Retail DJ

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

Continuing from Part One of the Retail DJ Exclusive “What’s Good?” Interview of Ka§par, Part Two shows Pires’ roots. With an early involvement in the music scene and an ever-developing taste, Ka§par understands the significance of history, culture, and state of mind as the foundations of one’s appreciation of sound. Tracing his early exposure to kuduro, soul, hip hop, and other forms of black music, Ka§par charts his connection to modern house and other music that cites similar origins. Though serious and contemplative, Ka§par also has a fun side, as evidenced by his recovery from gig bloopers and his ability to step back and have a sense of humor about himself and others’ perceptions of him, no matter how lacking in accuracy they may be.

For part two, I’ve also included the beautiful work of Italian photographer Valeria Galizzi, who was kind enough to take time from her busy schedule in order to conduct this shoot, as a visual narration for Ka§par’s words. So please join me to find out What’s Good? with Lisbon-based DJ, producer, and free-thinker Ka§par:

Was mamilo.org your idea? If so, how did this come about and what has your involvement in the project been like?

Yes, “mamilo.org” came about to fill in a gap in Portuguese culture that was the absence of a proper visible platform that showcased a DJ mix as a form of art. It was developed by myself and António Alves (Jackzen) some four years ago. As you can see, it’s not something we can absolutely commit ourselves to as our own separate lives often take up some of the necessary time to keep it regular and stable. But we are quite happy with the feedback around it and with the attention it got. We just record whatever we want and let people enjoy the older things we love and that built our character, as well as modern music we find appealing and promising. We respect each others’ choices and ambitions regarding our choices (António is much more a full-on house DJ than me. I try to be less formatted and make different types of sets, but still remain as true as possible to my background in house music and its production).

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

How has the influence of music from other countries affected the audiences for whom you play and the sets you choose to appeal to those audiences?

Culture is the number one concept that is important when you DJ. Every nation has its own collective identity, and even within a nation, you have a lot of regions where there are particular types of behaviors and reactions to music. In Portugal, the crowd is generally shy and has a hard time “attacking” the dancefloor if it’s still empty no matter how good the music is, while in the States, you just drop a decent song and everyone gets their groove on. Often what happens is DJs are playing like the party is going down on the floor, when it’s still inside people’s heads, until some crazy geezer decides to break the ice, and then everyone else does the same.

I can tell that American music has permeated throughout the whole world like no other, possibly because its genesis is very pan-cultural and has something for every creed, nation and ethnicity, and of course, Portugal is no exception. But I’d say the UK has a strong bass-driven identity that can easily be crossed over with the more soulful and song/lyric-based American counterpart, and here in Portugal you can also feel the presence of African music (mainly because of our country’s presence in Africa up until the mid-70′s) and Brazilian was well. Actually, modern Portuguese music incorporates a lot of African elements into it – just check out Buraka Som Sistema! Some of my first music was co-written with Kalaf and J-Wow, when they where anonymous artists trying to make it, but once they embraced the African heritage, things just exploded for them. Curiously, my first ever production work to get released was a kuduro album I did when I was 14 in 1996, way before BSS ever came about . . . this is because I grew up in a suburb where there were a lot of black kids and black/African music was very present.

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

Do you have any funny/strange stories of things that happened while you DJ’ed?
Damn, I must admit to leading a life that is very prone to funny stories. I’ve had a lot of funny things happen to me during the course of this adventure. One time, I was playing and my pants tore from knee to knee when I kneeled to pick up records. Portugal had just beaten Holland in the Euro, thus making it to the finals, and as an oath, I was not wearing any underwear!

One club I play in, Level Club, has a very funny crowd (I mean, a lot of people are still stuck in the 80′s) and I get the funniest requests when I’m DJing and that always cracks me up. Also, I once had to DJ with a microphone instead of headphones because my piece got broken halfway through the set… another time I dropped a whole drink on top of a bald guy by mistake in Frágil (the booth is one floor above the crowd). Last week, I tried to offer my latest 12” to Alex Barck from Jazzanova, but he already had it in his bag (that was an honor). Plus a lot of funny things happened when I was playing under the influence, but I’m not sure I want to go on record on those… (blush)

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

You are fairly young, but your music has reached a lot of people. How have you personally dealt with fame and having a job that requires you to be so public?

You know, I’m not so sure that’s true, as flattering as this question is. I know there’s some attention regarding my work, but it’s still very centered in people who research releases and aren’t solely caught up in the latest hyped-up names. Some of my releases went down pretty well in record shops and got great support from a lot of the people I spoke about (I remember one time actually hearing Derrick May play my record, and another time Moodymann played a track from my album – still unreleased to this day). And that was a big surprise . . . But I still have a long, long way to go to get the recognition I hope for, especially from Europe (because, funny enough, some of my biggest supporters are in the States).

I was very happy with having gone to Seattle for the Red Bull Music Academy of 2005 (especially because I was one of the youngest in the group at the time), and currently I’m also proud of my work with Rui Torrinha, in Groovement, and with Gerd in 4lux and Clone (in Holland), but that doesn’t mean I’m well off, nor that I feel like I’ve reached my full potential at all!

I must transpire a lot of self-confidence (although I’m not really that strong inside) because people who don’t know me usually judge me too quickly and say I’m probably an arrogant dick. I must say in my own defense that it’s not an adjective that describes me well. I can understand why that gets said, but really, I always try and help out people with talent that are just getting started, either by trying to release their music on Groovement, or by introducing them to the game, helping out with first gigs, and so on. So, I don’t let success (the little I’ve got so far) get in my head at all. I’m as I always was: a perfectionist and an obsessed geek, but also an accessible friend, a free thinker and one who is never unavailable or self-centered.

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

How has your job, if at all, affected your loved ones and the relationships you have with others?

Well, I keep myself surrounded by people whom I believe are good friends, and feel strong support from my family as well. I guess when you show results, and that you’re not just wasting your life away, it’s not impossible to make things work on an affective level. Of course it took me a while to get to finish my degree because of how consuming nocturnal life often is… and my parent were worried often times, but I think I made it through in time.

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

What is your “day job,” or, in other words, how do you spend your time when you are not DJing and producing?

I have a degree in psychology, but I don’t practice. I had great fun studying it, but it’s really not my life’s dream to be stuck in an office all day long. My parents are both doctors and they are the people whom I love and respect the most, but I grew up seeing them a couple of hours a day because their work was so demanding. I chose a path that allowed me the freedom to work on my own terms. So, in truth, I spend my days doing many things aside from writing and producing, or shopping for music and organizing my bags: from managing Groovement recordings with Rui Torrinha, Beat Add Ventures recordings with Cheeks, booking parties, promoting my music, responding to emails and generally stirring up local talent. It might not sound like much, but believe you me, I’m usually quite busy doing what I like.

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

Who are some up and coming Portuguese DJs you’d recommend?

It’s a very tricky question, I get along with most of the DJs/producers here, and have a fairly decent friendship with most of them, so I’ll just drop some names that people can follow up on. Guys, please don’t get mad at me if I forgot someone. These people do many different things, some of them I ‘m not really into that much, but I still respect them immensely for doing what they believe in.

So here goes, and in no particular order some of the people who where able to break through, or will one day, I think, do so: Tiago Miranda, Ride, Photonz, Yari, Johnwaynes, ZNTN, Rui Maia, Portable (he lives in Lisbon) Johnwaynes, Calapez, Moullinex, Discotexas, Social Disco Club, Jorge Caiado, Infestus, Unite, Dedydread, Vahagn, Alkalino, Pedro Goya, Magazino, João Maria and Bloop, Ramboiage, H.O.R.S, and many others, to whom I apologized in advance for not having thought of. Some great DJs also include Pedro Tenreiro, Rui Vargas, António Alves, Rui Murka, DJ Al, Mr. “Daddy” Cheeks… That’s all I can think of, off the bat.

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

What is your favorite place in Portugal thus far to DJ?

It as to be my “baby”: Frágil. I’ve played there since I was16. I’m 28 now and it’s still the most amazing place to DJ in. It’s a gay friendly club where people REALLY get down. I never went to the Garage, but I can imagine it’s the closest thing you can get to that feeling in Portugal and probably in Europe. I’d compare it to Panoramabar in Berlin, the vibe is really humane and uplifting, and you can get away with almost anything if you play your cards right.

Of course, the dancefloor level in Lux has a very intense feel to it, when the crowd is up for it, and there’s a lot of other places where you can do great gigs too, like Trintaeum, Pitch or Gare in Porto. There are a lot of quality spots, it’s just that the public is often “anaesthetized,” especially since this whole “maximal” thing came about. That’s why it’s so good to play during the summer, because of all the tourism – foreigners usually don’t feel as shy as the native crowd.

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

Are there any other places you’d love to DJ one day in the future?

Hell yeah! I need to go outside more, experience Japan, Berlin, New York, London, behind the decks more often. Different people and places always excite me, and I think I’ve gone through all I could here, from small intimate venues, to huge festivals. I’ve played abroad on occasion, but I hope my next releases will help me get the exposure I need to make this happen on a more regular basis. God knows I’m ready for it… (I feel like I should have one of those Dr. No style evil laughs to complete this thought).

Photo Credit: Valeria Galizzi

How does DJing and producing music make you feel and would you recommend the career to others? What has been beautiful about the experience and, on the other hand, challenging?

Well that’s as broad a question as they come… It would take me forever to answer that fully. But the most rewarding thing in this line of work is to see someone you admire playing your record or your track. I got involved in production and label management very early on, in my late teens, and I did it so I could have a stronghold, a platform to further express myself. This came to a real palpable result some six years ago when we released Groovement’s first 12”s. I got involved in promoting music via the net with “mamilo” and producing parties to further expose these concepts as well. So, my advice is be perseverant. Don’t let others bring you down or tell you how to do things. Be as much as you can be, and try not to be pigeonholed. Try to know as much as possible of what’s around you and what other people are doing, because it will only enrich you.

The most challenging part of this journey is dealing with jerks and jealous evildoers, people who won’t pay you what you deserve and that suck your enthusiasm and life energy to sustain their own miserable and insecure existence. All you need to do is to avoid them, focus on your vision and persist as hard as you can, and one day things will happen. Don’t let others abuse you or your work. It’s not like you want to be America’s Next Pop Idol. This is an industry that works for people who are creative! And the more personified and unique your point of view, the more chances you have of one day people catching up to what you are doing.

Look at Kenny Dixon! It took him almost twenty years to get fully recognized as he is now, and there are many such examples. One time flings and hits come and go, but real supported, self-sustained and independent work is outside the confines of time and memory—it’s valid eternally. So, in the words of James D. Train “sky is the limit when you know you must keep on, just keep on pressing on”.

All photos courtesy of Valeria Galizzi: myspace | facebook

- Retail DJ