Many of the Brainchild team were lucky enough to share teenage years and parties with Arthur Carneiro. Whilst those days were cut short for us when he moved to Brazil, Arthur only continued to make more friends, play more music and run more parties. Now DJing and producing as El Peche, he is part of DJ collective and partymakers Sonido Trópico, whose fresh approach to dance music in Brazil is taking the world by storm…
Tell us about Sonido Tropico! Who’s part of it, and how did you come together?
The Sonido Tropico crew is made up by 5 resident DJs – myself, Spaniol, Salvador Araguaya, Nirso and Meraki – as well as the producers Leo Hare and Igor. It started off a little over two years ago in São Paulo with the objective of bringing some freshness into the underground scene of São Paulo.
What is the dance music world like in Brazil, and what part do you guys have in it?
Dance music in Brazil is quite complicated at the moment, there is a very saturated and repetitive commercial side that, to be honest, I don’t even really pay attention to. On the other hand, our underground scene is very fertile and growing a lot! The number of people interested in culturally infused electronic music that values our own sounds and is free of the cliches of commercial stuff is increasing a lot! I would say we are, alongside other big collectives such as Pilantragi, Calefaçao Tropicaos and Sudaka, bringing a new generation of “psycodelic low Bpm Brazilian Latin bass” to the scene, as well as giving people nights with massive headliners such as Rampue, Chancha Via Circuito, Oceanvs Orientalis, Thornato and many more.
Is there a particular feeling or experience that you aim for your audiences to have when you play or run nights?
I think the most important thing when playing a set is the effect you have on your audience. Me and Salvador Araguaya have played 4 hour b2b sets that were mental, and the best thing was, we could see it in people’s eyes and they could see it in ours! The exchange of energy between the artist and the crowd is in my opinion pretty much the most important thing. Of course we always aim to show new and interesting music, our own and our colleagues productions, but conveying the vibe is the main thing.
I know that you had teenage years here in London, but now you’re back, how are you finding music and nightlife here?
In my teenage years here the whole bass scene was quite big and innovative. Coming back now I find that bass music here has come to a standstill, with not many other places to go. I am really into techno and its different variations but I find it can be quite repetitive. London is always exciting but I have the impression that it is in need of new stuff… this is also one of the main reasons I really admire the work you guys are doing at Brainchild, allowing the scene to be more open and diverse, I believe that’s the only way to get new stuff out and about.
Do you have a favourite tune you love to work into your sets?
At the moment I’m quite in love with the new Thornato EP – Things will change. On top of sharing the line up with him at one of the craziest nights I’ve ever seen – at an abandoned factory in São Paulo – his music is simple but very powerful and rich. I specifically like Chapinero.
What are you looking forward to at Brainchild?
Me and the Sonido crew are really looking forward to sharing a bit of the vibes we carry from São Paulo with you guys at Brainchild, I think it will be different from a lot of stuff that goes on here in the UK and I believe that Brainchild is going to be the perfect scenario for it!!