Is Brazilian dance music as a whole still looking to other countries for inspiration or is it beginning to forge its own sound?
I think we’re living through exactly that moment right now. We can’t say there’s a Brazilian electronic music. We’re a country formed with many influences from abroad – Europe, USA, Asia. It’s a very multicultural place, a big mix. When we look at Brazil it has all these influences and references from many countries, and also from Latin America, so there must be a very careful movement to make Brazilian music. We can’t only start to blend regional music with electronic music. It’s a long-term process connecting the right artists.
Soon there will be a more authentically Brazilian electronic music with a good balance, for sure. The challenge is to keep our essence but not really close ourselves off to international references as well. We live in a open world with very few barriers and borders.
The rest of the world has adopted sounds from Brazil on many occasions over the years – from samba and bossa nova in the past to baile funk more recently. Does the current dance music scene in Brazil draw from that rich history at all?
I think in Brazil there wasn’t really the perfect synergy of those sounds. Of course in drum and bass there was a really good blend of Brazilian music and electronic music, like Patife and Marky, and also with downbeat electronic music, like Bebel Gilberto. But with house and techno, not really.
You have to be careful, otherwise it can sound very artificial, as sometimes happens with the international productions you mention. There must be a process, not a click or immediate composition. I think there’s still a lot of room for work to be done in this area here in Brazil.
Finally, you’re best known as a DJ but you’re currently moving further into production. How are you finding the process of making that transition?
I’ve been making music for a long time. I already released a track some years ago, ‘Inside the Roof’, on a DJ Hell compilation called Brazilian Gigolo on Gigolo Records. I’ve also done some edits for videos, but this is my first EP and I’m really glad to have it done.
I was always very busy with the management of the clubs. It took up a lot of my time and I had no time to focus on production. Of course it’s a very creative job to be in front of the clubs, but I wanted to get deeper into the music so I started to find a method and time to produce. I wanted to do this before but it was only now that I could really do it.
Nowadays I spend 10 to 15 hours a week in the studio, and I hope it can soon be more like 30 hours a week. That would be perfect for me, especially when the studio in the restaurant’s done.
The Soul Machine EP is out now on D-Edge records. Find Renato on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud.