Episode 46 has come courtesy of Brazillian born, Berlin-based DJ and label owner Bucci. Carlos Bucci is the co-founder of Konsep records and has worked on several club nights and creative projects in both Brazil and Berlin. Catch our interview with him below.
Hey Carlos, greetings from the UK. Thanks for coming on the blog it’s really nice to chat with you. You’re a Brazillian born, Berlin-based DJ. That sounds like an interesting journey, could you tell me and the listeners about it?
Hi, thank you for having me on the blog. I’m really looking forward to talking to you. My musical journey is a pretty long one :). It started about 11 years ago in Blumenau, SC, where I was born (in Southern Brazil – a city founded by Germans).
I began my music career producing electronic music and after that, I became a DJ. I’ve always strived to understand the music theory behind the different genres of dance music and learn all I can about them before I began producing myself.
Once I became a competent producer and learned a lot about music and art I realised I wanted to move to Berlin. The city is a dance music center, it breathes techno. So in December 2018, I flew to Germany and I’ve been living in Berlin ever since. This was such an exciting step for me, I learned so much and developed my music and advanced my personal goals exponentially.
When I left Brazil I moved away from the strong underground scene I’d helped build in Blumenau. There were places for all types of electronic artists in the city along with public projects like COLMEIA & A.R.M.E. I helped to develop these projects and I’m very proud of them.
Another reason I moved to Berlin was to expand my worldview and understanding of electronic music so I could better build and inform projects back in Brazil.
Moving to Berlin must have been really exciting. How has the city helped inspire you to create new music?
Living in Berlin has completely changed my life. There are people from all over the world living in Berlin and the mixing of all these different cultures has profoundly changed my thoughts.
For this reason, I think the city brings a lot of inspiration. Everywhere you go there’s something to do. And the combination of music and art is great. Berlin’s techno scene has left its mark on me too. Since I’ve been here I’ve mainly been producing darker techno tracks. I’ve made a few more house orientated tracks too but when you’re in Berlin the spirit of techno is so strong 🙂
I may be heading to Berlin in a few months! Are there any hidden clubs or record stores in the city you like to go too and could recommend?
Sure, the city’s really huge and there are clubs everywhere. I encourage you to take a walk in Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain, Neuköln and the Center. To be honest, since there are many different events here from Psy-Trance goa to Disco House-Techno Minimal and all, I get a bit distracted.
Let’s talk about Konsep records for a bit. You co-founded the label in 2013 with your friends Eduardo Tuti Schulz and Jose Eduardo Hess. What made you decide to start a record label? And what his the mission behind Konsep?
I started the label whilst at school. I went to school with label co-founder José and we both had the same affinity for music. This affinity led to a lot of artist collaborations and a great friendship. It’s incredible how music can connect people. We founded Project PressMusic soon after this.
I was at a gig when I was introduced to our other label founder, Eduardo Tuti. I was talking to a local videographer called Faizão (Cassettari Films), we were discussing techno-producers based in Blumenau and he told me to check out Eduardo’s project Ciclus Live. I connected with Eduardo the next day on social media and we formed Konsep from there.
We began by arranging studio sessions together and Konsep grew out of these sessions. Our goal with Konsep is to release songs with originality. Our music comes from demo submissions and very talented artists. We consider Konsep an avant-garde record label on which unique songs are published.
Your mix is certainly on the heavier end of the dance music spectrum, is this mix indicative of your normal sets? Do you like to approach mixes with a mission or theme or do you prefer to ‘feel them out’ as you go?
Great question Liam. Our mission is always to get people dancing and having a great time until the end of our parties. I actually play all styles of music. I mainly build my sets around house and techno but during my sets you could listen to everything like funk, rap, hip-hop, Brazilian folk music, EDM, ambient, rock, jazz, pop music, classical all that sounds right for the moment.
For this mix, I really wanted to bring the energy. I picked out a lot of techno tracks I’ve collected throughout the years. I’ve been sat on these tracks for a long time and this opportunity seemed like the best time to share them with the world. And its a gift to AMF because I know the UK loves it techno 🙂
I’ve learned to play for every audience. I’ve been a resident DJ in a Sertanejos night club (country music) and I love the challenge of getting a dance floor that isn’t interested in dance music grooving to my beats. It takes a lot of skill and its a discipline that isn’t easy to acquire but when you can do it it’s so fun and rewarding. Playing to a dance-orientated crowd isn’t a challenge but it’s great to mix it up whenever I can.
Brazil has had an influence on my music too. There’s a complete mix of culture in Brazil and there isn’t a certain type of dance music that dominates the music scene. You can always find several different events playing different music. So the scene is very eclectic and that’s had an influence on me.
Are there any tracks in the mix you’d be happy to share with our listeners? Any big tunes you like to play all the time?
The song by Renato Cohen & Rosco Sledge – Proibidão (Brasilians artists) Proibidão means in Brasilian-Portuguese forbidden. The vocal “Porra” and “Caralho” are like “damn” or “suck it”, “damn shit” I think they’re funny certainly when you’re at a party and there’s some ecstasy about. So feel good with the people and the atmosphere.
Finally, what is on the horizon for yourself and Konsep records? Do you have any big plans in the pipeline you can share with us?
I’m planning on making more electronic music. And I want music, culture, and knowledge to be more accessible to people in Brazil and the world.
I also want to organize several events and to produce and release more songs. I am a co-founder along with the DJs (Bob aka André Luiz, Thomas Hess aka Kushtek, Benvenutti, JOTAPE, and Thiago Schlemper) of the innovative labels-party Weiter Musik.
On the 23rd of March, I’ll be playing an exclusive all night long set in Berlin at Minimal Bar. Konsep will also have showcase events and brand new releases. Stay tuned 😛
Thank you very much for your time.
I appreciate it.
K)•
Check out the details for Bucci’s upcoming event at Minimal Bar.
You can also listen to more of his mixes and productions over on his Soundcloud page.
