018 - Kurup
Using small wooden flutes, indigenous percussion and other small folk instruments, Brazilian producer Kurup creates deep folkloric sounds inspired by the natural environment around him, something he describes as 'Selva eletrica' (Electric Forest). The land to which he refers is Cerrado, an area of Brazil that is home to over 160’000 species of plants, fungi and animals. It is within this setting that Kurup’s music comes to life.
I spoke to Renato Rocha (aka Kurup) about producing a mixtape for us and I’m thrilled to present his brilliantly curated organic sounds on Métron Musik Mixtape 018 - a sonic blend of slow house, techno, dup, trip-pop all filtered through the cultural origins of Renato and his ancestors. It’s easy to imagine the rich and diverse Cerrado savannah as Kurup takes the reigns on a bustling journey through the wild open expanses of his sonic space. With a number of unreleased tracks of his own and appearances from a variety of esteemed peers (Nicola Cruz, El Búho, Barda to name a few), it’s a deep, sensual and immersive experience from start to finish.
His excellent debut EP 'Macaúba' was released through the awesome São Paulo based record label, Tropical Twista Records. Renato is currently a resident DJ in Delírio Tropiquente and is the founder of an Art collective called Gira Lume in his hometown Brasília, Brazil. Be sure to check out his work on his Soundcloud & Bandcamp pages.
I spoke with Renato about his mixtape and a little about his homeland, Brazil.
JH: Can you tell us a bit about the origins of this mixtape?
K: My intention was to create a mixtape that could express a connection between my country, Latin America and other parts of the world. We all have different cultures and specific aspects but we also have things in common and through those aspects we can create a map of familiarities.
JH: Cerrado sounds like an incredible place - how has your environment shaped the music that you produce?
K: I was born here and have always loved it, since I was a little kid, to travel and explore the lands of the state Goiás (GO), in my country. Here we are surrounded by Cerrado, and I guess I have an intense identification with its characteristics: dry weather, desert-like savannah but still with extremely rich biodiversity, full of insects, birds and trees with curved branches. It is an constant war between Fire (really dry weather and almost no rain) and Nature.
JH: What’s the music scene like in Brasilia right now?
K: Brasilia is a planned modern city. In a couple of weeks it is the city's birthday, only 56 years old. Really new city but with an intense cultural growth. We are living the very beginning of this music scene.
JH: I’m interested to hear more about your art collective - what is Gira Lume?
K: A collective responsible for many kinds of arts: scenography, visual arts, design, musical curatorship, event production, etc. We are here for make things happen
JH: Finally, can you recommend us some releases, past or present, that we may have overlooked?
K: Aurora by Camanchaca
Awake Into Life by Peter Power & Friends
EXZ - Pã AEP007 by AKUMANDRA
Afro Andes EP by Lascivio Bohemia
Tracklist:
Vara Sagrada - Raimundo Caetano Grupo de música Desana
Ponteio Acutilado - Quinteto Armorial
Xotedub para Orfeu - Kurup
Tenemosavida - Nicola Noir
Núcleo - Barda
Cumbia del Olvido - Nicola Cruz
Tecolotin - El Búho
Monstera Deliciosa - Pigmalião
Unreleased - Kurup
El Espiritu de la Colmena - Ibu Selva
Cabras no Elevado Quilombola - R Vincenzo
Mantiqueira - Salvador Araguaya
Peixinhos do Mar Marinheiro Só - Barbatuques
Chamamé de los Muertos - Pol Nada
Unreleased - Kurup
Perdão - Psilosamples
Manto do Sonho (remix) - Forro Red Light
Gaita Gaita - Thornato
La Zorra y El Perol - Grupo Canalon de Timbiqui
The original artwork below was created for this mix by Jack Hardwicke.
