A deep dive into the sounds of bruxaria from one of São Paulo’s new generation of baile artists.
Inspired at the age of 17 to start producing baile funk, DJ K taught himself using online FL Studio tutorials in his bedroom in Heliópolis , the largest favela in the São Paulo macrometropolis. Quickly, his tracks gained notoriety and he became a fixture at Baile do Helipa, one of Heliópolis’s biggest street parties. Today, DJ K is the leader of Bruxaria Sound, a Brazilian collective comprised of 17 MCs, producers and pushing a variant of the baile sound known as bruxaria.
DJ K’s sound isn’t just loud and noisy, but uniquely sinister in tone and timbre. This isn’t by accident, but by design: bruxaria is created to help induce the auditory hallucinations known in São Paulo’s baile culture as ‘tuin’, brought on by the inhalation of lança, a substance created using a mix of chloroethane and perfume that creates increased heart rate and feelings of euphoria enhanced by loud sounds and high-pitched tones.
This unique context explains the moment roughly half way through DJ K’s Fact Mix where the ‘ding’ sound heard when coins are collected in the Super Mario Bros games cuts through the set with a shrill, ear-splitting tone. Drenched in reverb and contrasted with deep, thumping kick drums, the track – and all of the others on the mix – nevertheless packs a punch for anyone not experiencing lança-induced hallucinations.
Recorded at home on his PC and Virtual DJ software (with the aid of keyboard shortcuts), DJ K’s Fact Mix is almost entirely comprised of his own productions, providing the perfect primer for his unique take on baile funk. It’s also a great companion piece to his recent album for Nyege Nyege Tapes, PANICO NO SUBMUNDO, which features tracks from DJ K and the Bruxaria Sound crew, and is the first of a run of releases showcasing the fringes of the funk scene in Brazil from the Ugandan label.
Follow DJ K on Instagram. You can buy PANICO NO SUBMUNDO at Bandcamp.
Tracklist:
DJ K – ‘Isso Nao E Um Teste!’
DJ K – ‘Beat Que Faz Baforar’
DJ K – ‘Aumenta O Som Que Eu Vo Te Bota Pra Mamar’
Illuminati – ‘Ritmo Terrorista’
DJ K – ‘Berimbau Do Bruxo’
DJ K – ‘Exclusiva (Inimigo Do Sistema)’
DJ K – ‘Montagem Ai Ui Que Maravilha’
DJ K – ‘Automotivo Balança Heliopolis’
DJ K – ‘O Sonho De Um Homem’
DJ K – ‘Exclusiva De Saturno’
DJ K – ‘Flauta Do Novo Mundo’
DJ K – ‘Montagem Berimbau Terrorista’
DJ K – ‘Montagem Eletronica’
Erva Venenosa – ‘Montagem Alem Do Universo’
DJ K – ‘Ritmada Quebra Umbrella’
DJ K – ‘Bruxaria Alucinante’
DJ K – ‘Vem Pro Barraco Da Invasão’
DJ K – ‘Montagem Muito Mal De Baseado’
DJ K – ‘Beat Distorce Mente’
DJ K – ‘Virou Capa De Jornal’
DJ K – ‘Exclusiva Renk Renk 2’
DJ K – ‘Berimbau Derruba Heliopolis’
DJ K – ‘Voces Ta Velho’
DJ K – ‘A Ex Do DJ K Ta Ligando’
DJ K – ‘Olha O Barulhinho Da Cama Renk’
DJ K – ‘Pancadao Clandestino’
DJ K – ‘Medley Mc Mn’
DJ K – ‘Montagem Apocalíptica’
DJ K – ‘Espanca Xota’
DJ K – ‘Beat Magrao Pra Comer Xereca’
DJ K – ‘Toma Sequência De Bang Bang’
DJ K – ‘Beat Apaga Noia’
DJ K – ‘Exclusiva DJ K E DJ Eduardo’
DJ K – ‘Tuin Destroi Noia’
DJ K – ‘Lambuza A Cabeça Do Pinto’
DJ K – ‘Xacoalha A Lata E Puxa’
DJ K – ‘Montagem Penetrar’
DJ K – ‘Vai Ter Que Nadar Pelada’
DJ K – ‘Uma Hora Te Dou Meu Brinquedo’
Listen next: Fact Mix- Bianca Scout
