I'm a 54-year-old keyboard player from Rio de Janeiro, graduated in Journalism and work with
music for many years. I started with Progressive, and to be able to get by I went for other styles; I played rock, Brazilian, Latin music, and in the 90s
I participated in the Reggae movement in Rio de Janeiro, having been following the Rás Bernardo, original singer of "Cidade Negra". I never studied music academically but I was always very curious and attentive to musical information
that go out of the standard. For years I studied popular piano, arrangement and orchestration
with pianist Leandro Braga, with whom I later co-produced and co-presented, together with percussionist Mangueirinha the program "Quem Toca" on Rádio Roquette Pinto where we had the opportunity to interview the cream of Brazilian instrumental music (The program lasted from 2010 until 2017). I also studied candomblé rhythms with Mestre Humberto (already deceased). My relationship I was not religious, never was, but Somehow, in my head, I started to do parallels between the extremely complex language of Afro-Brazilian rhythms
with some rhythmic experiments that associated
progressive rock.
In 2014, after a crisis (normal in the case of most musicians) in which I thought about quitting
everything and try something else, I decided to make my first authorial record.
The result was Dágua, where I brought together my diverse experiences and influences in a
very personal work. Due to the good acceptance, including international, I started a band
and go out to do live shows. The band itself has largely escaped the standard formation of a
rock group, even progressive. Instead of the common drums, bass, guitar and keyboard,
I used two percussionists, a bass player, a Theremin and me on keyboards.
Most musicians, friends that I had made during my career as an artist, were in themselves very special:
Wellington Soares, Bahian percussionist (Currently living in Switzerland) had years of experience in his luggage
working with Caetano Veloso and Rappa, as well as organizing groups such as "Eletrosamba"
and the "Afronautas" party, very popular in the 90s in Rio de Janeiro.
Fábio Gomes, percussionist and dancer from Pernambuco, Ogâ do Candomblé and creates by Naná Vasconcelos.
Rodrigo Sebastian, bassist linked to the tradition of Brazilian music fascinated by new Bahians.
and João Pedro, former bassist of the rock band Radio Kaos, who at that time was beginning to be interested in Theremin, an electronic instrument composed of an antenna, which was immortalized by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.
In addition to nothing unusual, the formation still had a detail:
None of the musicians (except me, of course) had much knowledge of the Progressive Rock universe, which, in my view, was very favorable for the creation of the personality of the sound.
Another important point: Due to everyone's tight schedule and the "work climate" itself,
we rehearsed as little as possible, leaving for live performances in which collective improvisation
it was part of the context. This without linking to a specific language (jazzy, or blues, or classical,
whatever it was). The result was very exciting and the songs got new versions that were going
changing from show to show. We hardly ever did a show like the other, and that's a source of pride.
From that point on, I decided in 2017 to record a "live" show inside a studio, without an audience, without anything. The repertoire was based on practically the same songs as the previous album, but in very different versions of the originals.
It was during this process that an event happened that would change the facts drastically.
I was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and I went into surgery, leaving the mix unfinished.
My plan was to return in a maximum of 15 days and depart for a more daring launch, traveling to
other states. Complications during the surgery left me a year in the hospital,
reaching the brink of death a few times. During this process I started to produce a web program
called "Side Effects" in which he created electronic music from the hospital room and transmitted via
Internet. The result was excellent, not only artistically but as a self-healing process.
Musically, the proposal was more associated with German electronic music (Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh, Kraftwerk, etc ...) and Ambient. New possibilities opened up from there, and when I left the hospital I launched "Live water" and "Side Effects" (a compilation of the 6 episodes of "Side Effects" intended for international market).
Physically, I am still in the slow process of recovery and out of danger. My production took a turn different and I started to dedicate myself to video art. I produced a video called "Infotoxication", which was presented
in several locations in the world (Hong Kong, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Equatorial Guinea, India, etc ...)
Gradually I am dedicating myself to the creation of a multi-media show where I will join the two artistic expressions.