Tsunamiz On the Making Of “Baile Punk”
Photo Credit: José Teixeira
How did you come up with the idea?
I started by programming the drum beat in Logic Pro. I decided to try a Baile Funk rhythm since I’d never tried it before and I had been listening to some bangers from that genre. The synths and bass came after and are more in tune with my melodic style.
I then started improvising over the beat with voice and guitar, until I came up with the basic structure of the song. Lyrics came last.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "Baile Punk?"
I recorded the vocals at a rehearsal space and recorded the guitar, mixed and produced the track at home. There are always moments when I’m mixing a song, that I ask myself “how am I going to pull this off?”, by keeping going, that’s how…
Are there any specific musical or lyrical influences that played a role in the creation of this single?
Apart from the beat being obviously influenced by Baile Funk, I would say that melodically and lyrically the song has influences from PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, Marilyn Manson, Suicide, JPEGMAFIA, and maybe more… It’s not something I plan. It all happens in a intuitive way and it’s how I prefer it. The song goes where it needs to go, as long as I like it.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
I started listening to alternative rock since a young child in the early 90’s and that led to wanting to learn guitar, to sing and to form a band. When I was a teen in the late 90’s, punk hardcore and nu-metal were huge in my hometown so I started making songs with that type of influences. I then moved to a more electro and industrial sound and with time, learned how to record and produce my own stuff and realized I could mix in all of my influences and create a unique sound, or at least a sound that could represent my musical taste, which is very, very wide. Being poor, I didn’t have money to pay mixing engineers, so I opted to do everything on my own, not depending even on other band members. In 2014 I went solo, and released my first album in 2015 (it was finished by 2012) and since then I’ve been releasing music, playing shows and I don’t intend to stop. If it all goes well, I’ll be doing this until I die. I’m not a tourist, sort of speak. This is my life, what I do best and what I’m passionate about.
How do you approach creating something new and different?
The main thing is the song, the melody and the rhythm. It needs to be special, memorable and evoke emotions. The genre or mixing of styles comes later, sometimes simultaneously, others in the beat-making/producing stage. Some songs come to me first in guitar and voice, others with a beat and synths. I approach creating something different in a natural way. I listen to all spectrums of music. Any element can enter the equation, and that’s the fun part of it. It’s not a gimmick, all it matters is if it’s a good song. The twist or different element may come or not. It’s not mandatory. It’s like Bruce Lee said, be shapeless like water. Music is the most sincere and powerful form of communication when it’s not contrived or treated like a product in its creating moment.
