Laura de Vasconcelos joins us today to talk about her recent work. Laura is a DJ we have been loving for some time now, the Brazilian who currently live in Berlin has been ripping up the rule book when it comes to high energy sets that take plenty of risk.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
I’m from Brazil, which is a very musical place. From an early age, I’ve been drawn into music, but my career is quite accidental, to be honest. I just went along with what was coming my way – so I didn’t plan every step of it. If you think that I am based in Berlin but I don’t play techno, systematically, that starts to make sense. I also insist on playing vinyl, so I keep dragging my collection of rhythmically and genre-spanning records up and down.
But to be more specific, an important part of my story began some time ago, when I moved to Abu-Dhabi, in 2005. At the time, I was hanging out with Shadi Megallaa, DJ, producer and owner of The Flip Side, Dubai’s Independent Record Shop, and his crew. There, I scored a short residency at the Emirates Palace club. It was fun, but I experimented less at the time. Yet my preferences for rhythmic beats and music extravaganza were already clear, as I played mainly 80’s disco at that residency. I think I’ve always been primed for some strobe-lit intense energy.
Then I moved to Berlin, a couple of years later, in 2007. I began working crowds at bars and clubs to Cannes Film Festival in 2010. That was great because I had a lot of freedom to experiment more, tailoring my approach with a more meticulous ear, testing the dance floor – and having fun. I think my sound is a suite of classics and underground, but reaching dancefloor appeal.
Around this time, I was admitted to a music school here in Berlin at the Deutsche Pop Akademie, and let me tell you that learning physics and music software in German was “kein Ponyhof ”.
From there, I’ve been around clubs and parties I love and identify with. It has to have a queer vibe, a sense of freedom.
I love them because they have that attitude that bears the flag of being yourself, you know?
I think because I am an autistic artist in the scene, some authenticity makes me feel at home. And also being autistic makes me less responsive to empty trends, not answering to smothering pressures to conform. It is a bit punk, it is a bit subversive, but it is also quite unique. Autism can be challenging, mostly in this industry. But I feel there is much more space for neurodiverse artists. I guess art may have a neurodiverse component.
Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in «life»)? And how have they affected your sound?
As a non-conformist myself, I am attracted to things that don’t necessarily conform. Disco, Post-Punk and Rock always spoke to my heart, but in context of club music. And bringing those influences to the scene makes me feel like mixing elements that draws me away from mainstream techno, house and pop.
How would you define your sound?
Experimental, raw, energetic, sensual, fierce, fun. I fondly call it house music extravaganza. That’s my signature. I want to fire things up. I always aim at creating a fun atmosphere and I appreciate artistic freedom to play the sounds I like, the music I feel inspired by, and that relate to my musical background, experiences, and preferences. So when I am playing I start off at one place, then I add more complex and unusual cuts until I bring it sonically together. It’s a blend of wide-ranging House and disco, classics and rarities I bring with me to create fresh and unique sets.
How has your sound evolved so far? Do you see yourself as part of one style of music?
Today it sounds more sophisticated than before. It is definitely dance music, but I travel across different genres and artists. As I became more mature, all that formed the basis of my sound and style. I feel that when I am playing, it always starts off in one place and progresses into unexpected directions, but always deploying sophisticated voices and rhythms that wash off inertia and keep your ears away from numbing repetition.
What can you tell us about your last release? What inspired you? What do you want to convey?
I’ve been actually experimenting with AV. I just released a series of music-videos, self produced and shot from scratch.
I was revisiting a collaborative work with Annabel Guérédrat, a fabulous French contemporary dancer. It was back in 2013 and 2014, and I was sampling Kraftwerk for the sound installation we developed during her performances in Paris, Biarritz, Bourge and Martinique. That inspired me to dive into mixed-media work, so I rescued my camera and from that, things just came together. I invited some friends, who are dancers and performers and we brought to life a series of stunning city landscapes, sound, dance and movement. The music and the rhythm brings it all together to create a city-bounded soundscape, in which my intention is not only to portray, but to evoke. And they are absolutely gorgeous artists. Those wacky ideas I have and they embark with me, I can’t believe it haha.
What modern artists are you enjoying? Maybe you can share some lesser known artists we might not know of?
I’m obsessed with “Unknown Artists”, those who never sign their tracks because of copyrights haha I have so many white labels I get lost not knowing which is what.
What projects are you working on right now?
For now, I can only think about vacations haha I have planned forty days on Brazilian shores. But rest assured I will come back to fire up the dance floors. This winter will be a long one. Apart from that, I will see what comes. I am very interested in audiovisual and I have been producing and directing videos, adding mixes and finding new creative collaborations. I don’t always know ‘what’s next’, I prefer not to treat my life as a business plan. But AV projects have been taking my time and creative energy lately. Not knowing is maybe how I reminisce about a somewhat punk naivité, but it also keeps me on my toes, fresh, and helps me to resist the sometimes crippling pressure to conform to adult life.
https://linktr.ee/lauradevasconcelos
