Tag Archives: leo justi

Kim Ann Foxman – Creature (+ Live Set from Sao Paulo!)

4 Nov

Kim Ann Foxman (photo credit: deepbeep

I just got home from seeing Leo Justi, EZRAKH, Krunk Pony, and Cool Hand Luke DJ at Zamaan Bar in Brooklyn thinking that my night could not get any better (seriously, they tore it up), when I saw this on Facebook (via Alexander Technique):

so . . .

a) I love most videos in b&w

b) I love any showcasing of vogue and derivative forms of dance

and c) beyond being really interesting visually, this track is hot. I can already imagine Azari & III making a sick remix of it (if you’re reading this, remix noooow).

But being totally serious, Kim Ann Foxman has been DJing for some time (and is really good live, I should add) but may be most well-known from her work with Hercules and Love Affair (you can catch her here playing the glasses in the video, though she technically did some vocal work on the track as well (along with track lead Nomi Ruiz, who went on to form Jessica 6)).

For Kim Ann Foxman’s DJing, check out this set she did in 2009 at Vegas Club in Sao Paulo for the Ludo party:

Kim Ann Foxman – Ludo @ Vegas Club, SP (5.10.09)

(click to play; right click + save as to download)

- Retail DJ

I <3 Mondays: Shake Your Bootie

14 Jun

Today feels less like a Monday, and more like a Tuesday considering that I worked yesterday. On top of that, I came to work early today, so my brain is a bit fried and my exhaustion level is pretty high. Nevertheless, music is always there to save the day.

Today’s track that helped wake me up big time this morning was Leo Justi’s live set at Bootie Rio. The Carioca DJ played live on Friday, June 11th at Rio’s Fosfobox and was nice enough to share the mix for those who couldn’t be there to witness it all. Now you can replicate the fun in your living room, on your commute, or even at your desk during the 3 -4 pm fatigue hour that seems to come these days without fail.

 It will help you shake your booty and hopefully shake up your day with mashup tracks including Missy Elliot, Ciara, Rye Rye, Britney Spears, Diplo, MIA, De Leve, Os Hawaianos, Bonde de Tigrao, Bola de Fogo, and more! Happy Monday!

 Leo Justi – Live DJ Set from Bootie Rio 6.11.2010

(click to download / right-click, save as to download)

(hot!) tracklist after the jump

(more…)

What’s Good? Leo Justi (Part Two)

8 Jun

Leo Justi, protecting his most prized possession: his ears

continued from Part One . . .

What is the process of putting together a set like for you?

I must have played like 20-25 parties to this day. It’s not much; I’m not an experienced DJ. I usually improvise. But now with Ableton Live and more complex mixing stuff, I can play around with a variety of clips and mess with their order during live sets.

What is the party scene like in Rio, especially in terms of electronic music?

I don’t really know the electronic scene that much as it usually involves more expensive clubs.

I’ve gotta explain to you how it works: the scene I’m half ‘in’ is actually the “indie” scene, which I could call the “second mainstream,” like the mainstream to people with a little bit more sense to arts and stuff. This scene is based on rock parties. I mean, rock and electro-indie stuff I don’t know for sure, but we all know that hip hop is simply the best club music ever made [laughs] so the rock DJs spin some hip hop too, like beastie boys and Beyonce, etc.

These clubs charge like 12-20 reais (about $6-12 USD) for entry, whereas the electronic music clubs charge 20-60 reais (about $10-40 USD). The drinks are really expensive in these clubs too.

There are intersections, but the “indie” scene is more for kids from 16 to 24 years old, and the electronic scene has an older crowd, from 20-30 or 40 years old. And the concept of being alternative at this stage is already more diluted (though, I admit I don’t understand this scene AS well since I’m not in it and tend not to party with older crowds). However, I still hope to make some serious money in this environment some day because depending solely on indie parties in Rio, I wouldn’t be able to sustain myself or a family.

Considering the electronic music clubs are not as much your scene, what are some of your favorite venues to go out in Brazil? What about your favorite venues to play?

I’ve not played in many clubs, mostly the houses of Grupo Matriz, which is kind of a monopoly here. They have about 6 “alternative” clubs ranging from the indie alternative to a kind of more “Brazilian looking’” alternative lifestyle, that is more connected to Brazilian culture.

To be honest I don’t like clubs. I like parties, but most clubs are strange to me. For instance, I think its ridiculous that some clubs have no area where you can talk (i.e. just with light music in the background). I also hate smoke. Although that’s better now with the new law. [Editor’s note: unlike in NYC, it’s still legal in many Brazilian cities to smoke in bars and clubs, though some cities like Rio and Sao Paulo have recently passed laws to ban it, though little has been done to enforce the ban.] Casa da Matriz is great in this aspect, but the sound system, as in all Grupo Matriz houses, is bad, sometimes incredibly bad.

I’ll play in São Paulo for the first time the 4th June, in a nice club called Vegas; I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been to a club in São Paulo called Milo Garage, and that’s definitely my favorite club in Brazil. The drinks are cheap, the vibe is great, there’s a place facing the sky, and the sound system has nice, nice bass.

In Rio, the electronic clubs have nicer sound systems, but are really expensive. But anyway, fuck that, there are people giving out their 100-200 reais a night in these clubs (which is crazy if you think of how much most people make in a month in Brazil), but I still want in! [Laughs] . . .

(more…)

What’s Good? Leo Justi (Part One)

7 Jun

Leo Justi

A few months back, Rio-based DJ Leonardo Justi got in contact with me via gmail. He had noticed that I supported the work of Brazilian DJs, particularly in relation to my post on DJ Wooles, whose Aporavamento Sound System Mix I put up in April.

The rest was history.

Leo and I kept in touch as he grew more and more in Brazil, his talents having been highlighted by O Globo, his being invited to play at Bootie Rio at Fosfobox alongside DJ Gorky (of Bonde do Role) and DJ Faroff, and even Vegas Club, one of my favorite dance spots in Sao Paulo, and one of the most well-known clubs in Brazil. I featured several of his remixes and full mixes here to rave reviews, and word spread quickly in NYC that there was a new funk carioca DJ to look out for on the map.

What’s interesting about Leo is that his initial path was not at all one would relate to a funk carioca DJ and producer. His roots are in more traditional music and he later even dabbled in rock, yet somehow fate ended up leading him to the genre where he fit best. Though humble beyond words, his skills speak highly enough for him on his own. With a unique music taste and a good ear for what songs work well with each other (even though they often lie on antipodal ends of the genre spectrum), Leo continues to create music that’s perfect for parties. Fortunately for us, he puts his open self-exploration, musical progression, and professional growth into words, articulating both the triumphs and insecurities that come with the territory of being part of the music industry, and provides a few laughs as well.

So without further ado, take a moment to find out What’s Good? with one of the hottest DJs in Brazil, Leo Justi:

Considering your exposure to classical music and later the guitar, what compelled you to become a DJ?

I had a pretty bad adolescence, which got better when I lived for one year in Germany and started to drink. Through alcohol, I found out parties could be really fun and that I could dance, and stop giving a fuck about anything . . . All those wonders of alcohol.

What I mean when I say “bad adolescence” is in the sense of having peace of mind, which I still don’t have that much. It was a time I was doing music 100% to express myself, which nowadays is a bit muddled, since I’m 23 and have to make money. So, I started DJing because I started to love parties (after a while, only drinking wasn’t enough to have fun; I wanted nice music playing) and because I really quickly saw that in years of having bands, I had only spent money, but in months DJing, I started to make money.

My background with classical music was really a blessing, since I really believe that hearing Mozart might have given me my really good ear for music. Actually it’s funny because my best ability in music is harmony, and now I’m doing club music most of the time with no harmonies, just percussive sounds, and like one single kick giving a note.

What were some of your musical influences as a child?

As a kid, I really only listened to classical music and some bossa nova. When I was 7 or 8, I started to like some baile funk songs everyone was singing, but that was repressed by some folks, so I ended up “denying” this taste.

At 10, I started liking some Brazilian pop like Skank, a reggae-pop band (that is kinda shitty nowadays). I hated rock back then. Later on, I started listening to punk rock and when I was 16, the Deftones really opened my mind. From then on, I’ve been listening to everything.

Little Leo

What inspires you now as an adult?

Mainly when I see people really enjoying music and “losing their pose” doing it. Usually it’s alcohol and girls that actually make this happen, not music, but still there are different grades of happiness on the dance floor and there is definitely music that makes that difference. By the way, in my experience girls are usually more into music really, even when their taste is MTV-oriented and they don’t like what I play as much. João Marcelo Boscoli I think said  “make music for girls and gays, because (straight) men only go after girls, not music.” And in considering the mainstream, that’s true . . .

(more…)

Special Event: Bootie Brooklyn!

28 May

The “Bootie” parties have become a worldwide sensation, and Public Assembly is fortunate enough to be hosting the first ever Bootie Brooklyn! I am super excited about this, mainly because a) I heard about it first through DJ Leo Justi (who will be playing for the Rio branch of the party, Bootie Rio, June 11th), and b) I caught wind of an amazing mix that the Bootie Rio crew posted on their SoundCloud page. I’ve included the tracklist ABOVE the jump this time so readers can get a good sense of all the hard work that goes into putting together a set like this. Beatmatching is one thing, but keymatching, melodymatching, and mixing are quite another.

This mix, which was done by Brazilian DJs André Paste, Leo Justi, Faroff,  Brutal Redneck,, Lucio K and João Brasil, gets to all the fans–from folks who like rock and roll, to rap, to funk carioca, to electronica; there’s something there for any and everyone. I am truly impressed.

BEST OF BOOTIE RIO 1 by bootierio

tracklist:

1 – House of Pain vs Amsterdam Klezmer Band vs Pa Brapad – House of Klezmer (FAROFF)
2 – Get pet – get back beatles vs. é o pet – João Brasil
3 – Missy Elliott ft. Dança do Canguru – Canguru Gossip Folks (remix mashup by Leo Justi)
4 – Daft Punk vs MC Colibri – Colibri around the world (André Paste
5 – Lady Gaga vs Chico Science – Gaga Science (Brutal Redneck)
6 – Beatles vs Amy Winehouse – Come Together good (DJ LK)
7 – Marvin Gaye vs Nirvana – I heard it through the Kurt (Brutal Redneck)
8 – Tira a camisa and clap your hands (André Paste)
9 – Seven Tapinhas (André Paste)
10 – The Beatles vs LCD Soundsystem vs The Kinks – The Brits are playing at my house (FAROFF)
11 – Los Lobos vs Radiohead – Creep Bamba (Brutal Redneck)
12 – Metaleiras da Amazônia vs Nirvana – Lambada Teen Spirit (DJ LK)
13 – Louca por humps – Calypso vs Black Eyed Peas – João Brasil
14 – Tchau toy – João Brasil – La Roux – I’m not your toy X Banda Calypso – Tchau para você – João Brasil
15 – Metallica vs Bob Marley – Sandman Jamming (DJ LK Mashup)
16 – Nirvana vs Dead or Alive – Spins Like Teen Spirit (FAROFF)

****

Faroff will be here for the Brooklyn edition spinning an ALL-VIDEO mashup (amazing!), so DO NOT MISS IT!!!

Bootie Brooklyn @ Public Assembly, featuring DJs Faroff, DJ Adrian + Mysterious D (aka Plus D) [the latter are the Bootie party founders!]

5/29, Front Room, 10 pm
10pm-4am
$5 before 11pm w/RSVP: rsvp@bootienyc.com
$10 after
free Bootie Brooklyn mashup CDs to the first 100 people!

Mix On Tap: CaipiRio . . .

28 May

I love caipirinhas (kai-pee-reen-yahz) as much as the next person, but sometimes they are a little too strong for me. Cachaça, which is one of the staple alcohols in Brazil (think rum is to the Caribbean and tequila is to Mexico as cachaca is to Brazil), tastes a bit like tires or rubbing alcohol on its own. It’s so strong in fact that many mineiros (people who live in the state of Minas Gerais, where the bulk of the cachaça is produced) cut the flavor by chasing shots of it with a dry cheese or by adding honey.

So while living in Brazil, I became a bigger fan of Caipiroskas, which is a caipirinha with vodka replacing the cachaça. Here’s a video by Grey Goose showing you how to make a flavored caipiroska using their citron vodka:

But just to be clear, I don’t want to lose anyone with the title of this post. It’s actually a little homage to the hometown of one of the DJs who will be featured here very very soon. I’ve included a mix below from none other than Leo(nardo) Justi, whose work I have featured before, but from whom there is plenty more to check out. This mix is the perfect way to start your weekend, so drink up, press play, and have a happy Friday:

Leo Justi Mixtape #1

(click to play / click the small arrow on the right to download)

- Retail DJ

Retail DJ Shoutout in O Globo!

16 May

photo courtesy of O Globo

Special thanks to Rio-based DJ Leo Justi, whose great remix of Kid Conga we featured a while back, for having done a little name-dropping in his profile piece on O Globo. O Globo, which is a huge Brazilian media conglomerate recently featured Leo on their site and Retail DJ was mentioned as one of the “gringo” sites that has shown him some love. We appreciate the mention, and hope that we get even more support from Brazil. As long as Brazil continues to produce some of the best music on the planet, we’ll keep covering it.

Congrats to Leo for the feature, and muito obrigada for the mention!

In hopes of giving the English-speaking readers a better idea of what the article says, here is the translation (by yours truly) of the original article (emphasis mine):

Meet Leo Justi, one of the few (and best) producers of electronic music in the city

RIO - Rio has lots of good DJs, but few young producers making electronic music. The son of an oboe player and a pianist in the field of classical music, Leo Justi, 23, began to study the violin at 8, when he ddn’t yet understand that it was ok to like jazz and funk [carioca] at the same time.

Listen to and download Leo Justi’s remix of “Kid Conga by MC Miltinho

“Nowadays, my parents don’t say much about it, but if I were to start with the story of my [listening to] funk at 13, things would most certainly become tense,” he joked.

A student of Sound Production at Estacio (a Brazilian University), Leo has independently produced remixes for rapper De Leve and others, which has been featured on foreign blogs like Generation Bass, Killah Beez, First Up, Palms Out, Sheena Beaston, Masalicism, Cultural Cannibals, and Retail DJ.

“It’s as if my musical productions vary in accordance with my hormonal flux, with Radiohead vs. Guinga and Missy Elliot vs. Bonde do Tigrao running through my veins,” he explains on his Myspace page.

Leo is a resident DJ for the parties To-toma and Banana Banana. His work mixes funk carioca beats with influences of electronic music.

Leo, a guitarrist, has traded his instruments for programs like Ableton Live and Reason for composing, and Ableton Live, Virtual DJ, or CDJ for playing live.

- Retail DJ

Funk on a Friday: Leo Justi

30 Apr

A few days ago, I received an email from a super nice Rio-based producer named Leo Justi. Somehow, he’d caught wind of Retail DJ and decided to send me some tracks that were laced with a sound I know very well and love very much: funk carioca. Leo had remixed the MC Miltinho track “Kid Conga” to take it to a whole new level of funkyness, and I’ve got to give him props. I LOVE it, and I hope you do as well. Happy Friday!

MC Miltinho – Kid Conga (Leo Justi Remix)

Mc Miltinho – Kid Conga (Leo Justi Remix) by Leo Justi

On top of that, Leo has given a new face to a track that I am straight up sick of. He manages to replace the bored look on my face with a smile via his remix of Major Lazer’s “Pon the Floor.” I think his mix brings out something in the track that was missing in the first place.

Major Lazer – Pon de Floor (Leo Justi Refix)
Major Lazer – Pon de Floor (Leo Justi Refix) (2009) by Leo Justi

For more on Leo Justi, check out his Soundcloud page. It’s chock full of delicious, dance-y sounds!

- Retail DJ

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.