R&b
Traversing from Lisbon’s underground to the rest of the globe, Branko is waving the flag for his city’s evolving sonic landscape.
Finding his feet amongst local music project Buraka Som Sistema, the DJ and producer has become a pivotal figure within Portugal’s club circuit. First absorbed by the sounds of Kuduro, Baile Funk and everything in between, the multidisciplinary formally joined the dots across his 2015 debut, ‘Atlas’. The project would mark a new territory for the artist, dipping his toe into a solo production career that would see itself fully formed on last year’s ‘OBG’. Gleaming with ambition and charisma, the artist ignites his creative spirit through a globe-trotting list of collaborators. From Princess Nokia to ÉLLÀH and Miles From Kinasha, Branko seamlessly navigates from one strength to another.
The current day sees the artist’s focus turn inwards once more, closely studying his peers and city’s approach to dance music. Ahead of a heavyweight performance at NOS Alive 2023, CLASH sat down with Branko to detail his journey thus far, looking into the future of his sound.
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So going back to the very beginning, what kinds of artists or genres were you listening to growing up?
When I was growing up, Lisbon was a bit of a faraway place when it comes to the rest of Europe. I feel like we all grew up with sounds that might not be completely familiar with other places which was, in my opinion, a pretty interesting advantage. I would go from regular pop music on the radio to, for example, a lot of Brazilian music or music coming from the other Portuguese speaking countries like Angola and Cape Verde. There was also stuff coming from London, drum and bass and these things. So I think all of that ended up shaping my musical taste. That’s kind of what kickstarted my production process as well, trying to put all of those things together.
Can you remember your first experiences in a club? For someone who’s never been to Lisbon, how would you describe the nightlife in your city?
I think Lisbon always had a fun nightlife in the sense that, if you were going out, and if you belonged to the circuit, it made you feel special. This is the early 2000s, it felt like a really well kept secret.
Before, you’d just go to clubs and listen to random music. When I started, everything was really small. I don’t think there was any club that was over 100, 150 capacity. I feel like my generation was the first generation to go and specifically go to hear a DJ, a specific genre, a specific thing. So I think that’s what changed. It was a really interesting mix, from hanging outside in the streets, which is something very, very common in Lisbon. You go into a bar, grab some drinks and hang outside until six in the morning.
I think now the concept of nightlife having this input and output in culture is something that everyone knows and acknowledges. Everything is just bigger, the movement is bigger. There’s more people, there’s more things happening, there’s a bigger variation of genres and styles.
Do you reflect on your own experiences as a crowd member when you’re curating the sounds of a night?
I think it’s a mix of both. As a DJ, as a performer and even as a curator, I’ve always been more focused on the innovative side, having what’s new, what’s out there that you might not have been exposed to. That’s always been my biggest motivation, how interesting or challenging will people find this to be.
I always try to play out new music, stuff that I’ve just finished in the studio. For the past two, three years I just play mine and my friends’ music so it’s kind of a closed circuit.
And can you remember the first time that you hopped behind the decks? How did that moment later grow into a career?
I think the first time that I hopped on the decks was in a bar in Bairro Alto, where pretty much 99% of the nightlife happened when I was growing up. The bar was called Club De Esquina, I don’t know how I was able to convince the guy to book me for a whole night. I didn’t have turntables, I just had records and CDs. I showed up and played a bunch of songs, one after the other. It was pretty exciting.
I wasn’t really noticing if people were actually enjoying it or not, I was just doing my thing. I think that’s definitely something that shaped everything from there, because it’s sort of how I’ve always looked at it. If I’m getting booked, it’s because people want to hear my stuff. So as much as I like to take in consideration what’s going on in the environment that I’m in, I’ve always wanted to just show up and play my most exciting possessions in terms of mp3.
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Can you speak to us about your 2015 album ‘Atlas’? How did you first approach your solo debut?
At the time, Buraka Som Sistema was still going, we were touring and performing a lot. I ended up looking at ‘Atlas’ as a conceptual side project where I picked five cities and spent one week in the studio in each city. I brought different guests every day to come in and work on music with me.
It was really great to have the possibility to use the Red Bull studios at the time, that also defined the trajectory.
When it came out, the focus was still pretty much on Buraka as a project. It was only a couple of years later, when the group stopped, that I was able to focus and feel my artistic identity which was present already without me noticing it.
What did Buraka Som Sistema represent to your followers?
We kicked things off in 2006 and from the beginning, the group was a very intense mix of like, a Lisbon take on a genre called Kuduro from Angola. It ended up touching a lot of people because of what it represented, a lot of people were growing up in the same circumstances that we were. As a group, we were all different, coming from somewhere different in the world. So it created this new musical identity that a lot of people developed afterwards. It was this idea that, you know, there’s more to Lisbon music than Fado
How did the creative process of last year’s ‘OBG’ differ from your debut? Were you trying to achieve something different , or perhaps unveil a new side to your artistry?
For ‘OBG’ I had more of a producer reset, I went back to my first days of discovering music production. I was in my studio by myself, making beats for a very long time. I also started to occupy other spaces in music, doing shows in seated venues, theatres for example. That was really interesting because it meant that I could also occupy these cultural spaces within dance music.
And so you have your own label ‘Enchufada’, what kind of sounds or artists do you actively want to platform and why?
I’ve always felt this connection between culture and club music. I don’t think that it was something very obvious for some people, but this was always something that made me think – there are other cities where traditional and electronic music is having some sort of organic marriage.
That’s always been our perspective at ‘Enchufada’, finding these groups that look at global club sounds with the same approach, mixing ancestral patterns and rhythms with what’s going on in the clubs these days.
Are there any particular genres that you’re excited about at the moment?
I think lately my focus has definitely been more on Lisbon. As much as I’ve been into other sounds, I think more and more my focus is internal, not so much external.
Do you have any new material of your own on the way, and can you share anything about it, if so?
I had a good start of the year, I locked myself in the studio with all these amazing musicians and a lot of things are coming out. I’ll have a new single out on May 19, ii was born out of a trip that I did to Brazil in November. It’s a really special blend of Lisbon and Rio, done in a really nice, contemporary way.
What advice would you offer to someone who’s hopping behind the decks for the first time?
I would advise them to just try and be different. I always looked at difference as an advantage, trying to make the most of that in your DJ sets, your productions. Listen to what’s out there and try to make your own, personal perspective on it.
How are you feeling about your upcoming performance at NOS Alive 2023? Do you have any surprises in store for us?
I’m feeling really good! The stage that I’m playing at is my favourite stage at the festival. I’ve played all the stages and this is definitely where I think the best music happens, I have a couple of vocal guests appearing so look out for that.
Are there any sets or performances that you’ve got on your list to see at NOS alive?
I want to check out Yendry, Papillon and Kelman Duran & Pedro De Lenha. Those are my favourites…
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Catch Branko at Lisbon’s NOS Alive Festival the summer. NOS Alive runs between July 6th – 8th, and all ticket information can be found online.
Words: Ana Lamond
