There is little or no doubt that Spain has had its fair share of say on the music of the capitals clubbing scene in recent years, brands Matinee SuperMartXe, Space & now WE Party, very much the overseas invasion of London that has, along the way, sported some real stars, while also serving up plenty of also rans. However, when Brazilian brand, The Week, landed in London last September, there seemed to be a slight tide change, a few figures popping over the parapet & showing the new way & wave of Latin American beats that have also inspired new club Casa Latina, which has its second coming in two weekends time. However, before all that, two of its shining bright new stars will be playing out at Profile & Lo-Profile and tonight (Friday 1st July) no less, this cool clubbing combo hosting a night of Brazilian boy beats, including a “Carioca” themed Society party that should see plenty of Latino’s & their admirers wend their way to Wardour St to savour stacks of superb sounds. So, we thought we would take a look at the two stars, dipping a little into their past & then linking into their latest music creations to give you a flavour of what to expect both tonight & at Casa Latina later this month.
First up is the delectable D.J. DouGuim, full name Doug Guimaraes, a native of Brazil of course, having grown up in his home city of Sao Paulo, his early steps into D.J.’ing very much being influenced by the city’s sensation The Week, the likes of Leandro Becker & Renato Cecin inspirations for Doug’s decision to pursue a career behind the decks, he making the bold decision to head for the even brighter lights of London. And not having long landed in the capital he was talent spotted in a D.J. competition held at Ku Bar which pretty much launched him onto the gay bar circuit, earning him a regular residency at their Monday nighter “Citric”, although his big break came when Lovechild’s Alex Erfan teamed up with The Week and in so doing so, gave floor space to Doug at the launch party at Fire, he very much proving his worth with an outstanding opening set which was very much the opening he was after.
Now it seemed the floodgates to his career had opened, spots at clubs within the Orange Group quickly following, not least a regular weekly slot at Beyond no less, Doug’s uplifting & funky yet tech & tribal infused sounds suiting his slot at this awesome afterhours superbly. Since then, DouGuim has consolidated his position within the scene, a break back in Brazil & then gigs across Europe including Paris, Rome & Madrid seeing him drop below the radar for a while, although now back in London, his future is looking very bright indeed, as not only has he gained a new residency for Thursday night social “Soho Chic” at Green Carnation, but it seems, with his debut for Lo-Profile tonight (Friday 1st July), more doors will be opening for the delectable Doug, he having also turned his hand to promoting with Tuesday morning outfit “Open”, while Casa Latina will be another opportunity for him to excel with his Latin infused style of sounds and in front of many of his country folk to boot.
And in terms of those sound styles, Doug has been no real slouch in the studio, at least compared to some of his peers, having produced ten podcasts in the last twelve months alone, each one showcasing the broad spectrum of sounds & genres Doug dips into, two out of the ten devoted to his appearances for both the Week & for Beyond. However, it was his Casa Latina inspired compilation that really caught our attention, serving up plenty of those Latin funky tones & tribal beats that underpins Doug’s roots & inspirations, but with sufficient amounts of uplifting & accessible tunes that rank it as one of our favourite works of his. However, in his latest release “Revolution”, we see a DouGuim that has grown further into his art, careful selections of tracks taking us on a magical mystery tour, from funky, through progressive, tech & tribal, with enough accessible tunes to keep us glued from minute one to seventy three, he even dropping in “Offshore” in the middle to leave us truly delighted. Yet, whilst we hold our hat on “Revolution”, you can do no wrong by added all the other nine to your collection, by going now to http://douguim.podomatic.com/ and make sure to come see him in action at Society or at future events across the capital & beyond, as this is one Brazilian boy that is really going places.
Now to our second terrific talent, yet one that came as a tad of a surprise when we heard he was turning his hand to D.J.’ing, although Junior Moura finds himself in distinguished company, as his significant other is none other than superstar Steve Pitron, who has without a shadow of a doubt had a tremendous influence on Mr Moura’s decision to dive behind the decks. Indeed, it was a young Celso who saw his future partner in action for The Week in Brazil, a chance meeting bringing them together & forming a relationship that has seen us observe Steve at his happiest in all the years we have known him. But the road to exposure on the bar & clubbing circuit in the capital has been a slightly trickier one for Junior Moura than his compatriot DouGuim, although with the expert guidance from Steve, as well as a couple of brilliant breaks supported by Doug, the spurning talent that Celso as D.J. Junior, has seen him play at Ku-Bar, at Casa Latina’s launch and just this coming weekend sees him play at two gigs in two days, no mean feat for this fledgling disc spinning star.
Away from the bars, clubs & scene, Mr Moura is a very hard working individual, very much earning his keep & stay in his adopted home, while this engaging & handsome young man is also a sporty individual, having played volleyball to a national level for his country, this coming as no surprise when you stand against him, Celso towering over even our lofty height. So, with a seemingly much work & little play schedule, we are surprised he has found time to not only hone his skills of blending beats, but has also laid down two podcasts in the short three/four months that he has turned his hands to D.J.’ing, his first mix very much inspired by Brazilian beats as well as a handful of his favourite tracks, some out of the Steve stable. And listening to his second offering, Junior (we keep wanting to call him Celso) follows a similar trail of tracks, although with much more of a Latin flavour, lots of drum beats, lots of vocals & tribal influences, while a couple of crowd pleasers are thrown in for good measure, a remix of “Sweet Dreams” one example of a few across the seventy minutes of marvellous music on this “Casa Latina” compilation, which you can grab, along “Episode 1”, at http://djjuniorspodcast.podomatic.com/.
As for this weekend, Junior will be playing for the very first time at Profile Bar tonight (Friday 1st July) from 8 p.m., the team very excited about his first inclusion, having been quoted as saying, “…another of Brazil’s best exports will be making his Profile debut, he’s an amazing D.J. & he is ridiculously hot too!!…”, (say no more), Profile having proved a terrific testing ground for fellow D.J., Zach Burns, his exposure there having created opportunities much further afield, while Mr Moura will also be playing tomorrow night (Saturday 2nd July) at Barcode Vauxhall, among a Gay Pride party line up that will certainly get him noticed by peers & a captive audience alike. Then, of course, there is Casa Latina for Junior on Saturday 16th July, meaning that in just these short few months, he is making good headway with surely bigger & better things to come, meaning that we both wish him well with his endeavours & hope to be close by to see him develop behind the decks. (DISCO MATT)