ZAC

ZAC emerged on the Brazilian scene by unleashing his creativity and exploring his unique talent of reading the intricacies of every dance floor that he meets. These three capitalized letters are now a symbol, dedicated to turning events into unforgettable parties and music into energy. After 10 years of steadfastly accumulating knowledge from the most incredible dance floors in Brazil and Latin America, today ZAC is synonymous on the South American continent with “sonzeira”, a very Brazilian word for “tune!” ZAC has now teamed up with fellow Brazilian – the intensely talented Gabriel Carminatti from Rio Grande do Sul – and created a superb 3-track EP for DJ Zombi’s forward-thinking Beat Boutique label, so we thought it high time that DMCWorld caught up with one of Brazil’s most exciting DJ/Producer prospects to find out what’s going on…

ZAC, a big welcome to DMCWORLD and congratulations on the release of your ‘Crystal EP’ with Gabriel Carminatti. The first thing we want to know is what’s the story behind this collaborative project?

The history behind it, is that Gabriel and I have been friends for a long time, we played a lot of parties together and we had been trying to make a collaborative project together for a long time – I believe it adds up to more than ten attempts –but none of these attempts matched our expectations. Then one day, I had a moment of inspiration and came up with Crystal’s bassline, drums and synth lines… Everything about it made me feel good, because it really had that progressive energy that I enjoy. That was the moment that Gabriel came to my mind, so I sent him the project, so he could finish it. I knew his touch would make the project sound more refined. As soon as we finished ‘Crystal’, we did the same process with ‘Perfect in Spirit’, so everything happened in a very quick and enlightened way.

Talk us through the making of the EP tracks? How does the creative process work when you’re in the studio together?

As I explained in the question above, we created the tracks separately, each of us in our own studio. Now, we are coming up with some new tracks that we produced together in my studio. We spent five days producing non-stop, it was amazing and the result you will be able to check out soon.

How did you get involved with DJ Zombi’s excellent Beat Boutique label? What makes this label so special?

D-Nox was listening to my tracks for a while, giving me tips on how to get better within the style – we have been friends for a long time and I’m a big fan of his work. He was the one who introduced me to DJ Zombie and that’s the way it has been going. The label is special because it’s always releasing a lot of great content, with great producers. I believe in it as being a specialist in Progressive House, with Israel’s seal of approval.

For anyone not familiar with your music, how would you describe your style? Can you put your finger on the elements of your music that makes it so distinctive?

It’s hard to describe my style, I can mention that my drums and percussion are obviously inspired by Brazilian rhythms and I try to incorporate all the Brazilian swing and energy in there. The bassline is always very progressive – in the South region of Brazil, I grew up listening to Hernan Cattaneo and I’m totally influenced by his music. The synths and melodies are more randomized, I let my feelings flow through these instruments. I think we can refer to my style as being Brazilian Progressive, what do you think?

Is defining music by its genre useful or limiting?

I particularly try not to define tracks by genre, in my sets you will find: house, progressive, tech, techno…

Do you find it easy to express your deepest emotions when you play and make music, or is this something that finds an outlet only in certain, special moments?

I produce content every day. When I enter my studio and start producing, I’m in a state that I like to call “flow”. Doing what I love, what I enjoy, without thinking about anything else. My only desire is to make people dance and have moments of joy listening to my music.

Let’s rewind for a moment, what is your earliest musical memory?

My memories are filled with Rock ‘n’ Roll.

What was it like growing up in Brazil?

I grew up in a small village, where I spent most of my childhood in a very beautiful way. I went to school, played soccer, and took guitar lessons. My parents were teachers, so I was raised in a very humble and honest way. I had everything I needed and I feel privileged, because Brazil is a place where a lot of children grow up in some situations where their basic needs don’t get the same treatment.

At what point did you get into DJing and producing? Who have been big influences in your music career?

I started out as a DJ at the age 18. When I went to my first electronic music party, at that moment I decided that I wanted to be that, to be the DJ, the one that commanded the entire party. I didn’t understand a lot about the different music styles, but I fell in love with house music at the first contact I had with it. I played for around six years until I started producing. I was lost between the different genres for five years, without knowing where to go, I tried to follow the trends in Brazil, but never felt anything real. Then one day, I decided to follow what I really enjoyed, and here I am, releasing my music through one of the greatest progressive labels worldwide, that’s why I like to emphasize the difference in making something you truly enjoy, you truly love. My influences are: Laurent Garnier, Hernan Cattaneo, John Digweed… I want these guys to play my music!

Tell us the story of your involvement with the Amazon Club, Chapeco, Santa Catarina?

I’m one of the founders, idealizers, and my involvement is the highest possible. That’s my home, my family. Everything I know as a DJ I learned there.

Where have you played recently? And, what new places are you looking forward to experiencing in 2018?

I have been playing in the best places in Brazil: Warung, Colours, D-Edge, Beehive and, of course, at Amazon Club. These are amazing venues to play in Brazil. I can’t wait to experience the world, I want to show my art all around the world, to as many people as possible.

If you could play for a whole night with any DJ (ever), who would be at the top of your wish list?

Hernan Cattaneo.

https://soundcloud.com/zac_thiagozacchi/zac-amazon-club-special-warm-hernan-cattaneo-090917

Having witnessed the evolution of the underground scene in Brazil, what’s your assessment of things now? Is the scene healthy? What could improve it?

Brazil is a huge country, with almost the territorial expansion of the entire size of Europe. My opinion is that the scene is better than ever, more and more people are seeking out more information. Great international DJs are coming to Brazil very often and spreading important information. I believe in the healthy scene, I need to believe in it. I think that only us Brazilians can make things better, evolve musically, and produce quality content to get international recognition and make our people proud.

What places in Brazil should a visiting electronic music fan check out?

Amazon Club, D-Edge, Warung and Beehive.

After this impressive release on Beat Boutique, what new projects should we watch out for from you in 2018?

I have a lot of tracks in the hands of different DJs, so anything can happen. I want to produce another EP for Beat Boutique, and I also have a major release through Natura Viva, coming in May. I’m working hard to deliver some great tracks to the world.

Any other Brazilian artists that we should keep an eye on?

Gabriel Carminatti is a very talented boy, I really enjoy working with him, we are very synergetic when producing. He is an important name to keep an eye on. I also really enjoy Andre Gazolla, Ricardo Farhat and Pedrada. They are great artists as well.

And finally, what’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Follow your intuition.

Thanks ZAC ☺

ZAC & Gabriel Carminatti – Crystal EP (Beat Boutique) BB047