DMCWORLD catches up with the Brazilian DJ/Producer who has released on labels such as Decadence, A Must Have and System Recordings…and is noteworthy for his tight production skills. Now with a release out on Brazilian label Not Another, we check in to find out a little more about the release – and also about how he goes about his fine work in the studio…
Interview by Ian Fleming
Hey Tiago, how has your year been so far?
This year has been really great for me so far, I got married to the love of my life, got support from some of my biggest inspirations, finally finished setting up my live act and got accepted in a music college that I worked very hard to get in! Even though everything is really great for me, I feel really bad and affected by the moment Brazil is going through right now. It really makes me sick all the corruption scandals and the ongoing coup d’etat that is in progress.
What is an average day like for you – do you make new music every day, or look for new records every day, or do yoga, walk the dog etc? Do you have a routine?
For the past 2 years my routine usually starts with having a nice breakfast and then practicing the piano for a couple hours. Then I move on to music making, but even though I write music everyday, it’s not always that I get songs finished, it really depends on my mood and inspiration. Some days during the week I also do some ghost production and sound engineering for a couple people from my city that just started producing music and need another helping hand.
What have been the key lessons you have learnt since first starting? What do you know now you wish young Tiago had have known when you started?
I started learning the guitar at 10 years old but as soon as I turned 13 and discovered dance music I quit the lessons and started DJing. Never really came back to studying music till I was 18 years old. I wish young Tiago had never quit those music lessons! Haha! Some key lessons that I learnt is that you should always keep your head up and your feet on the ground and do not listen to the haters. When I first started writing music, even though my music wasn’t really great, I had a lot of ‘’friends’’ that instead of supporting me and making me move forward, tried to convince me that my music was complete shit. They laughed and never supported me in any way. They said I was crazy to pursue a career in the music business and that I should quit that nonsense and get a ‘’real’’ job. I didn’t listen to them and isolated myself to keep working very hard, everyday with utter dedication till I reached my goals of making a living out of music. I would say stay away from people that don’t add up to your life with positive emotions and don’t let those people bring you down!
Do you think “real” instruments are compatible with house and techno? To what extent do you think the machine element and atonality are part of the whole aesthetic?
Yes, I think they are completely compatible with house and techno. The machine element and atonality are a big part of getting the techno/house ‘’sound’’ but you can always add a more human feel to your music by adding ‘’real’’ instruments. I love using piano harmonies or just layering the piano on top of synthesisers, it really changes the sound. I also am a big fan of using real cymbals or hi hats…I haven’t been using so much but I have a very big library from back in the days when I used to work in a recording studio. Mixing live drum sounds with drum machines adds up so much groove and rawness to your track!
Tell us about your new EP on Not Another – what inspired or influenced it?
Aurora and Apollo are both streets from my home town, Recife. The Aurora main melody was written with the street in mind. The street sits along the Capibaribe river and it’s so filthy, dark and abandoned but at the same time so beautiful and full of stories, with a landscape that will drive hope into the heart of even the most hopeless. It was a blend of anger and hope of a better future for our country. I wrote Apollo after coming back of a party in the Apollo street and it just came really naturally for me after spending one night drinking there and talking with some street vendors about their life stories, most of them really dark and full of sorrow.
You work for lots of labels – do you make music tailored to each one? Why did you think this fits Not Another label best?
I don’t really think about labels when writing music, I just write whatever I feel at the moment and after finishing it, I think about which labels would fit them best. Me and the guys from Not Another all come from the same city, with a lot of the same influences and we all have started producing music together. My relationship with the Not Another label has always been more than just releasing music, they are more like a family to me.
And what gear do you use – software or hardware? What are some of your favourite music making toys and why?
I use a mixture of soft synths and hardware… I am currently loving the Arturia Jupiter 8 and the new Reaktor 6. Hardware wise I am a proud loving owner of a DSI Prophet 08, DSI Tempest, a Roland TR8 and a Virus TI. The beating heart of my music production its the tempest and the prophet 8 for their versatility and analog fatness. The tempest got my drum programming much easier and intuitive while the prophet just adds up that analog rawness to any track.
What else have you got coming up/are you working on?
I am preparing to move to Canada for attending a Music College in September to study contemporary music and technology. In the meantime I’ve got a release coming up on Not For Us Records in June.
And finally, what do you like to do away from music, how do you chill?
I am a huge cinephile and video game fan, I also love to have barbecues!
Tiago’s ‘Aurora’ is out now on Not Another
