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By Ágatha Prado
The studio work of young Brazilian producer Campaner (BR) is in full swing. Despite only being a few years into his career, the artist has already collected releases on labels such as Fluxo, Aletheia, Tropical Beats and Sapient Robots, and is now preparing for a powerful debut on the Createch Records catalog, ending an aesthetic cycle and heading for new sound horizons. Find out more about the artist's plans and follow the details of his latest EP The Serpent.
You've just made your debut on Createch Records, with the EP The Serpent. Tell us about your approach to Tarter's label, did you follow the work of the producer and the label before?
A: I already followed his work and I'm even a student in his career and artistic life mentoring program. This closer contact cultivated a good friendship that resulted in us signing this EP.
The album has a poetic tone, with an emphasis on the original lyrics composed by BARD. What was the creative process like working on the tracks with the poet?
A: Both tracks were built around the vocals. On the Metaphysics track the production was freer and more fluid, letting the track take the course it did. He even wrote the lyrics in the car while he was driving to my studio.
As for The Serpent, he sent me the lyrics he'd written, and they immediately reminded me of snake charmers, which is why we started creating it with the flute. It was a big challenge to come up with something that would bring the atmosphere together with the weight of the vocals, which are the main protagonists of the EP.
The thematic depth around the EP takes inspirations from the sacred, the profane and metaphysics. Tell us more about this idea that inspired the album's approach.
A: Every word we utter is a gift from our ancestors. In this composition, we sought to give our own colors to the dialogue between art and religion. The spark of inspiration came from fascination and admiration for the classic narrative of the first temptation, the loss of Eden and the discovery of danger and suffering.
The maternal - sacred - instinct to protect gained a voice in our music. A universal human value, no matter what time or culture we choose to observe, there is always meaning in the figure of the mother violently confronting threats to her child, and how could there not be?
The track seeks to pay homage to this profound human value, perhaps more than rationality and logic can ever attempt to describe.
The title track also features Innervoix, a producer you've worked with before on other collabs. In your opinion, what does it take for a collab to be interesting and creative?
A: I think the main thing is to align the expectations of each of the collaborators. I invited Innervoix because he's someone I trust completely in terms of the level of commitment in each of his tracks, and this time was no different. We managed to get to where we wanted to be, because everything was well aligned before we started working on the track.
The Serpent marks the end of an aesthetic cycle in its musical segment. What does that necessarily mean? What new musical directions do you intend to explore?
A: I want to establish myself within progressive house like those made by: Guy J, Mike Rish, Jamie Stevens, GMJ & MATTER, Chicola, Cid Inc, Hernan Cattaneo and sounds released on labels like: Lost & Found, Replug, Bedrock, Meanwhile, and Sudbeat. These will be the new directions for my career. My biggest inspiration when it comes to producing is the dancefloor, and I'm going to explore more and more dance grooves.
What has inspired you musically in recent months, what kind of sound has occupied a special place in your playlists?
A: Sounds that are out of the ordinary and escape the obvious. My research is very wide-ranging, I consume sounds from various genres in search of elements that catch my attention. But you can be sure that in my playlists you'll find a lot of influence from Lost & Found, Guy J's label. One of the tracks that represents me well recently is Chicola - Dead Celebrity's.
Since you first launched Fluxo in 2021, what have been the main changes you've noticed in the way you produce?
A: I think that more and more we understand what we like and discover how to make something that sounds like the songs I usually hear. It's this maturing that guides these transformations and changes throughout my career.
Speaking of the news to come, what can we expect from Campaner in this final stretch of 2023? Thank you!
A: I have confirmed an EP release with the Berlin label YOMO, which is among the top 10 hype labels in progressive house. The release is scheduled for November and I'm looking forward to showing the new face of my project. There will be two tracks that perfectly exemplify the new directions I'm going to take. Thank you guys!
Campaner is on Instagram.
