Dance
Future Bounce x Enchufada: Q&A and exclusive mix
Jamz Supernova talks to Enchufada label boss 'Branko' about music, culture and their upcoming club collaboration.
Jamz Supernova has a passion for music hidden just beyond the horizon. It’s why she champions the future of RnB as a DJ and presenter on Radio 1Xtra, and curates the next wave of producers and artists at regular club night, Future Bounce. Future Bounce, which recently took over a stage at the Peckham Rye festival to great acclaim – is about to hold a summer party on June 30 at Birthdays in Dalston, with a spectacular collaboration with independent Portuguese label Enchufada.
Enchufada is a Lisbon based label, founded in 2006 by João ‘Branko’ Barbosa and his Buraka Som Sistema bandmate, Kalaf Ângelo. Jamz has previously had Dotorado Pro — one of Enchufada's artists — play at Future Bounce. But in the upcoming show, Branko himself set to play, performing alongside label mates Murder He Wrote, Mina and Pote.
Ahead of the big night Jamz made an exclusive Enchufada-inspired mix for Redbull.com, and sat down with Branko to chat about the label, the Portuguese music scene and what inspires his sound.
Jamz: You’ve been a driving force in pushing forward thinking electronic music, what does "global club sounds" mean to you?
Branko: It’s about embracing diversity and being opened to music that will push ‘regular’ dance music towards something new, especially in cities that are not usually steeped in dance history. It’s those little errors in the club DNA chain, which end up creating something new, while connecting and exposing culture and music like never before.
J: What are the sounds and styles coming out of Portugal at the moment?
B: What I'm most excited about is how musical genres like Kizomba, Funana, Kuduro are slowly taking over popular culture. Over the last 10 years Portugal (and more specifically Lisbon) has developed a new artistic personality, by strengthening our cultural bonds with other Portuguese speaking countries like Angola, Cabo Verde and Brazil – and it’s changing how the city sounds.
But there's always room to grow. In Portugal as much as there’s great music being produced, I think the industry side of things still has a long way to go. The government, brands, big promoters, agents and labels are still missing the big picture, looking at culture as a small village that's never gonna be able to sustain itself and grow.
J: Enchufada feels like a constant source of new talent – when you started the label what did you want it to stand for?
B: Our drive has always been to try and release new, relevant and original music. We’re trying to connect the dots that haven't been connected yet and tell a story at the same time; exposing that moments when club culture and social movements, intersect.
J: Whether on your own productions or your work with Buraka and Enchufada, you’re very open & respectful about where you draw inspiration, what are your thoughts on cultural appropriation in music?
B: I feel like it's really hard to draw the line of what's ok and what's not, but for me it's about trying to not be a tourist by just scratching the surface of a scene or place. I need to understand where the music is coming from and why, so most of the times I just grab whatever opportunity I have to actually go and spend time somewhere. It doesn't make sense for me to sit in my studio in Lisbon and produce a full on Baile Funk track, but it does make sense for me to go to São Paulo and work with a local MC or producer.
J: Lisbon is known for its thriving night life. What is the city’s ultimate clubbing experience like?
B: Lisbon is one of those cities where the sky is the limit when it comes to nightlife. I don't mean it in a commercial way, but in terms of an overall experience you can definitely push the limits of what going out on a Saturday night. It starts on the streets of Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodre and can end pretty much anywhere, although in terms of clubs I would say Lux and Musicbox have the best underground sound in town.
J: Are there any sounds or movements happening in other countries that your intrigued by right now?
B: Always and all the time! YouTube changed the game, with channels like Kondzilla, which are exclusively dedicated to Baile Funk and have over 14 million subscribers. Never before has something with such a straight connection to the ghetto had such a huge impact on so many people and I think this is just the beginning. From Durban to Lagos to Lima or Mexico City everyone is absolutely killing it creatively—there has never been a better time to make music.
J: You’ve been able to travel the world with your music, where has been your favourite place & why?
B: On a personal level I love India, because it contrasts with everything I took for granted all my life, so I really enjoy visiting when I need a new perspective. Recently I also visited Lima in Peru for the first time and absolutely loved it – the best music, best food, best people in a very beautiful and unique city.
J: You’ve been a household name for sometime now, and worked with many incredible artists, whats next on your bucket list?
B: I’m working on a TV show for a Portuguese Network about travel and music, having a lot of fun travelling around the world pretending I'm a journalist while talking to all my favourite artists and eating the best food! I'm also releasing my first ever curated compilation called Enchufada Na Zona, named after the show I've been doing on NTS Radio for the past 5 months. It comes out July 7th and features a lot of the music I've been playing in my sets, plus a lot of brand new stuff. After all this I feel like I just need to sit in my studio and make music which I haven't done in a while.
J: For anyone reading this who's interested in shining a light on music from their community and would love to have a career similar to you, what advice would you give?
B: I have no idea if it was pure luck or something I've done, but I've managed to live from music for the past 12 years without having to ever compromise. So I've always done what I love, and based all my decisions on that – but everyday I still wake up scared that someone is gonna be there to tell me the ride is over. It's a cliche but I guess my only advice is to think outside the box and if you want to see something done, just roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. It's gonna take a while and in the end it might not be exactly what you had in mind, but at least you're triggering actions and reactions—that's all there is to it.
The Future Bounce x Enchufada party is on June 30 at Birthday's and tickets are available here. And catch Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 1Xtra - Tuesdays from 10pm and weekends from 1pm.