Techno and Electronica enthusiasts out there just can’t help but love every release that comes with this name attached to it, as it has become a synonym of quality and high standard productions. She’s regularly seen among Beatport top 10 charts and she’s considered by many the Brazilian queen of underground. She’s a key part of the Steyoyoke Recordings family and one of the most complete and versatile artists in the scene. This week, When We Dip welcomes BLANCAh.
To describe her music is not an easy task. It sounds so fresh, unique and when you’re listening to it, you realize she does want to bring a new perspective to Techno as we know it. An identity that seems to have become sort of a signature for Steyoyoke Recordings recently. It wasn’t until the Berlin based record label came up with this new terminology, that pretty much summed up its whole musical concept, that her music finally had a definition to fit in like a glove. BLANCAh delights us with what Steyoyoke calls “Ethereal Techno”.
Delicate, sophisticated, containing some hypnotic melodies, minimalistic textures, distant synths and frequently featuring deep and amazing vocals, courtesy of BLANCAh herself, whose talent is not limited to taking incredible music out of her studio. She’s driven by a strong desire of multiple creative developments and that really makes her an artist that stands out from the crowd.
When We Dip got to talk to this South-American phenomenon and here’s what we spoke about…
WWD: How would you describe your music? We all know it’s not that easy…
BLANCAh: “Well, honestly, It’s been a while since I’ve given up on that… I’ve given up on naming it. It’s just music for me. I don’t sit in my studio planning to produce Techno or Deep House… It just goes and I let it flow. But people tend to call it ‘melodic techno’”.
WWD: What about DJing? Do you try to keep your DJ sets close to your own style of production or do allow yourself to be more diverse?
BLANCAh: “I always try to reach the balance between power and poetry… I don’t limit it to my own style. I look for the kind of sound that pleases me and always try to create unusual and unexpected moments.”
WWD: How has the term ‘Ethereal Techno’ come about? Could you tell us a bit more about that?
BLANCAh: “Soul Button (Steyoyoke’s Founder) got an e-mail from a fan where she wrote about how much she enjoyed Steyoyoke’s music and called it ‘Ethereal’. That made us all think that it would be interesting to try to define our style for the public because that old question ‘what’s that sound?’ would always surround us. So we decided to call our music that, much more for others than to ourselves.”
WWD: Which record labels do you go looking for music at, when putting together material for your gigs?
BLANCAh: Well, I’ve been getting a lot of promos lately and a big part of my sets is based on that. There are small labels which deliver some real gems and I’m just glad about it, like the Brazilians “Medrado Music” and “Not Another”. These two are never out of my case.
WWD: Which artists would you say have influenced you the most?
BLANCAh: “I always say Mathew Jonson has changed my perspective over Electronic Music. I like the ones that sound more organic such as David August and Nicolas Jaar. Also, I greatly admire Patrice Baumel and Agents of Time.”
WWD: How did Steyoyoke get into your life?
BLANCAh: “I met Soul Button when he came for a gig in Brazil. We became friends and I didn’t even know his record label or his music. I unexpectedly went to the party where he was playing and got interested in that sound that was new to me. One day I found the courage to send him a demo. He accepted and decided to give me a chance. That would be my first single called ‘Who’s that’ which ended up on an EP with two remixes.”
WWD: Can you tell us a bit more about Steyoyoke’s style, philosophy and your relationship with it?
BLANCAh: “Steyoyoke is a young but serious record label with a high potential of growth. Getting into it was one of the biggest changes of my whole professional life. Without it, I’d probably not be here today as it has pushed me to an international level. Our philosophy is simple: “quality, soul and feeling”. We don’t just go out releasing. Whenever an EP comes out, it has to make perfect sense for us. Commitment to quality and feeling is above all. Inside, there is a close friendship between us.
WWD: You just dropped another brilliant EP. What are your future plans?
BLANCAh: “Right now I’m all about finishing my new album, which should happen by June so it can be mastered. I expect to have it in hands by the end of the year.”
WWD: You’re a complete artist and you have an active artistic life outside music, having you yourself designed some of Steyoyoke’s covers, made some outstanding illustrations and fine artworks in general. Can you tell us about this alternative artistic side of yours?
BLANCAh: “Well, I come from the visual arts and all of my references are human and artistic. To me it is something extremily natural to think beyond music. I live with images and ideas in my head and whenever I can, I try to celebrate this marriage between sound and image. So it’s not an alternative side, it’s just the whole me because I belong to the arts.”
WWD: You also sing very well and you produce vocals to your own tracks. Have you ever taken any singing lessons? Have you always loved doing it?
BLANCAh: “I even took some… But I don’t consider myself a good singer. I’m actually ashamed to sing. I don’t think my voice is pretty but I use it as it was just another instrument because it’s nothing but another way to express myself. Yes, I’ve always loved doing it but I think I’m more like a bathroom singer than stage singer myself Hahaha.”
WWD: What do you consider to be the toughest challenge that DJ/Producer career puts you through?
BLANCAh: “Finding really honest and professional people. Unfortunately it’s not that easy and you often run into amateurs pretending to be professionals in every way.”
WWD: When you’re not producing, performing or busy with music stuff, what do you like to do?
BLANCAh: “I can’t tell. Actually, since 2012 I don’t do anything but locking myself in the studio, day and night. I basically go out to perform or to honor another artist. My friends often drop by my place for a happy hour, but they all know after 5 minutes I’m gonna be back in my studio so they just drink and interact by the living room while I’m there… I’m afraid I’m going to end up in a musical cave at the top of a lonely montain Hahaha.”
WWD: What are your next big dates? Where can fans expect to find you?
BLANCAh: “Well I have a full schedule ahead, with gigs ranging from capital cities to the interior side of Brazil until june and in July I’ll be departing for another US tour. All of my tourdates are posted on my social media so you can follow me and check my calendar there.”
Words by Gabriel Gonzalez
Connect with BLANCAh: facebook.com/blancahmusic