Tee Cardaci on Instagram

Guinu and Tee on the Razor n Tape Podcast (2 hr mix)

https://linktr.ee/teecardaci

Summary

Tee Cardaci shares his journey as a DJ, starting from his early love for music and his first gigs in Maryland. He then moves to San Francisco in the late 90s, where he becomes immersed in the vibrant music scene and forms connections with artists and DJs. Eventually, he decides to move to Brazil, initially for a wedding, but ends up staying for 15 years. Tee discusses the challenges of DJing in Brazil, including language barriers and the cliquey nature of the scene. He also talks about his experiences touring in Europe and the importance of DIY culture in his career. In this conversation, Tee Cardaci discusses his experience as a DIY touring DJ and curator of Brazilian music. He shares stories of his travels, the development of his curating career, and the impact of his compilation projects. Tee emphasizes the importance of organic discovery and the joy of bringing obscure Brazilian music to a wider audience. He also touches on the challenges of navigating the music industry and the cultural nuances of doing business in Brazil. Tee's passion for Brazilian music and his dedication to preserving and promoting its rich history shine through in this conversation.

Takeaways

• Tee's love for music started at a young age and led him to become a DJ
• He moved to San Francisco in the late 90s and became part of the vibrant music scene
• He eventually moved to Brazil and faced challenges in the local DJ scene
• He embraced DIY culture and built connections that allowed him to tour in Europe
• Language barriers and cliques were obstacles he had to overcome in his DJ career DIY touring requires careful planning and organization, even if it may seem informal
• Curating music is a natural extension of a passion for discovering and sharing new sounds
• Compilation projects can open doors and lead to further opportunities in the music industry
• Preserving and promoting obscure music can be a rewarding experience, even if financial compensation is limited
• Brazilian music is beloved for its swing, variety, and cultural blending

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:38 Early Love for Music and First Gigs

22:14 Moving to Brazil: A Spontaneous Decision

29:22 Challenges and Triumphs of DJing in Brazil

33:47 Touring Europe and Embracing DIY Culture

35:17 The DIY Touring Experience

36:01 The Evolution of a Curator

37:41 Compilation Projects and Opportunities

44:37 The Irresistible Appeal of Brazilian Music

00:00:07.520 Wunsa DJ podcast. DJing and DJ culture have been a huge part of my life for better

00:00:17.320 taught me a load of valuable lessons along the way. On this podcast, I speak to DJs from

00:00:26.000 social media followers. We've discussed their journey through ascendancy and what part

00:00:34.240 forever or still get a sneak you're mixing when life gives them the chance. Whatever road they've

00:00:51.600 lifelong digger. Teen Ariseites in Brazil where he does a lot of curation and work of that type,

00:01:01.760 in advance to the level to which I butcher some of the names of some incredible artists. It's

00:01:11.040 the episode. T. card AC, welcome to once a DJ, how you doing today? I'm fine Adam, thanks for having

00:01:24.960 of your social was really because of your Instagram stuff and just seeing how you've become

00:01:34.880 on that have curated before. But then when we got talking, you've kind of been to quite

00:01:45.760 from the start of where you grew up really and how music came into your life.

00:01:54.800 representative of only the latest chapter. But my story is a DJ. I'd say it has to go back

00:02:05.920 My dad collected records. My mom liked to reward me for doing well on something

00:02:14.880 45 back in the day. So it all started six, seven, eight, nine years old. I'm a little

00:02:27.120 precautions when the rest of the kids in the class were listening to more pop stuff.

00:02:35.320 industrial stuff coming out of Chicago. And that was how I got into DJing.

00:02:47.660 And I don't think I would have lasted over 30 years doing this if I wasn't doing it purely for the love of it

00:02:55.760 Went to university down the South of North Carolina. We've got to San Francisco the talent of the 90s

00:03:09.520 So yes, there's a fair bit to go up there then there's a fair bit to go on. Yeah, see what we can squeeze in yeah, so

00:03:20.700 Washington DC is a little diamond shape that's cut out of Princeton

00:03:27.040 So so was that sort of mid 80s that you were starting to dig round there exactly well late 80s is when I started

00:03:39.400 So what we would have had going on musically there

00:03:46.480 I was really into punk from a young age like when I really started collecting records

00:03:57.640 And then you had the go-go scene, you know, I think go-go

00:04:11.600 So there was a lot going on musically. It was a big melting pot.

00:04:24.320 And that sort of changed the trajectory from just like playing house parties to really wanting to get into this underground rave culture.

00:04:36.160 this obviously 1991 is way after punk had had its moment,

00:04:43.680 DIY shows, five bands for five bucks,

00:04:48.720 to me it was like this moment of clarity,

00:04:53.000 I mean, with more DIY than breaking into a fucking warehouse

00:04:59.520 but literally breaking in and doing it.

00:05:06.360 Was it more, um, US stuff, or was it more stuff from over here?

00:05:16.680 uh, we called the funky breaks. So it was this interesting crossover,

00:05:27.560 the use of the breakbeats. Some, a lot of stuff from New York as well was coming down.

00:05:37.960 Baltimore, Buzz and DC, Ultra World parties, we'd hear what we call it at the time,

00:05:50.680 Yeah. So I guess that's probably not too dissimilar to the breakbeat hard cost stuff that we had

00:06:00.520 Maist when jungle drum and bass came over around 94 that definitely had a moment as well.

00:06:13.000 It was known primarily for selling mix tapes at parties but he started. I think he was from the UK

00:06:25.400 was a lot of crossover.

00:06:28.080 So what was DJing like then in those early days?

00:06:33.240 - Yeah, I mean, I was DJing like I said,

00:06:39.600 So we're talking about house parties,

00:06:44.400 I would have been playing a mix of late 80s, early 90s hip hop,

00:06:53.280 probably a bit of dance hall reggae in the mix,

00:06:57.240 European synth pop kind of stuff in the mix.

00:07:04.080 body music, I guess they call it.

00:07:10.720 probably when I went to university,

00:07:15.440 that I started to focus more specifically

00:07:22.920 that narrowing down progress when I moved to San Francisco and had a couple key

00:07:31.880 reconnect with all the other styles of music I'd really love but kind of been neglecting

00:07:40.680 San Francisco then? So when I was in university in North Carolina, I did a underground

00:07:51.720 of different record labels. One of those labels was Harkis music, which at the time was kind

00:08:03.080 given was like I was running the label and I talked to him every week to give him feedback

00:08:11.480 this sounds amazing. He's like oh yeah you need to come out you need to check it out.

00:08:19.480 And you sort of said, yeah, if you come out here,

00:08:23.080 And that was literally it.

00:08:28.120 One summer after my third year of uni,

00:08:35.640 truck with a camper shell on the back.

00:08:41.320 It's literally one of the craziest things I've ever done

00:08:44.360 Those are the two things.

00:08:48.160 My brother, who was like three years younger than me,

00:08:52.600 before we had gotten out of the state.

00:08:57.840 In retrospect, it's absolutely mental,

00:09:01.280 He was like a juggler.

00:09:03.760 I saw a whole other story, whole other interview.

00:09:08.120 put him on the corner like street performance,

00:09:10.920 so we could get gas money to get to the next city.

00:09:14.760 This was like 1996, 97 I guess.

00:09:20.400 First night we got in a town, Mark Farino was playing

00:09:25.200 And it was just like, my God, this is like where I need to be.

00:09:31.120 you could hear drum and bass one night.

00:09:36.080 You could hear D-Piles, you could hear disco.

00:09:41.720 you know, acid jazz kind of style stuff.

00:09:47.440 So what brought me out there was just hearing about

00:09:52.640 North Carolina, my time there at university was great,

00:09:57.560 So I took a chance and ended up out there with like,

00:10:03.440 I even went to the address that I had for a heart kiss

00:10:07.840 And I'm looking around, I don't see anything.

00:10:11.720 was in the lower hate neighborhood,

00:10:15.920 and have stood to this day have a great relationship

00:10:23.240 It was amazing time.

00:10:26.880 like San Francisco, because as someone who's never experienced

00:10:35.720 in this place that's very transient.

00:10:41.480 I guess maybe romanticizing it from the first summer

00:10:46.840 So, hearing that that kind of you went there

00:10:54.640 And then, so from there, what was DJing like in San

00:10:58.760 Well, I quickly made friends out there.

00:11:04.360 lower hate where the harvest was. And at the time, there was at least six record stores

00:11:13.920 and you run into other guys who are making music, other guys who are DJ and you spend

00:11:25.440 my first residency and it was playing mostly deep house at the time, like the real kind

00:11:34.200 But like I said, the best thing for me was that there was

00:11:40.280 Like you might have your gig on a Wednesday

00:11:46.120 to the eclectic party, which was like an all female

00:11:51.520 to hear jazz and North Beach or hip hop at Justice League.

00:11:58.520 no shortage of insane talent.

00:12:03.280 I mean, obviously so many people were priced out.

00:12:07.960 And even when I got there,

00:12:10.600 but little did we know the risk had actually go.

00:12:17.480 to live in the world, maybe, now, isn't it?

00:12:21.200 I mean, it's only seven by seven square miles.

00:12:24.640 to work at Google, Facebook, Instagram,

00:12:29.200 I got no wife and kids to support.

00:12:33.840 You know, you go to looking at an apartment that's available

00:12:38.120 and your bank account's got their least amount

00:12:42.320 - Yeah, was it interesting too?

00:12:45.600 you were there during that bubble and the tech explosion.

00:12:53.120 So like did DJ become different?

00:13:02.000 about the music or any of that sort of thing going on?

00:13:09.520 that people flock to and maybe they don't feel like they fit in anywhere else.

00:13:15.800 And I think the first dot com bubble was really the first time, maybe since the gold rush

00:13:25.080 freak flag fly and do what they want to do.

00:13:30.320 because that's where the money was at.

00:13:34.840 The South of the market area,

00:13:39.960 a lot of the nightclubs were there.

00:13:43.880 and they're putting up these quote unquote lofts.

00:13:49.720 that are really just like, you know, high end apartments

00:13:55.380 and then what do they do?

00:13:57.480 The clubs get shut down.

00:14:01.160 The underground still survived

00:14:05.240 no matter where it is.

00:14:08.240 as when the arc gets better, people become more resilient,

00:14:14.120 - And you did some production work as well,

00:14:17.120 - Yeah, I worked with a guy, a buddy of mine at the time

00:14:24.280 we made some stuff together.

00:14:28.960 was as part of a project called Two Block Radius.

00:14:37.240 but we did some stuff that was very inspired

00:14:45.080 also very inspired by the high grade skunk.

00:14:49.400 But yes, we did three self-release CDs,

00:14:55.720 And yeah, so that's kind of what I was doing production-wise.

00:15:02.440 but throughout the years I've had some releases

00:15:06.400 - Yeah, I think it's good though, isn't it?

00:15:12.000 it can kind of give you a different lens

00:15:16.880 - Absolutely. - And you might appreciate

00:15:23.200 as a DJ, you have a different ear when you're in the studio and then when you're making

00:15:33.120 to mix or not, you know, if someone, if someone doesn't DJ, they might, they might do an

00:15:41.920 bring in. When the vocal comes in after one bar or something, you're like, what am I going

00:15:51.960 That's right. That's right. So those guys talking about the DIY crew from Nottingham,

00:16:03.720 crusty community with the sound system culture. So they had been coming out to San Francisco

00:16:15.000 like you know the the core crew and then all their mates they had a two-bedroom apartment under visit

00:16:22.840 and a bunch of them never left you had like Darren Davis who opened tweaking records but um yeah

00:16:33.400 cat Wrangler maybe but no he was like the kind of political conscience of the movement

00:16:46.040 digs and woosh rest in peace digs or excuse me woosh digs is now gray sand. So yeah they were all

00:17:03.160 deep house producer. I'm absolutely blanking on his name but he had come over there as well.

00:17:10.120 Then you also, you had like Tonka Sound System,

00:17:15.200 Yano, Garth, and Marke, they all had come over from the UK as well.

00:17:25.320 And it was such a small, tight knit community that, you know,

00:17:30.920 We see each other at all the different nights.

00:17:37.200 Interesting time.

00:17:43.580 Yeah, he was.

00:17:46.840 Data to friend of mine.

00:17:53.760 We used to call Walgreens Towers because it was like a Walgreens pharmacy underneath

00:18:01.600 In fact, the doors to the apartments would be open all day.

00:18:06.760 - I'm a fear of placing records there.

00:18:10.000 - What was he doing album at that time yet?

00:18:16.280 I mean, his connection goes back to DIY as well.

00:18:22.560 with his artwork on Goofy's silly money.

00:18:25.560 - Like the black twang, the black meaning goods.

00:18:29.240 that if I still had some of their art,

00:18:35.400 Shepherd fairy. I mean, so we had a store. I didn't tell you this part, but when we first got there in the

00:18:47.800 lower hate between Webster and Fillmore with my buddy Grainser, Shout out Grainser, my homie. And

00:18:58.120 trapping all up and down the street. My lot of people were scared to go there and businesses hadn't

00:19:04.880 So we were able to get this spot.

00:19:08.760 Like, I got this corner, I got this corner,

00:19:12.960 And then the front was just our party space.

00:19:15.960 And then one day we realized like we should

00:19:19.600 You know, we know enough artists

00:19:23.520 kids putting out records, mix tapes.

00:19:29.080 And we had this very DIY store there for a while.

00:19:35.200 putting up his obey posters and his giant posters.

00:19:40.600 So he was known in the scene,

00:19:45.720 We called him over and said,

00:19:49.240 And he's like, Yeah, man, cool.

00:19:51.440 these beautiful hands-soaked screen posters,

00:19:55.840 I lost mine.

00:19:57.880 She found out, yeah, praise the other day, made me cry,

00:20:02.960 But yeah, so Banksy was around,

00:20:07.600 and then all like the homegrown talent,

00:20:12.720 who's doing incredible visual art these days,

00:20:17.040 oil paintings, like crazy stuff.

00:20:21.680 of our store.

00:20:26.240 - It was future primitive San Francisco.

00:20:30.440 So future primates.

00:20:34.160 - Yeah, Doe's is part of it, absolutely.

00:20:38.320 I got a Doe's Green downstairs.

00:20:41.280 But yeah, future primitive parties were amazing.

00:20:48.440 I remember the end of the Sats when they did the

00:20:55.160 cut me right above the eye.

00:21:01.200 So yeah, but those parties were amazing, man.

00:21:07.200 the musical culture was and just how at the forefront

00:21:14.520 was in the basement of a place called Dalva in the tenderloin.

00:21:20.080 you know a little bit about his neighborhood

00:21:23.400 but in the basement, you went down there.

00:21:26.460 It's best I remember with like one blue light ball

00:21:30.160 And then we went to black books out,

00:21:33.000 You need to have like the invisible scratch pick

00:21:37.360 And this is just like a Monday night.

00:21:41.760 - Yeah, I forgot that they're all kind of that way,

00:21:45.320 - Yeah, daily city, South San Francisco.

00:21:49.280 So what was the kind of,

00:21:52.760 was enough with San Fran?

00:21:58.720 The end of very badly and kind of like shattered

00:22:02.280 And I didn't really know what the way forward was.

00:22:08.120 My friends kind of rallied around me and said,

00:22:11.960 You're coming with us.

00:22:14.200 Blacks some gigs on the back of this.

00:22:19.640 turned into two months, turned into 15 years.

00:22:26.840 So you know, like moving to San Francisco,

00:22:32.920 to think I could actually do,

00:22:36.800 And then coming out to Brazil,

00:22:40.520 not having any connections and making it happen.

00:22:47.880 I still have so much love for that city.

00:22:51.720 I'd not come out to Brazil.

00:22:57.480 How do you end up settling in that situation when, like you say, you come out, you know,

00:23:08.840 Get into where you are now within Brazilian culture especially.

00:23:15.200 I honestly don't know, but I mean, I met some people when I came out for the wedding,

00:23:25.400 allowed me to stay six months out of the year and then I have to leave for six months.

00:23:34.200 playing a mix of festivals and small gigs for three months back to the US for three months.

00:23:46.120 and I was desperate to get out of it because it was just not a healthy situation.

00:23:53.800 I didn't know what the Brazilian sites were to find an apartment.

00:24:00.520 there was literally one listing for the day.

00:24:10.640 I was like, Yo, I'm your man.

00:24:18.680 a furnished apartment, I will do that for you. So I ended up with the furnished flat in Copicabana,

00:24:28.360 2012, after we had been dating for a while, moved in with her, and yeah, but I mean, how I got into

00:24:42.520 feet here I guess. Yeah. So did you start DJing when you were over there then? I did. When I came out for

00:24:55.480 That was a crazy gig. I could tell stories for days just about that night. But I had some other

00:25:06.840 at 12 inches and shortly after I met a couple other guys from UK and another guy from San

00:25:18.000 here and we started a party together called Bota Fogo Social Club and played everything

00:25:32.400 Yeah, slowly would start getting invited to other nights that other people were doing

00:25:40.240 Other cities within Brazil

00:25:49.120 You know, we don't know anyone. We don't have any nothing ever had any status in San Francisco

00:25:56.320 I was I was in that world. Yeah, but out here it was like very humbling to have to just start from zero

00:26:04.400 Because some places that you can have these kind of quite clicky cultures and some places

00:26:12.480 I suppose with DJ and it's kind of like it depends on how hard it is to get gigs,

00:26:21.520 Yeah, no that's true. I'd say it's a mix. There was certainly a large group that I'm grateful for.

00:26:30.540 But then there was also, it became apparent quite quickly

00:26:36.580 which means like a kind of click you're seeing,

00:26:40.420 So that's something particularly in Rio that goes on,

00:26:44.860 let's be honest, it's a worldwide thing.

00:26:48.100 and they only, and also when you know a lot of great DJs,

00:26:52.380 That's sort of obvious if you're doing a smaller party

00:26:57.060 But yeah, I mean, I would say it was a mix.

00:27:02.220 who was, he worked as an engineer on a George Bann album.

00:27:07.980 when that was first kicking off here.

00:27:13.740 So he was booking me to play that with him,

00:27:17.980 And, but yeah, and we started doing our own

00:27:22.100 that helped open some doors.

00:27:25.180 You're not invited to the stage, build your own.

00:27:30.180 Going back to the DIY point, you know,

00:27:34.100 So making your own party gets attention.

00:27:38.620 from San Francisco,

00:27:40.780 Sammy D from Pillow Talk,

00:27:45.700 And guy called Half-I-O, Conteritus,

00:27:49.340 where we just play back to back to back.

00:27:53.580 kind of pushing each other outside of our normal comfort zones.

00:27:58.820 So, but yeah, I mean, when I first came here,

00:28:02.580 but I would say it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped it would be

00:28:05.900 It's been a process.

00:28:12.220 'cause we both got that DJ Coco box set

00:28:16.700 And it was the first sort of Brazilian music he'd got.

00:28:22.660 Do you think you'd ever want to just go traveling around Brazil

00:28:32.180 but I think there's a lot of problems potentially in that like how was digging when you got out there?

00:28:45.700 kind of charging you more like did you get to know the sellers and like how does all that work?

00:28:56.940 parallel to someone that goes to India and decides to come back and become an importer like you're not the first to have that idea and it's not as easy as you might think

00:29:13.480 I love this record here. What do you have this like this?

00:29:18.180 So that was like the biggest hurdle I faced after moving here was learning the language

00:29:30.160 If you're coming out here looking for the stuff that diggers have been collecting going on

00:29:41.460 It might be hard to find or if you find it you're gonna be paying like disc hogs or higher prices for it

00:29:52.740 There's guys that have been coming from Japan and from London and from all over for a long time

00:30:03.300 Just a quick story about that. I told you my dad was a collector. When I was a kid, he had a garage.

00:30:12.260 The majority of people that would show up were guys from Japan that could barely even speak English.

00:30:18.660 So before I was hip to any of that,

00:30:23.260 That wasn't really his thing.

00:30:25.340 but I still think to this day about what was in there.

00:30:32.780 was it really pushed me into exploring stuff

00:30:38.860 Let me take that back.

00:30:41.300 top researchers in Brazil that deserve full research

00:30:46.700 and probably be doing it long after I'm gone.

00:30:53.100 being pushed by like DJs outside.

00:31:00.540 maybe a lot of the independent productions,

00:31:06.060 is trying to track down and discover things

00:31:10.940 that were private press stuff.

00:31:14.780 was focused on that.

00:31:18.740 you're gonna find great records,

00:31:22.900 Like maybe you would have back in the game.

00:31:26.820 you might find yourself at a disadvantage to say the least.

00:31:31.260 And yeah, you can, you will pay more for Ben and Gringo.

00:31:35.140 Whether you're getting a chair on the beach

00:31:38.780 down at Pulasthak Kiense on the weekend market.

00:31:43.700 - So was it the curate in R, was it the DJ

00:31:52.300 to do the tour in in Europe?

00:31:57.780 You know, everyone's cool,

00:32:01.980 I stayed in touch with.

00:32:07.420 to tour in Europe was through a guy called Gideon,

00:32:15.540 traveler scene. He was living in San Francisco and he went back to the UK and he started a

00:32:25.140 one of the first big clients. And he approached Michael Davis at Glastonbury about doing

00:32:34.620 was saying pointing out the obvious it was really underrepresented at the time at Glastonbury.

00:32:44.840 I was doing a show regularly for that.

00:32:47.780 You say you want to come play Glasto.

00:32:50.940 I was like, yes, I would like to play Glasto here to be as festival in the world.

00:32:58.660 That wasn't on my bingo card, as they say.

00:33:01.860 And when you're playing Glasto, it's easy to kind of black some other gigs.

00:33:06.660 Reach out to all my friends, get in touch with friends of friends.

00:33:11.500 sleeping on couches, no fancy hotels or anything,

00:33:17.140 I had that first gig.

00:33:20.380 So next year be a little bit bigger, more gigs, more countries.

00:33:26.700 - I guess when you organize in, if you wanna call it a tall,

00:33:33.020 I suppose like being someone who's used to this kind of

00:33:37.740 you know, let's just give it a go see what happens.

00:33:42.500 and doing that and like,

00:33:45.540 - Yeah, I'd say my lifestyle up until then

00:33:50.380 I mean, certainly when I was in San Francisco,

00:33:53.900 and come back the only the next Tuesday,

00:33:57.660 partying to party. - Yeah.

00:34:01.220 it wasn't that much of an ink and beans for me.

00:34:04.420 I loved meeting with people.

00:34:07.540 myself. I want to be where the action is. I want to meet other heads. I want to look at their

00:34:17.380 like just seeing what's going on in their city. You know, so to me that was amazing. I really

00:34:26.420 played a festival in Ireland. It was amazing. But like I don't do the all-out tour. I just don't have

00:34:33.360 But it was an amazing five year run of summers in Europe.

00:34:40.500 like, tinerary sorted and know what every hour

00:34:44.240 - All the gigs were sorted.

00:34:47.360 It was like a proper tour.

00:34:50.080 but it was, that's what I was doing, you know.

00:34:55.560 a bus from here to here.

00:34:58.320 And from there I'd hitch a ride with someone

00:35:01.160 all worked out. You know, just because of his DIY, it doesn't mean it wasn't planned.

00:35:10.240 like I said, it was just very informal as far as where I was staying and how I might get

00:35:21.600 So how did the key rate in kind of developed then? Well, I mean, like I said, my digging

00:35:33.800 'Cause I thought that's just what I was finding.

00:35:38.400 I might have started off looking for certain things,

00:35:42.840 you don't dig for what you're looking for.

00:35:47.320 - Yeah, let me rephrase the question then.

00:35:55.000 This is what I am now.

00:36:00.920 Like did it take a certain thing

00:36:07.080 or bring projects to you?

00:36:09.760 The compilation I did, Sonia secretos,

00:36:14.760 so much of my life is unfolded in a very organic,

00:36:19.680 if I were more mystical hippie,

00:36:22.600 but whatever it is, it started with the mix tape,

00:36:28.640 recent discoveries or recent things I found in my digs

00:36:33.200 And I did this mix of independently released Brazilian

00:36:37.680 which is a unique time, historically and culturally in Brazil.

00:36:44.600 which is a magazine or online music journal,

00:36:49.680 They asked if they could run it.

00:36:53.720 From there I got contacted by a label called org music

00:37:00.640 And they said, would you want to work with us

00:37:05.960 And that turned into a three year process

00:37:10.280 how much work I'd want to do,

00:37:14.080 I want to track these artists down.

00:37:16.760 I want to negotiate the deal, make sure they're getting paid.

00:37:24.300 after, which is a capacity of executive producer

00:37:30.600 Here.

00:37:32.060 I don't know if you're even going to see it.

00:37:34.380 If you just talk them through for the latest--

00:37:38.100 I'm talking about Soyos de Cratos.

00:37:42.880 but as he later, that came out between 1980 and '85,

00:37:48.100 So like the censorship is lightening up,

00:37:53.020 calling for a return to free and open elections.

00:37:59.740 from a brother Pedro Guinu called Palligo,

00:38:03.620 a label mostly known for house and disco,

00:38:09.420 And the owner of the label

00:38:13.140 and wanted to kind of branch out.

00:38:16.780 And then there's a new project I'm working on with my buddy Fabio Santana who's a Brazilian

00:38:27.980 He does that kind of link in Olivelli style Brazilian boogie.

00:38:32.940 So we started off with the single call You Can Do It and Swingy Malindrajian on dip

00:38:44.940 uh... the 17th this month so i don't know when this interview will air but

00:38:53.660 so yeah i guess really every project that i've done has opened up the door to two

00:39:00.300 slow bill it's not again uh... a route that i chose consciously like now i'm a

00:39:09.580 my whole life that I'm sort of now kind of using the knowledge, I guess I have in connections

00:39:21.980 here, they may not have the, you know, the privilege of having all these connections.

00:39:30.940 Yeah.

00:39:36.780 Because with this sort of thing,

00:39:42.620 it can be really hard to know what's comfortable

00:39:49.300 and you're like, oh my God.

00:39:51.420 I'll put it like that.

00:39:53.780 I'm learning to say no.

00:39:57.380 And it's hard because like some things

00:40:05.660 about something I'm like do I really want to commit six months to a year to

00:40:14.540 scenario where I'm not happy if I'm not loving it like I just don't have the

00:40:21.580 about it into it and everyone that I'm working with I have to love or else it's

00:40:30.460 than loving it.

00:40:35.020 Sometimes it can be a great project, but if the fit with the style of people isn't quite

00:40:47.020 it difficult with that sort of thing.

00:40:53.900 to work out if that relationship's right or not.

00:40:57.500 Yeah, everyone involved can be cool,

00:41:02.340 respecting your time, or maybe like just,

00:41:08.380 but I'm just gonna leave that one alone.

00:41:12.980 and it can be hard.

00:41:18.260 with how much remote work we do is a super difficult one anyway,

00:41:25.380 but it means some people might be sitting there

00:41:30.100 not thinking about that if this person's got it set up

00:41:34.740 should you have it set up on your phone in the first place?

00:41:39.100 and the first thing they see is a work email,

00:41:43.660 - Yeah, I say I'm fortunate that I don't have to deal

00:41:47.420 but I'm very sympathetic to those that do.

00:41:52.780 between personal life and work.

00:41:57.620 that you're speaking to giving the type of music

00:42:03.020 Is it really satisfying to get their reactions

00:42:07.460 some new life into your music.

00:42:11.140 And if I told you what I earned

00:42:14.380 I mean, at the end of the day,

00:42:18.420 for the hours I put into it,

00:42:21.820 when I finally track down these artists,

00:42:25.380 I tell them like, who I try to explain who I am

00:42:31.140 And I tell them what it means to me.

00:42:33.540 It's fucking brilliant.

00:42:36.460 you had no distribution, you had no marketing budget.

00:42:40.980 They're like, you know what?

00:42:42.780 It just wasn't in the cards back then.

00:42:47.380 There's some random gringo's calling them up 40 years later

00:42:55.720 amazing for them, but like to me, that is, that's my payment for this project. Like as a

00:43:04.920 help bring their music to a bigger audience.

00:43:13.460 quote our world that Brazilian music is probably the most appreciated non-native English

00:43:29.060 you want to get moving. It's so varied as well. I mean you have the stuff that has the

00:43:41.780 know obviously, but there's just so many different styles. You get the Ache music that combines synthesizers

00:43:57.700 I mean I'll be honest when I first came here I probably knew more than the average Gringo about

00:44:07.540 And so like I think people respond to

00:44:15.980 You mean you don't have to understand the language, but you can feel the lyrics, you know what I'm saying

00:44:26.200 So when you listen to like Lincoln, Oliverian, Hobbs and Georgie those guys were listening to West Coast AOR

00:44:34.840 means to like it has that influence.

00:44:38.240 When you listen to Bonda Black Hill,

00:44:42.800 you hear Earth, Wind and Fire.

00:44:46.040 When you listen to Gerason King,

00:44:48.960 So there was a lot of this stuff

00:44:53.680 because it was directly influenced by styles

00:44:58.040 Brought back into Brazil,

00:45:01.040 and you know, something news created.

00:45:04.800 and cultural blender. You know, whether it's Bile Funk, which took like electro-free style and

00:45:17.200 call it. So Brazil's always been great for that. So like my level of knowledge of Brazilian music,

00:45:30.880 for anyone listening who kind of wants to dig a little deeper in and start to step into

00:45:36.840 By my compilation available on Oregon Music.

00:45:41.720 We'll put a link in the show.

00:45:46.280 If you can find them on Instagram, like DJ Bill from Belo Horizonte.

00:45:52.720 Young Cat who does amazing research, particularly on music from his state of miniature ice.

00:46:01.760 see the records they're sharing,

00:46:05.880 I'm always posting obscure records that I find,

00:46:11.440 I say that's the best way.

00:46:14.200 of amazing compilations out there,

00:46:18.280 that are really pushing the boundaries

00:46:23.560 for like, I say, going on 25 plus years now.

00:46:28.440 like Gustavo. Gustavo has a records shop out of his house called Ilé music. He is from

00:46:43.760 an economically challenged area. And he came to Rio to work as a researcher at a photography

00:46:56.240 like a lot of stuff that wasn't really getting the recognition until recently Gustavo

00:47:02.560 Yeah, you know, find someone you like on Instagram and kind of look at who's commenting, like

00:47:10.080 And you'll be turned on to an immense world that you didn't know existed on Brazilian

00:47:15.520 Yeah, that's amazing.

00:47:21.360 Yeah, I just did a bunch of writing over the last year for Elon Paz's book, Dustin Groove's volume two of all like record people in their collections.

00:47:40.360 So I did some interviews with people like Cassine, Amazing Producer.

00:47:49.840 So that's not my music stuff,

00:47:53.680 We'll do a lot of writing stuff also.

00:47:58.760 There's actually gonna be a second part to the LP.

00:48:02.240 'cause like you don't get a lot of boogie albums these days,

00:48:09.000 each one being a double LP concept album.

00:48:14.280 You have Azezia, which is Wings by day.

00:48:20.120 First one's more sunshiney,

00:48:23.080 The second one is more like late night dance for a boogie.

00:48:29.520 on 45.

00:48:34.680 It's not my compilation,

00:48:37.440 to some just some lesser known kind of disco

00:48:44.080 loved label from UK. I don't think I can say too much more about that but that'll probably

00:48:52.800 I'm dealing with some headaches. Brazil specific headaches which is I mean doing business

00:49:06.720 Like I've had problems doing business down here because it's just culturally different.

00:49:15.680 I've had the issues I'm having now and it has to do with three children from a deceased

00:49:28.360 brought in an attorney and the attorney has to be even more out there ideas of what the

00:49:37.280 to suggest stuff that's just off the radar.

00:49:44.280 and should be valuable, doesn't have the value

00:49:48.360 It's it anyways.

00:49:53.160 fairly like 100%, but there's also like,

00:49:58.840 - Definitely and I've had kind of slightly parallel experiences

00:50:10.720 someone to buy out figure and in their mind it's this but it's like that's

00:50:21.840 it's kind of unfortunately that that then stops their music going out to

00:50:31.520 explain to this attorney to explain to the one holdout client that if you want to create value for his deceased mother's catalog

00:50:42.820 A group of fans around the world that will be waiting to find the next discovery from her

00:50:51.320 That we'll walk through this and like I said this experience has been a bit of an outlier my general experience and

00:50:59.920 Yeah, and I guess with that if they can if that lawyer can be aware of the there must be a fairly

00:51:09.720 Yeah, I mean not to go into too much detail, but this one situation is getting hung up on an absurdly high advance that they're asking for

00:51:25.760 That's like 50% split to the family straight away

00:51:34.820 I chose to live here, but doing business my experience is sometimes people people can be a little short-sighted

00:51:42.760 You know getting with the can in the moment anyways. I don't I don't want to do all on that at all because like I said

00:51:51.140 It's absolutely crazy and some days I'm just left scratching my head like what the fuck is going on

00:51:59.280 - So being in Brazil for so long,

00:52:03.720 I believe I heard one about a women's prison.

00:52:07.400 I'll give you a couple quick stories.

00:52:11.400 which moved around,

00:52:14.320 and we ended up doing it on top of the favela,

00:52:19.640 community of Vigigal,

00:52:24.440 the ocean and we had a friend from Germany who had a guest house very adventurous German

00:52:33.600 by the local drug gang. But it was all cool. Our people came up taking motor taxis up the

00:52:43.580 little sort of an incident one once with a local drug gang sensing a opportunity decided

00:52:54.280 table out there with their various products on offer and their various chrome

00:53:04.360 party, but we had a chat with them very respectfully obviously being on their

00:53:14.440 cool, just please leave the hardware outside. And I won't go down fine. They would

00:53:23.360 the party went to like nine the next morning, sun coming up over the ocean. I was brilliant.

00:53:33.580 a crew from New York about a beauty pageant that takes place in a women's prison in Brazil.

00:53:44.080 and then that sort of morphed into like, Hey, would you want a DJ the after party?

00:53:51.160 So was it Talaveda women's, Talaveda Bruse, women's prison

00:53:58.680 and it was completely surreal coming in through security

00:54:05.240 of the women's prison, this big fight broke out

00:54:09.560 and break up this fight and we're like, okay,

00:54:12.760 And they brought us into this courtyard

00:54:16.800 you know, Pasadela, like a catwalk, right?

00:54:22.160 And it was for the girls who had good behavior.

00:54:26.720 at this point you were inside of a prison

00:54:31.320 had very small windows with bars.

00:54:35.880 were all up in the window like shouting various things

00:54:41.720 But these girls, you know, when you see them coming down

00:54:48.280 afterward and they were as sweet as can be and you would have no indication of

00:54:58.640 I asked one girl how she got in there and she said her kid had no father and

00:55:09.240 Rob the bus and got caught. Another one got roped into being a mule. Got caught with the suitcase full of

00:55:22.360 people did because they thought it was clever. It's like they're hungry. And so like one of the biggest

00:55:34.600 So that's a hard thing about living here.

00:55:44.360 They had a good time. The girls were digging it.

00:55:49.960 So is there any other bits of advice that you'd give people that come into Brazil?

00:56:00.280 Yeah, I mean, safety is an issue, but I don't know of many big cities where

00:56:08.040 I think if you don't tempt, a lot of crimes are opportunistic.

00:56:16.440 Come here with the respect for the people.

00:56:20.040 You know, particularly a horrible one is, you know, Brazilian women can be extraordinarily

00:56:29.160 just very much found upon when you show up with that mentality.

00:56:36.120 If you're from the United States, realize that the military dictatorship here was put in

00:56:42.800 So this is a former colonial country and they're sensitive to that kind of mentality.

00:56:57.280 a sunny pitchy bull, big fun DJ from Rio was playing,

00:57:02.940 He was like, Yo, I want that, tell him I want that,

00:57:05.240 I need that track, I need that track.

00:57:08.880 the 1500, the Portuguese came here

00:57:12.720 Mil do that shit anymore.

00:57:16.360 It's the main thing, be self-aware, be smart.

00:57:22.600 maybe leave it at home by a burner, things like that.

00:57:25.880 beautiful place, people are amazing and welcoming.

00:57:31.800 So when you did the compilation then,

00:57:35.960 of the political history or was that all kind of

00:57:41.640 - I had an understanding, but it definitely led

00:57:46.440 And this idea of these songs that I accumulated

00:57:52.040 sort of didn't realize until an afterthought

00:57:59.280 I picked it because of their sonic connectivity, I guess you could say.

00:58:07.920 But when I look back on it, I saw they all came out between 80 and 85.

00:58:15.840 willing to put out their own records.

00:58:23.360 Faito and Casa record that kind of demonstrated to a lot of young artists that was possible

00:58:29.520 And these years between 80 and 85 were crucial because they represent the tail end of this

00:58:42.000 artists like Kaitano and Jabethu's Yield of Self exile.

00:58:47.800 There was a movement that was taking place called Jerez de Já,

00:58:52.160 And it was led by the leading artist

00:58:54.880 They were holding concerts in the city

00:58:59.760 that was like huge.

00:59:03.760 And this was all directly tied into what

00:59:09.280 So while the songs that I picked on the compilation,

00:59:15.600 just by their existence was kind of a political statement.

00:59:21.000 yeah, leading to the downfall of the dictatorship.

00:59:25.920 on the slightest side, 'cause his album with,

00:59:32.120 that are all just called Tim Meyer.

00:59:34.720 - And I get excited every time I see one

00:59:38.080 - You could do a branding class by studying

00:59:43.560 Like doing research from my compilation,

00:59:48.360 And like, Jewan.

00:59:50.520 Right?

00:59:54.000 Or they use nicknames like Beethoven.

00:59:59.600 Tell me what you're gonna get, right?

01:00:03.760 (laughing)

01:00:07.520 - Yeah, it's the one with the Rue Confess, you know?

01:00:12.360 - Hell Confess, though.

01:00:19.120 Are there other people that are as cool as Marcus Val? No

01:00:31.440 You used to call him the world's oldest teenager, you know from stacks like Marcus Val is now the world's oldest

01:00:38.960 He's still got his youthful looks and like, you know, like love of life.

01:00:48.960 He's got that kind of mellow surfer vibe.

01:00:58.640 Like he's been doing a lot with Tom Mish.

01:01:03.920 Yeah.

01:01:06.480 Yes, I saw him with Azimuth a few years ago in London and I was like, What just just

01:01:14.320 Yeah, that's say, meeting Marcos and then Mamau, Ivan Conti, Rest in Peace, the drummer

01:01:25.600 I was very blessed to be able to like strike up a friendship with him, visit him his

01:01:34.360 another guy that's just like it's cool as they come. But Marcus, Marcus is like the epitome

01:01:43.880 dude that was just down to hang out and tell stories and it was just like sweetest could

01:01:51.640 Oh man, his fills. You can always tell a track he played on to me anyways by like his drum

01:02:03.160 man and not the asthma okay but in his other group the youngsters but as a

01:02:12.800 stopping for lunch back in leaving the studio like one in the morning going

01:02:20.620 gonna sing on the tracks he just had the arrangement put in front of ready to

01:02:30.200 like great producer, Bboy DJ.

01:02:36.300 And the day before,

01:02:40.500 and he found this really cool,

01:02:42.720 Umbanda is one of the African spiritual traditions

01:02:48.440 So he recorded on his phone,

01:02:50.840 Like you think you could play something like this.

01:02:53.880 yeah, I think so because that's me playing on that.

01:02:57.440 But we were all laughing, you know, like that's crazy.

01:03:00.900 Until two weeks ago, I wouldn't have known that that was me.

01:03:07.760 did not some self-follow, had gotten touched and said,

01:03:11.920 I'm pretty sure this is you playing on.

01:03:16.160 Anyways, but that guy was amazing.

01:03:22.240 - Another level.

01:03:24.120 Total respect to that guy.

01:03:31.760 Yeah, I was driving cross country at the time.

01:03:35.760 I'd spent traveling, gone back and saw my folks.

01:03:40.400 where the old stack studio was.

01:03:44.240 It's incredible.

01:03:46.480 brought my wife, kid, parents.

01:03:49.840 But after the first time, I was like,

01:03:53.600 and the home of high records.

01:03:58.140 and people's all these records I love.

01:04:04.040 beaten track for tourists and Memphis,

01:04:07.020 And then I get out the car and I go knock on the door

01:04:11.260 It's a very beautiful young woman kind of looking like,

01:04:14.580 I was like, Yeah, I'm sorry to bother you.

01:04:18.580 probably is just rambling.

01:04:21.140 I wanna see where I'll green and and people's recorded

01:04:25.620 And when after I say Willie Mitchell, I hear this voice like,

01:04:29.800 Like she opens up the door and he's at the secretary's desk,

01:04:35.640 stocking feet up on the desk.

01:04:40.320 Like just freaking out full fanboy.

01:04:45.400 It was like Wayne Jackson was there from the Memphis horns.

01:04:51.480 And he's like, You hungry?

01:04:53.720 and they had to share their lunch with me.

01:04:56.800 This is like, didn't really expect this.

01:04:59.880 and kind of say I was here.

01:05:03.200 So he gets up, he's got this like really elegant cane.

01:05:07.400 turns to phase one door, and he's like, this is my office.

01:05:13.280 He's like, I don't go in here too much anymore.

01:05:16.600 take a look.

01:05:18.520 shag carpeting like classic straight out the '70s,

01:05:23.240 And it was amazing.

01:05:25.960 I went back out to the car, I had a Willie Mitchell

01:05:29.040 And I think I had a Memphis horns thing too,

01:05:32.840 So that was a special day.

01:05:36.840 the funk music I had a Memphis.

01:05:41.520 after seeing you poster, the record of his the other day.

01:05:46.920 I'm an incredible sample as well.

01:05:51.800 for that Memphis sound in my opinion, for sure.

01:05:55.280 Still had Al Green's microphone, mic number nine.

01:06:00.400 in the corner of the studio, and I was just reserved for Al.

01:06:05.800 I was passing through, and my parents were with me.

01:06:09.360 I was like, Yo, let's go to Al Green's church.

01:06:12.640 Al Green, Reverend Al was in the house, man.

01:06:15.760 He said, You want to take your shoes off,

01:06:18.840 I was like, Hell, yes, my kind of church.

01:06:22.560 it's so much planned percussion.

01:06:25.120 Memphis is a special city for sure.

01:06:29.680 on a lot of different things today.

01:06:33.040 - Yeah.

01:06:35.840 maybe look at doing a book.

01:06:39.400 I feel like I've still, still, still

01:06:43.760 I'm not ready to start documenting,

01:06:47.000 before I forget everything.

01:06:49.760 Right, well, yeah, it's been great to speak

01:06:54.260 Talk about some more of the bits of work that you're doing.

01:06:58.440 I appreciate you inviting me on despite my initial hesitations

01:07:04.960 - No, no.

01:07:06.600 Thanks for being persistent.

01:07:11.240 really, so yeah, happy to do.

01:07:15.160 and where the best places are for people

01:07:20.120 - Yeah, the best place to keep track

01:07:25.120 And it's just my name is spelled T-E-E-C-A-R-D-A-C-I.

01:07:35.160 different mixes I've done, different projects I've worked on,

01:07:39.880 obscure Brazilian records there.

01:07:43.240 I'm not just limited to Brazilian stuff,

01:07:46.760 and it's definitely where I'm announcing any new projects that I have coming up.

01:07:55.480 I'll speak to you soon.

01:07:57.240 Thanks for listening to the WANTED EJ Podcast.

01:08:08.840 please just get in touch with us at WANTED EJ Podcast at gmail.com or on Instagram

01:08:19.720 [Music]