “Ja, Mann!” featurin’ 2 originals & a whole batch of killa remixes from Mom & Dad, Slap N’ Dash, Femme en Fourrure, WILDLIFE!, Matt Cant n’ plenty more! Also I have this crazy release on Montreal’s trés chic Monique Musique label, “Amazoniac”, which is inspired by Amazonian legends n’ stuff! Ooohh, n’ I’ll be touring Europe again soon – from April til August next year. And, last , but not least, hehe, peeps can check ( n’ buy, hehe) my newest releases here.
Tracklist:
Mendo & Danny Serrano – Kumbha
Hector Couto – Tribalism
Marshall – The Words Of Wine
Saeed Younan – Yeah Ha
Tom Flynn – Vienna (Round Table Knights Remix)
Luca Lozano – Berlinetta
Hobo – Moebius Trip
Riot Kid – Darjeling (Edu K Remix)
Darius Syrossian & Nyra – Saxafon
Broombeck – The Clapper (The Dolphins Remix)
WILDLIFE! – Jumbie! (Edu K Remix)
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