CABARET ELETRÔNICO

Revista Afro - O Universo Negro Online

2011-02-08T13:30:00.000+01:00

Black Berlin's Teaser

2010-04-19T20:14:00.003+02:00

Black Berlin ("Black Berlim") - Teaser from Sabrina Fidalgo on Vimeo.

Teaser of my short film "Black Berlin" ("Black Berlim") whose premiére in Rio de Janeiro will take place at Caixa Cultural during the festival "Espelho Atlântico Mostra Cinematogéafica" on 15th May. See you there!

HIMIKO KIKUCHI - WHAT'S BABY SINGIN'(1980)

2010-01-11T22:04:00.012+01:00

Compilation Glücklich IV (Compost Records)

And time goes by... It's been a long time, more precisely 10 years now since German label Compost Records released the fourth volume of its back them most famous compilation's series called GLÜCKLICH ("happiness" in English). In this volume they kept the original concept of compiling old and new Brazilian tunes (it was the beginning of the 2000's, the peak of the so called "Brazilian Electronica" which became a top-trendy in Europe) but them they made it differently: this time there was no "original" Brazilian stuff since the concept was to make a kind of tribute to Brazilian music made by foreigners artists from all over the world with songs chosen by German producer and DJ Rainer Tr ü by from suberb Trüby Trio. Among some lush jazzy grooves, reasonable "white sambas" and others very cool tunes one was a little treasure; the super gem "What's Baby Singin'" by Japanese Keyboardist Himiko Kikuchi.

Himiko Kikuchi

I remember exatctly the first time ever I've listened to this song; it was about 9 years ago and until nowadays it is still playing often on my mind. The song, a sophisticated, magic, childish, lovely and melodic soft jazz-bossa, which begins and ends with baby noises and is beautifully sung with no lyrics by Asami Matsumoto's sweet voice is just unforgettable. Although there is nothing really special on it, it has it all. A kind of song which catches you since the first time and bring us back to some obscure and nostalgic tunnel of time. "What's Baby Singin' " was already vintage when "Glücklich IV" was released. The song was originally released by Continental Records on Himiko Kikuchi's album "Don't Be Stupid" from 1980 (!). The album itself was released in Japan only and Himiko - a Japanese power-girl - was big in Japan back them by playing and composing Brazilian Music and strangely it seems she has never enjoyed any international success. Too bad there never been so many information about her on internet but last but no least her albums are still available on Ebays and Amazons as well compilation "Glücklich IV", which now is, indeed, a true vintage peace.

ANTICHRIST

2009-10-22T05:26:00.004+02:00

In this post- Rio Int'l Film Festival week I went to the cinema with Renato, something that became into a habit in our lives since we were 7 years of age. We saw the newest film by Lars Von Trier ANTICHRIST. Renato had already seen it and had strongly insisted that I also must see the controversal film of the Danish director, founder of the Dogma 95. Like Almodóvar and Tarantino everytime a film by Von Trier comes out I run to the movie theater. This time was not so. ANTICHRIST debuted in Rio in August and only two months after I checked it out. The rush, the stress and tribulations of life not always allow a film screening to be placed in the foreground, even for those whom are on movies. Anyway, I saw the film provided with enough surface information about it and in the nexts 1 hour and 40 minutes I was continuously shocked. While I watched the film I had moments of abyssal disgust , some even to rebel in some scenes and gave serious thought to the possibility to run out to the exit door of the room 2 of Estação Botafogo Theater, what surely would not be the best option. However I got to survive the most difficult moments and, resigned, I experienced the excruciating experience of seeing an artist displaying his particular issue and explicitly shocking. All I saw is still being worked out and computed in my mind and soul, but only now I am able to make some points about that incredible odyssey. Antichrist is not only L ars Von Trier's best film , aesthetically speaking, but a film that drinks a lot in Freud, in a certain Scandinavian mythology and North paganism. Written and filmed at the height of Von Trier's outbreak of depressive, the film shows what the psychic pain is quite striking. Charlotte Gainsbourg forms of the desperation that Von Trier wanted to communicate to the world. Who calls the director of misogynist did not understand that Lars is put a woman on the side of nature (internal and external) that can not be tamed by rationality, represented by man, the psychoanalyst husband in this case. Thus, the Antichrist is the forest, the territory of the fears, the unconscious reservoir of drives not tamed by civilization. We must not forget that the forest also is us, it is out, as a projection of inner fears, and she's in, what can not be named. A true treatise on the horrors and pains of the psyche, in my opinion. In a dialogue between husband psychoanalyst (Willem Dafoe) and his wife writer (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the therapist says the woman who walks with strange dreams. She replies: "The dream no longer of interest to modern psychology. Freud is dead, right?" Maybe that is for most audiences, but certainly not in this film by Lars Von Trier.

Sónar 2006 - Special Report

2009-07-15T02:34:00.007+02:00

Sónar 2006 - Special Report
Written, directed and produced by Sabrina Fidalgo
With: Señor Coconut, Groove Armada, Argenis Brito
and Gustavo Soriano (Arttodestruction).
Executive Producer: Massimo Mazzoleni.
Photography: Hernán Vilchez.
Edition: Norbert "Nobit" Küpper.
Production: Clubbity.com

Sónar 2006 - Special Report was an internet short documentary project that just came out a bit before Youtube's blast. It was produced by British webzine Clubbity, which used to be a very nice site for Nujazz and electronic music lovers. It was pretty fun spending this time around in Barcelona shooting Sónar, interviewing great musicians and artists, meeting new people and (re)meeting old friends from one of my favorite cities in the world. After a long time off line here it is again and now through VIMEO. Hope you, my three readers, enjoy it. (-;

Sonar 2006 - Special Report from Sabrina Fidalgo on Vimeo.

Michael Jackson - The King of Pop (1958 -2009)

2009-07-04T04:14:00.010+02:00

Michael Jackson was many in one. From the super cute little black kid from Jackson Five until the lovely, polemic, excentric and recluse light skinned King of Pop and the biggest music icon from nowadays. But my favorite Michael Jackson was the one from the very beginning of 1980s (post-"Off The Wall" and very early "Thriller" start). Altough I was a baby at that time Michael Jackson was my first love. Serious. I thought I would marry him when I would become an adult. I had a big crush on him indeed, which lasts years (I guess until the "Bad" era). For that reason I have posted pictures of him from this period only, which at least for me, eternalized himself in his best moment in life; such musicaly as well physically speaking. Thriller was so popular back then that the album was on the top ten for at least four consecutive years.

A Night at the Nazi Mansion? - ADIDAS Originals Party in Rio

2009-05-25T05:41:00.021+02:00

It seems german label Adidas has hosted a very strange party which took part last Friday night, 23th May, at a mansion decorated with "Nazis works of art" in... Rio de Janeiro! It could be a bad taste joke but unfortunately it isn't. Local producers seems to have rented the "wrong" place to promote an international Adidas Originals Party action (for V.I.Ps only). According to the blog of Brazilian writer João Paulo Cuenca, who was one of the party guests, the house had a swimming pool with tiles decorated with swastikas, as you can see in the pictures - the pics were made by himself and by poet and author Michel Melamed. Moreover, he says, one of the bars of the house had a poster with the inscription "Kriegsmarine Hamburg", which was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime. To complete, in one of the rooms, there was a table designed with the image, probably of a Nazi military. After realized the "horror" of the mansion's decoration the two upset guests leave the place. But before they have photographed those "strange objects" and immediately published the images in their own blogs. But it seems other guests did not care so much for the presence of Nazi objects at the mansion and continued having fun.

The most bizarre fact of this scary history was the neglect of the production to rent a "haunted house" just to organize a party of a German brand. By the way: Adidas already apologized and put the blame on the party producers/promoters and also gave the name of the owner of the mansion.

And even worst is the fact that some guests have accused Cuenca and Melamed of being "troublemakers" by spreading the pictures of the objects from the mansion out. Some of them even wondered at Cuenca's blog: "What's so wrong with swastikas designed tiles in a swimming pool? Who cares?"

Shame, shame, shame, shame on you!

Updating: German newspaper Die Tageszeitung, from Berlin, has published a comprehensive article about the case, namely Feiern zwischen Hakenkreuzen.

La Concejela Antropófoga

2009-05-02T04:25:00.013+02:00

Short film La Concejela Antropófoga by Pedro Almodóvar

First post of the year! It's been a long time since I've written something here, but I definitively didn't give up (yet) of this (post?) modern habit, I mean blogging. During the last months I've been working hard, among troubles, delays and (of course) some joy but my mind was somehow aways turned to the subject of what I'm going to write on my blog next. Finally I find some little time and the right inspiration to sit down and share some worthy deluxe garbage with my three readers. But in this case the topic hasn't nothing to do with "garbage". I'm going to talk about a little treasure I've just found today (thanks to João Carvalho, one of my most almodovarians friends in all senses). During a phone call between us I've described my currently state of mind like a laberinto de pasiones (labiryth of passions) in allusion to Pedro Almodóvar's second lenght film. And of course it turned into a very nice conversation about the Spaniard director and his marvelous filmography. Then João told me about a short film produced by El Deseo (Almodóvar's film company) and we exchange some nice Youtube links. I've sent him one of my favorites Laberinto de Pasiones scenes and I was absolutely sure that nothing could overcome the acid humor of those old and anthological scenes back in the 80's (during that great times of the Movida Madrileña). But then I was wrong. When I've checked "La Concejela Antropófoga" (The Cannibalistic Councilwoman) I had to agree with João that our favorite director had overcome even himself. First of all "La Concejela Antropófoga" was made just after Almodóvar finished the last shootings of his forthcoming film Los Abrazos Rotos starred by Penélope Cruz. He had the insight to write a monologue for great spanish actress Carmen Machi who just had a small role in "Abrazos". In the last shooting night Almodóvar took advantage of the set and crew from "Abrazos" to film a short film starred by Carmen Machi (as the same character in " Los Abrazos Rotos") in a totally other history . Genius! Then "La Concejela Antropófoga" was born as a little whim of one of the greatest filmmakers of all times, who signed that little masterpiece with the pseudonym of Mateo Blanco (one of the male characters of "Los Abrazos Rotos"). And as I said before the short is a monologue of a councilor of a right party from Madrid who conducts for a friend (who sleeps almost all the time in her colorful kitchen) a passionate defense of sexual "promiscuity", while eats pudding and smells cocaine. Hilarious! Acid , provocative and perverted humor just like Almodóvar's very beginning. It brings us back to the great times of Pepe, Luci, Bom y Otras Chicas del Montón, Laberinto de Pasiones, ¿ Que He Hecho Yo para Merecer Eso? and Entre Tinieblas. Pure ecstasy for the fans of the old and good Patty Diphusa. After all Carmen Machi deserves a lenght film just made for her.

And here an interview with Pedro Almodóvar for Canal + where he talks about "La Concejela Antropófoga".

CIDADE DO FUNK

2008-12-22T05:19:00.000+01:00

Working in progress...

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA - The first black president of the United States of America

2008-11-05T05:11:00.002+01:00

He won!

THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE: The New Mac Book PRO

2008-10-15T17:56:00.003+02:00

I seriously need the new Mac Book Pro right now! This cute little thing has got 1.86GHz plus memory SSD: Price? US$ 2.499.

A Madonna to call mine: FILTH AND WISDOM

2008-10-11T07:31:00.011+02:00

Madonna and her Filth and Wisdom's crew at the film premiere during the last Berlinale

The Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival is gone and me plus hundred of others "hungry" film fans of this town are again back to the normal routine. Among some few surprises of this year's festival I've found Filth and Wisdom an independent film written, directed and produced by... Madonna! Yes, Madonna Ciccone. Of course I firstly thought: " God damn! It might be a flop!". But fortunately I was wrong. I must confess I am a really big Madonna's fan, but her blond ambition can sometimes cause a kind of rejection since people aren't use to face with so much high levels of self-confidence. And obviously it can bothered most of frustrated guys around even whether they secretly liked the film. Madonna is the antipode of frustration. Losers, bitters and frustrated at all should keep distance from her and specially from this film since it must be hard to them to conclude that:

1 . She is highly talented in many ways.
2. She knows how to tell a history.
3. She knows direct actors very well.
4. She made a very good film.
5. She is corageous.
6. The woman is in fact a genius.

I'm not saying 'Filth and Wisdom' is a masterpiece or so. It isn't indeed. But it is a kind of film I would watch over and over again with a little smile in my face. And that's enough for me.

Someone who puts a band like Gogol Bordello in a film knows it all, right?

P.S: If you happen to be in Rio in October don't miss Gogol Bordello's performance at the next Tim Festival!

My new fav cult-movie: SHORTBUS

2008-10-07T05:49:00.007+02:00

John Cameron Mitchell's second feature film: Shortbus

I know I am one year later but the point is that only yesterday I went to the movie theater to watch Shortbus. My friend Marcelo told me a lot about this movie and had explained me about the explicit sex scenes on it. Well in fact this is nothing new since Catherine Breillat's Romance came out late in the 90's. Mrs. Breillat put an innocent alike French actress to performer hardcore scenes with pornstar Rocco Siffredi and all I know is that I hated this film from the very beginning til the end when I first saw that. Besides that Lars Von Trier has also put real actors "doing" each other in Dogme 95's film The Idiots . Sounds like if anyone intends to be the newest provocateur filmmaker just need to include some professional actors doing some hardcore sex scenes in front of the camera plus a nonsense storyline, right? No. John Cameron Mitchell went further in Shortbus; he's put some actors together with non professionals new faces , created the most unbelievable and creative sex scenes ever imagined, mixed it all with some great dialogues, lot's of astonish music, a vaudeville atmosphere with lot's of seriously interesting characters, a beautiful photography and a huge and tolerant heart on it. And the explicit sex? I would say they work as (art?) pictures. All in all it is an impressive and amazing picture of an era. I still wonder how could I have missed this little masterpiece for one year...

Pre-Paid Love : Cinderelas, Lobos e Um Principe Encantado

2008-09-29T19:11:00.014+02:00

Poster of Joel Zito Araújo's newest documentary

Yesterday I've been at Cine Odeon to watch the first national screening of Joel Zito Araújo's newest documentary "Cinderelas, Lobos e Um Principe Encantado" ("Cinderellas, Wolves, and One Prince Charmed") at Festival do Rio, whose theme is the huge and scary Brazilian sex industry, which also involves pedophilia and traffic of human beings. Joel Zito Araújo is nowadays one of the greatest Brazilian directors and also an amazing thinker. Professor at the Universidade de São Paulo his works aways have got a social and politic glance to controversial subjects, specially those related to racism and poverty. This time hasn't been different. "Cinderelas" is a kind of film which should be watched without prejudice and at same time with distancing. By talking about sex tourism and its exploration such in Brazil (Northeastern cities like Salvador and Recife, two of the biggest nerve centres of sex tourism in Brazil) and as well in Europe (Rome and Berlin), Joel Zito got to get sincere, sad, tragic and funny testimonials such of some lost low class European tourists serching for the perfect "bitch", as well of poor young Brazilian girls trying to find some immediate solution for their own (financial/moral) whole life misery, among others. But he's been crossing borders as well; right there, where some got to get beyond the sunny sex market of Brazilian Northeastern beaches. In Berlin he talked to some "characters" like: couples whom met at such circumstances, a young and pretty lady from Bahia totally disappointed with the lack of "sexual interest" of her husband and a German guy who claims to be a "big fan" of Brazilian women, and whose big apartment is fulfilled with young and "sexy" Brazilian ladies he calls as "friends". "Cinderela" is a very interesting study about sexuality, poverty, degradation, illusions and make us wonder, in many ways, about the difference between interest and necessity. It is also about the (still) very post-colonial view of latin women as a sexual object, who suppost to be aways sexually available in a very cheap way. This very stereotiped view embodies the stigma of the "civilized" and the "savage". Joel Zito's documentary shows us that those roles - "civilized" and "savage" - are in many situations completely and wrongly reversed.

Rio de Janeiro International Filmfestival
"Cinderelas, Lobos & Um Principe Encantado"
Last Screening
Thusday, 30th September
Estação Vivo Gávea (Shopping da Gávea)
1:30 PM - 10:30 PM

The Gay Gum

2008-08-06T20:02:00.006+02:00

In Sévaly blog I`ve found a post about this increadible Gay Gum , which is worth to take a look at (as well in Portuguese only). Gay Gum is produced in New York City by company Blue Q and has other variations with unbelievable names like: “I’m so wasted gum”, “Let’s pretend I give a shit gum”, “Could you be a bigger bitch gum" and the amazing “Every time you masturbate, God kills a kitten gum“.

The Italian Vogue Effect

2008-08-05T02:43:00.012+02:00

Korean and Japanese edition of Vogue magazine unusually bring Asiatic faces on its pages, but last but not least, it seems historical July issue of Vogue Italia featuring only black models had some effect in the Orient as well. Despite of that Asiatic models (!) are illustrating an editorial inspired by American TV serie Gossip Girl. It's unbelievable but the Eurocentrism of the fashion industry is also top there. You can read and see more of Korean Vogue on my favorite fashion blog Cajon Desastre. Unfortunately in Portuguese only.

Panis et Circense (?)

2008-08-04T23:35:00.011+02:00

Senator Barack Obama and his 200.000 "Obametes" in Berlin.

It is notorious that American democratic presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama is a great speaker who's got huge charisma, charm and charateristics of leadership. He apparently is one of the most well intentioned American politicians who has emerged since years indeed. And not forgetting to mention the fact he is already globalized by birth; son of a white American girl with a Quenian guy, and half-brother of an Indonesian girl. All of that makes me think that the future can be a better place to stay. And yes, if I was American I would vote on him for those and other reasons. But his first international speech in front of the Siegessaeule at the Grosser Stern in Tiergarten, Berlin, last July 24 addressed to over 200.000 people - his largest speech ever - made me wonder. Obama used this opportunity to increase his electorial campaign in the States. What a great marketing campaign! And if I was Obama I would do the same. But after the first moment of "frenesi" concerning this increadible event and by living in Germany since seven year - what gives me a bit authority to ask the following questions - I still kept wondering; Are the germans (and obviously the others tons of foreigners presents at the venue) really so into the American elections? Or were they so fascinated by the physical presence of this man (or mythos) only? Do they really have the need of a great rhetorical of the spectacle? Or do they have the need of a spectacle of the rhetoric? Questions.

Back to Black?: Italian Vogue - A Black Issue

2008-07-17T05:12:00.032+02:00

The four different covers of italian Vogue - Black Issue photographed by Steven Meisel.
(From Left to Right: Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Naomi Campbell)

Blackface by Steven Meisel: Is blackface on a black face still blackface?

Naomi Campbell by Steven Meisel

Tyra Banks by Steven Meisel.

Toccara Jones the super (normal?) sized model from American's Next Top Model by Steven Meisel

Toccara Jones looking like Pam Grier

Yasmin Warsame by Steven Meisel.

(Not Tyra!)

Yasmin again!

More here!

Italian Vogue magazine is considered the most trendsetter and independent of all magazine editions since decades, working as a trend forecasting for the whole fashion industry in the four corners of the world. This month came out a historic issue of the so callled "fashion bible" namely A Black Issue which fills about 100 pages of the magazine with gorgeous pictures accompanied by features on black women in the arts and entertainment photographed by star fashion photographer Steven Meisel - who worked with Madonna on her controversial book Sex - and also makeup by fabulous artist Pat McGrath. This issue intends to cause a relatively big revolution in the fashion industry and pop culture. Some american friends of mine said it sounds too nonsense nowadays but we need to understand that to Americans this may be offensive. Italy today is 1950s America since they are completely ethnocentric - and not forgetting the fact they have Berlusconi in the power, which makes this "Black Issue" a real giant step forward not only in Italy but in Europe at all. Well, the July issue of Vogue Italia - from front cover until back cover- has only black female beauties on it. Almost. After the pull-out cover featuring four striking close ups (Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Naomi Campbell), the next thirteen pages of ads — for Valentino, Prada, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Dior — hironically all feature white faces only. From this point we can have a real idea of the absurd of the racial issues in the fashion industry. It can sound quite cynical to be truth and to be take seriously but it is sadly truth, and it must be take seriously for only one reason: the almost completely "white hegemony" and Eurocentrism of the fashion industry worldwide. It's hard to believe but there are lot's of talking heads speaking about racism and prejudice towards "non-white" models. In Brazil it is notorious since aways. The so called "melting pot's land" and "pseudo racial diversity dream" is indeed one of the most racists countries specially in the fashion and media issues. The "colonized" inferiority complex is not gone in the country that insists to show a more Western/Eastern European face as possible in its magazines, soap-operas, films and ad campaigns. As more white, better, seems to say some Brazilian fashionistas if we watch the runaways of fashion shows at São Paulo or Rio Fashion Week. And the worst thing about it is that Brazilian fashion designers, journalists, producers, model agents and bookers just work in a kind of "copy-paste" of the European and American market. They seem to have any conscious that we live in a heavily racialy diversified enviroment. It's like that lyric's line of an old and beautiful George Michael's ballad Cowboys and Angels; "monkey see and monkey do, their wish is your command." And so it is. They see and they do exactly the same the rich Western does. But sadly it not only happens in Brazil. The same racial barrier is still alive in other Latin America countries as well in India, Japan, Thailand and even in Europe and USA. Post-colonialism inheritance? I think so. The idea of wealth and beauty still remains the Caucasians from the Imperialism era. The non-white are the poorst and the ugliest unconsciously. I remember when I was in Thailand about 5-6 years ago and some Thai people said to me that they didn't like their image. They wish they would look "lighter skinned", taller and thiner. And in the Thai media, fashion magazines and so on thre were only more European alike Asiatic faces that have nothing to do with the native Thais. This padronized Western/Eastern Europe beauty with all those pales, skinny and quite childish alike models seems to have pissed off Italian Vogue's editor Franca Sozzani. One source of inspiration for this issue was actually the phenomenon of the Barack Obama campaign. In the spirit of "change" Franca Sozzani and photographer Steven Meisel, were ready to go out on a limb. Meisel says of the shoot, “I thought, it’s ridiculous, this discrimination... It’s so crazy to live in such a narrow, narrow place. Age, weight, sexuality, race — every kind of prejudice.” Italian Vogue editor says of her publication, “Mine is not a magazine that can be accused of not using black girls”. I've found lot' s of impressive articles about Italian Vogue's black issue at The Independent and Timesonline. At Facebook there is a big campaign to improve the selling of Italian Vogue. The idea is to combat the pessimists forecasts of major magazine distributors across Europe, whom have said that they expect the Italian Vogue magazine that feature all black models to be the worst selling edition ever. I bet it won't.

And here an interview with italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani about the Black Issue published in the New York Times. By Cathy Horyn

Q: So how did the black issue come about?

A: I was in New York in early February for the shows. I always notice the black girls in the streets in New York, more than I would in Milan. And it was also the time of the primaries, Super Tuesday. I’m interested in Obama. In the beginning Steven and I were talking about three or four stories, and then it became the entire issue. Steven really tried to reach all the girls who were around—Pat Cleveland, Iman, Naomi, the young girls, like Liya and Alek Wek. We also went back to the pictures that were used in the past of the black models and performers, like Tina Turner.

Q: Diversity on the runways has been the subject of a lot of media attention.

A: We asked Robin Givhan [of The Washington Post] to write a piece. She did a good story. She said that what we were doing was great but—what will happen next month? Will everything go back to where it was before, with all-white models? I think she was right to ask that. I hope the issue will be something that can change things. Anyway, people will talk about it, for sure. Like or dislike, it will be a controversial issue. I think it’s good to keep that tension and focus on this subject.

Q: Everybody complains about the models today, the sameness, the blank faces.

A: Nowadays, at the shows, I turn to my editors and say, ‘What’s the name of the girl, what’s her name?’ I really cannot recognize one from the other. The models in the past, like Linda and Naomi, were immediately recognizable. They had a lot of personality. These new girls have nothing. You can paint everything on their faces in a way because they have no expression. And the girls we used to see on the runway were very elegant. Liya is elegant. To me, she walks like a princess. Now the girls all look the same—from the first to the last.

The problem is partly with the modeling agencies. They have a lot of white girls—it’s easier. To find black girls takes more time. It’s a problem of research and talent, to find the right girls. We’re a little bit back to a period in the 70s, when you didn’t remember the name of a single model. They were not girls making an interpretation of the clothes, the way Linda did. They were just models. In the beginning of the 90s, those models were really celebrities—Christy, Naomi, Cindy, Stephanie.

Q: It’s the follow-the-leader mentality. And it winds up being such a narrow view of the world.

A: When you see the black issue and all the pictures, you realize that these girls in a way have to work much harder than other models. They are more in touch with their own personalities—they’re not simply models in front of a camera. They really try to get the tension.

Q: Do you think the issue will have an impact?

A: Yes, I think it will. I noticed the June issue of French Vogue had a split cover with a black model and white model, though there’s nothing inside.

Q: It’s interesting that you mentioned Obama…

A: Here in Italy, everybody is crazy about Obama, even people who never talk about American politics. It’s the new way to see a country where something can always happen. It’s a young country and modern. The feeling is similar to the Kennedys, but 50 years later. Ultimately, it’s not about race.

Q: It’s strange to be talking about racial diversity today in fashion. We should be further along. Is there a risk the fashion world will just see it as something trendy?

A: It could happen, and it would be a pity. Because, you know, it’s easier to do a normal issue. Paolo Roversi does a story, Craig McDean does another, and Steven Meisel another… I would feel very disappointed if this is only a nice moment. We should go forward.

Q: I suppose an all-black issue is something an American magazine might naturally or logically have done, more so than an Italian magazine.

A: In a way, it’s one of those stupid ideas that when everyone sees it, they think, Oh, I should have done that. [Sozzani laughs] It was so easy.

Q: What the black issue a political gesture?

A: I didn’t feel it was a political gesture. Maybe it was political in that when I see all these girls who look alike in a fashion show, they really annoy me. We need to see beautiful clothes on beautiful women.

Read Cathy Horyn’s article “Conspicuous by Their Presence” on the July issue of Italian Vogue.

Goodbye, "Pitti".

2008-06-20T18:38:00.017+02:00

Portrait of Adriana "Pitti" Pittigliani published by german magazine Neon.

My dearest friend Adriana Pittigliani has passed away this morning at the age of 46. Unfortunately she didn't get to win the war against cancer. "Pitti", as she was known among her friends, was one of the most influentials and creatives Brazilian photographers since late 80's and during the whole 90's, taking great pictures of over 200 hundred magazine covers like Sui Generis (the first gay oriented Brazilian magazine), over 300 hundred Cd's covers of many of the greatest names of MPB ("Música Popular Brasileira") , books, and so on. Genial and visionary she gave up of her very well established career at the age of 44 to become the brain and the heart of CARIOCA FUNK CLUBE, a multimidia project created to spread out Funk Carioca to the world and support its artists. One of them, Sany Pitbull, became the biggest name of CFC and his work together with Pitti came into an increadible symbiosis, which took Sany and his magic MPC to four big european tours in only a year and a half (!!!), among other things. Crazy, supportive, talkative and smart, "Pitti", with her unforgettable Aristotle's Rhetoric, was generous enough to introduce, connect, communicate and help lot's of people to her "Knowledgeland" by sharing ideas, ways and new conceptions about the present and the future of the Funk Carioca movement. She believed and supported my documentary "City of Funk" since the very beginning of the project, opening doors and showing me new possibilities about this theme. Now Pitti is gone, but her passion, vision and big heart will be forever alive in our hearts. Rest in peace, my lovely friend. Respect!

More of "Pitti":

Pitti + Pitibull: Adriana and Sany, Rio de Janeiro, 2007.

Sabrina Fidalgo by Adriana Pittigliani, Berlin, 2006.

GRACE is 60!

2008-05-25T22:29:00.014+02:00

Ok, I am a bit late, I guess about one week or so. Btw Grace Jones turned 60 last week. So what? Just need to look to the picture above. She (still) is the owner of one of the most exceptionals and spectaculars bodies that the humanity ever had the chance to see. ALSO she is one of the most influential artists of our era. WHY? That woman was a TOP MODEL in the most truth sense of what this word can mean. She made it in the seventies and at that time she also recorded some VERY NICE disco albums of all times.

For example:

PORTFOLIO (1977), MUSE (1978) and FAME (1979).Three must have albums of any disco fan and music lovers. My fave are: "That's the the trouble", "La Vie en Rose" and "I need a man" (from "Portfolio"). Three disco classics with that Saulsoul Orchestra sound-alike (not even sure if they ever produced some of her tunes) and of course the cover of Édith Piaf's anthem, which became in Jone's contralto voice a definitive masterpiece.

PORTFOLIO's front cover

PORTFOLIO's back cover

She ALSO was Andy Wahrol's muse and in the eighties together with french husband Jean Paul Goude, who was ONLY one of the most creatives graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and advertising film directors at that time. Together they worked in Grace's several new wave phase videos like the classic of the classics SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM. This is one of the most intriguings and amazing videos EVER made and also a masterpiece of Pop Art. I remember vaguely of some images when it came out in 1984 and I was pretty impressed and somehow scared by everything I've seem. Well I took a look at it again nowadays and I just could be sorrow for myself for not have had the chance to appreciate it at the right time and at the right age when it has appeared. But btw it is still a timeless blast from any other dimension but not from this planet. Take a look at and make your own conclusions:

And what about this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Citröen ad (parts of this were included on "Slave to the rythm's" video) with an outrageous Grace also made by Goude:

I could write millions lines here about Grace Jones work as fashion icon, performer, actress, model, singer, muse, unique personality and so on. A bit underrated, I think she represents everything any Madonna, Gisele Bündchen or Beyoncé wished to be when they grow up.

Happy B-day!

Smells Like Teen Spirit

2008-05-25T21:48:00.005+02:00

See with your own eyes, baby!

Mama was right, and I'm proud to have been a good girl!

Beautiful Berlin and 3 Angels for Charlie.

2008-05-25T20:37:00.006+02:00

So I'm back to Berlin since exactly 2 weeks. It seems there is some strong vibration here which prevents me to definitively change the date of my flight ticket back to Rio. I actually changed it 3 times already and I feel really sad to have to leave sunny Berlin with its tons of unique peoples from all over the world riding happy their bikes on the streets as nothing else would matter. And also there are some aphrodisiac atmosphere here, which makes the german capital even more interesting specially when the sun is shinning. And, well, three angels will live without Charlie this summer, unfortunately. ): But life goes on still under the line of the Ecuador and Charlie will be back soon!

Loneless Descontrol -Dancing with myself Vol.2 - The final

2008-03-15T16:09:00.011+01:00

After the flash-bipolar-crise wich lasts 2 seconds during the conversation I felt better for a while. The boyfriend#1 of my girlfriend, as I said before, is a pain in the ass, a troglodyte, a roude hillbilly. Well btw she introduced me the boyfriend#2 who was present in the venue we met up. A somehow attractive and shy guy who was the master of ceremony of the night. My girlfriend was sickly jealous about a french girl who insited to be too much nice, too much talkative and too much close to her boyfriend#2. And the girl was indeed too arrogant and somehow irritating by the approach. My girlfriend with two boyfriends didn't want to show off her tremendous jealousy towards the french girl publicly , so the french girl keeped trying to conquer the boyfriend#2 of my girlfreind with two boyfriends and the boyfriend#2 was acting as if he was COMPLITELY single ALL NIGHT LONG. I mean he was deeply interested to listen to the "oh-la-las" and didn't talk to my girlfriend with two boyfriends anytime! And meanwhile my girlfriend was seriously annoyed she explained me about her very big dilemma in life regarding her jealousy about the french chick and how complicated it is to manage two boyfriends. She told me for example that the boyfriend#2 was not that sex machine the boyfriend #1 used to be althoug his rudness, but that on the other side he was a gentleman, a good character and a fine person. At that point I thought with myself: "But I would love to have a nice, tall, handsome, charming and clever boyfriend by my side but I WOULDN'T like to have two boyfriends that d'ont trat me well nor respect me. So at that point I also understood that to be a bitch with myself would be the worst way to comabt my own loneless. And at that point I also felt I was a shinning human being (yes!) since I was indeed not alone but dancing with myself. And I was enjoying it. And I was happy.

Loneless Descontrol - To 'bitch' or not to 'bitch' ? vol. 1

2008-03-15T04:22:00.009+01:00

Yesterday I met a friend of mine. She is a very pretty, sexy, exotic (in a positive way), modern, fashion and creative human being. If I was a man or even if I was a lesbic I would have a big crush on her, I must confess. She is a real IT GIRL. We are the same age actually, end of 20ies. She has two (yes! I said TWO) boyfriends at the moment. When you are in a totally stressed and career oriented phase and has NO time nor patience to find a Mr. Right right now it hurts to know people have even TWO of them. Well she was complening about the fact that the boyfriend#1 althoug sexy, tall and hot, is a real pain in the ass and a hillbilly. She said the guy says sweet things like : "you're a gold pussy" Translating he means she is a formidable, beautiful and very charismatic person. But of course if a guy says such a stupid thing to a girl he deserves to be left immediataly. At least I would feel very offended by hear such rudness like that. And that's what this girlfriend of mine felt when her boyfriend#1 "tryed" to be cute. Well I'm just telling this story because I want to point out some strange and extreme change of feelings we women can have in just some minutes during a conversation PLUS even changing life philosophy and political views so quickly when we realise that we ARE NOT so lonely and blue as we thought we were at the beginning of the conversation. (I say WE because I'm almost sure that I am not the only girl in this entire solar system who has experienced this bipolar reactions, even not being a bipolar, in a only 10 minuites small-talk) just because we miss, just a little bit, a TALL, TANNED, YOUNG, INTELLIGENT, SEXY, FUNNY AND LOVELY guy by our side. But it's o.k, it's alright and life goes on. Well cotinuing. When she first told me she had TWO BOYFRIENDS I felt like an envious bitch immediatelly and at same time the most miserable woman in this ENTIRE world, if you know what I mean. I thought: "God, how unfair is this universe! She has 2 and I have NOTHING!" And then immediataly my bitch-female side started to compare all sort of sordid details between us in one second only, like: hips size, boobs size, mouth size, hair size, clouth size, shoes size, eyes size, hairdo size, nails size and so on. Because when women turn envious and ALL OF THEM CAN TURN ENVIOUS AT LEAST ONCE IN LIFE (And I admit it was my first time, I SWEAR!) they can only see the world I mean THE OTHER WOMAN in size and numbers.

How to avoid "spongers" or "borrowers"?

2008-03-15T04:06:00.004+01:00

There is this kind of people who never feels ashamed by asking you for favours more and more and more. This kind of people or at lest a very specific kind of them use to act in a very cute, "innocent", lovely and nice way at the first sight but after a while...

SANY PITBULL IN EUROPE

2008-03-14T21:18:00.007+01:00

Long time no write. Well I was quite busy lately and moving back to Brazil temporarily, so I couldn't write here as I used to do. But now I'm back and pretty happy to post these news (again) about a big friend of mine and the inspiration of my documentary: MAESTRO SANY PITBULL

Above you can see the leatest international news concerning his european tour. It's an article published today in the finnish newspaper NYT-LIITE regarding his appearence tonight in Helsink at the club REDRUM, whose party is promoted by Timo Santala.

Sany, who is a resident Dj at favela Cantagalo in Rio de Janeiro, is since 7h March in Europe for the third time. And this time he starterd the tour performing at one of the biggest and well-known clubs in London, the famous Fabric. Here you can see what my friend Sany made with "We are your friends" of Justice in a live-remix with his MPC during the set at Fabric:

SICK!!!!!

And if you happen to be in one of those european cities, d'ont miss the chance to see him.
Check out his tour schedule here:

Auf der anderen Seite

2007-09-27T15:16:00.001+02:00

The eternal Fassbinder´s muse Hannah Schygulla and Nurgül Yeşilçay in action.

Yesterday I watched Auf der anderen Seite (On the other side) the newest film of german-turkish director Fatih Akin, whose script, written by himself, was awawred at last Cannes Festival."Auf der anderen Seite" is a mosaic about death, indentity and search. Two deaths separete and join two people from the same country but with different backgrounds: a young german-turkish germanistic professor, who loses his "supposed to be" turkish mother in law in Germany, and a german woman, who loses her dauther in Turkey. Both losts are linked throught a coincidental tragedy: The mother in law of the professor was killed by his father and the daugher of the german woman died (indirectly) because of the daugther of the mother in law of the german-turkish professor. In that way Akin´s film cross the bridge between Germany and Turkey, west and orient, life and death, meetings and goodbyes. By watching six different life´s stories crossing themselves on the silvercreen it´s not difficult to think about Babel, another mosaic-mor film of Alejandro González Iñárritu.What makes the difference between Akin and Gonzaléz is that the first one was clever by showing, or better, exposing his own culture with much more property and without self-pity and inferiority complex concerning the socio-political relevance of his "brothers and sisters" compared to the west culture. Akin doesn´t need to show clichés of the turkies in Germany, just in the way that the prejudicers would love to see. On the contrary Gonzaléz prefered to show his people just in the way that american hipocritals would love to see: as victims of their own situation and existence, as "good foregners" that need to prove that they are obedients and good-hearteds. And that´s all. Akin scapes from clichés and goes far beyond of this contemplative view of himself and his people. He shows the truth and doesn´t worry about the fact that he can stand more Germany or Turkey, because he stands in human beings. And that´s "Auf der anderen Seite" is about. It´s about the missing of a little bit humanity. And of course everything gets much, much bettter when we are faced with a huge human being like Hannah Schygulla greving at a hotel apartment in Istanbul by her daugther´s death...

The Tired Hedonistics

2007-08-14T16:18:00.001+02:00

Amy Winehouse went to Rehab, I mean she is hiding out in a five star hotel in London in order to get some rest of a drug overdose. Overdose?!?! I don´t know but it sounds sooo 1968... Why someone who is talented, has success and the possibility to use it to spread out messages for a better world prefers to spend three days taking ecstasy, cocaine and heroine among other things? O.k I´m not that conservative, and everybody knows that drugs exists since the beginning of the world. Drugs come from the nature, the native indians used to smoke marijuana to relax, the same with old chineases smoking Opium, etc. But then came the industrialisation and perverted it all. And all these stupids bought the idea. Whatever, back to Amy, in the past the young stars used to have a cause to struggle for. They spent 5, 10 years doing shit jobs, believing in their art, creating concepts untill they got it. They had something to say, they had Political consciousness, they used to read books. When finally a record label agreed to sign them, they were any "marionettes" anymore. Today anyone make a track, put it out on Myspace, strikes poses at bedrooms, makes photos with a cheap digital camera and - uhuu - a superstar is born! No need to read books since the blogs are there for. No need to struggle too much since everything is easier nowadays and it´s somehow "unsexy" and kind of waste of time to struggle for something. Better do the shit as quick as posible, spread it out in Myspace, sign the first contract with some record label, pose for cool pictures at professional studios, let people manipulate them and... yeah,a superstar is born! Even if they have absolutely nothing to say. No matter if the ozon layer is growing up every day, no matter if the next US president still insist to say that US needs to take up another country in the middle east (and obviously kill more innocents there and make some of them into the next future terrorists), no matter if nobody still didn´t find a heal for Aids, no matter if there are tons of people starving far away from Europe and US, no matter if these starving people are dieing because some people use them and divert the funds from ONGS to their swiss privite bank accounts for example, no matter if there are lot´s of people who really have something to say and have not the chance to be listened, no matter if there are people really talented and with something to say besides "i d´ont want to go to rehab" when indeed they need, nothing doesn´t matter. This is not their problens. But if they would knew themselves better at least, we could at least take them seriously! We could listen to their songs and think: "I feel better now" or "now I got it". But how can you feel better nor understand someone who sings "I d´ont want to go rehab" when you read that this person is a self-destructive human being ? If they´d believe in their own lyrics as the hip-hop stars use to do with the ideia of a "glamourous life", we could call them as authentics at least. But in this case it seems is all about a "white trash" way of life, whose clear message is something like: "do what I say, but d´ont do what do." From this perspective and only from this one it all makes sense indeed...

Tarantino, Quentin...

2007-08-14T00:40:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we went to see Death Proof the newest Tarantino´s film. In the States Death Proof was showed together with Robert Rodriguez´s Planet Terror as a double feature under the name Grinhouse. But outside America it was different and the films came out separated. Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorites directors and I remember well the first time I went to the cinema to see his film: Pulp Fiction. It was 1995 and since then all "hype" directors tryed hard to copy Tarantino´s style: long and insane dialogues, swear words, violence combined with some 70´s retro style and music, quick edition, the non-chronological manner to tell stories and so on. Even though I even heard some radical critics about Tarantino´s style (in Germany...) such as "he is any director indeed since he uses to (re)make and collect in his own way the spirit of old and forgotten cult films." (c´mmon, get a life!) Well Andy Wahrol´s work was all about that with his Pop Art, and nowadays his works are sold over millions in art auctions worldwide. Of course Tarantino can sound somehow repetivive in his own manner to expose his characters on the silver screen. But everytime it´s different. Like in Death Proof, for example. We were expacting a kind of Kill Bill 3 or Pulp Fiction 2. Those films were there indeed through the well known nonsense dialogues, some violent scenes, soul train soundtrack and tarantinoesque characthers. But apart from these similarities Death Proof is unique in its own way; when the film starts it seems the image is of a damaged old film of early 70´s. And untill you get something of the story, the film will be already almost in the middle. But it doesn´t matter because this nonsense is really good, that´s the point. And once you get it you shouldn´t even think to stand and walk to the W.C, even if you´d really need. The film catches you. It´s about a girl power film : deranged stuntman who stalks and murders sexy young women with his "death-proof" car and their revenge against the murder. Death Proof is basicaly a man´s film with its stuntman, fast cars, sexy girls... It is way to be the best of Tarantino, whose my favorites are Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill Vol.1. By the way we had lot´s of fun yesterday specially by watching a team of so diversified beauties knocking down Kurt Russel with the backgroundsound Chick Habit!

Nostalgia - Part 1 : Careless Whisper

2007-08-03T20:05:00.000+02:00

You can call me cheesy, but I d´ont give a damn! In my MP3 player list I´m listening nonstop again to the 80´s ultra-sexy-erotic-romantic classic ballad Careless Whisper of George Michael(untill as a second part of the group WHAM!). And yes, I love it! Danny made the most perfect definition of this 1984´s jam.(In this year I was only 5 but I remember vaguely that this song already caused me goose bumps) Well after me + some friends have watched the crap video on Youtube for at least 15th times last night, he (Danny) came along with this brilliant statement (with a huge smile on his face):

" (...) You know Sabrina, when he hits the high notes on the vocals, the track is immortalized forever in spacetime! This video is timeless, infinite, eternal(...) I shall love and cherish it forever and always. Also, the subtle "oooooohs and aaaaahs" and awes in the background make it even more phenomenal and spectacular than it already is. Think angels and blessings of light my brothers and sisters."

I do agree!(:

And here comes this little old treasure my friends:

And we´ve also found an increadible funked up drum´n´bass remix of "Careless Whisper" made by EOTMC from Glasgow (or something like this,I guess):

Apart from the old-fashioned Princess Diana´s hairdo, the two amazing different looks in the same video (short dark hair in the outdoor and light long hair in the studio), the unbelievable look of the two girls togehter and the whole context of the video, among other things, I must confess that G.M looks quite sexy on it and it´s too bad that it is not 1984 anymore and I´m any gay male. (LOL)

Beware: Catholic Mission in Second Life!

2007-07-29T14:00:00.000+02:00

I didn´t get into this Second Life thing since I´m already too busy with my real life and with internet tools like blog, gmail, myspace, skype, msn and so on. (and this is too much already in my opinion). By the way it seems people have nothing better to do than try to find some reason for their boring civilized lives through an artificial one in the cyberspace. In Second Life you can choose a new name, another gender, an avatar (your face in Second Life language)and so on. You can play the God character here and play your own (second) life the way you think it should be, as far as I understood. Whaterver today morning I was reading some news at the BBC Brasil and something catched my attention: the news that Society of Jesuits calls missionaries to Second Life. A Father Antonio Spadaro has written an article about that in the italian jesuit Journal "La Civilta Cattolica", whose contents are approved by the Vatican. Among other things what really impressed me was this sentence:"Deep down, the digital world can be considered, in its way, mission territory," he said. "Second Life is somewhere where the opportunity to meet people and to grow should not be missed, therefore, any initiative that can inspire the residents in a positive way should be considered opportune." I wonder why do the hell these f*#@&* jesuits d´ont sell their own laptops in order to support starving human beings in Africa and Latin America for example? ( No need to say that the poverty and misery of these people is also directly related to the colonialism and inclusively to these jesuits missions, that in God´s name have exterminated and destroyed great civilizations and millions of lives in both continents, isn´t it?)

Funk Carioca rules!

2007-07-28T13:32:00.000+02:00

Two great funk carioca acts have been hittin` some european music festivals lately. One of them is the Favela Funk Mcs which consists of Bani Silva aka Mc Dilan Djam and the 18 years-old talented beauty Natalia aka Aguia Morena. Both come from Rio and live in Munich, Germany. Favela Funk Mcs exists from January 2006 and now they are embracing the world: they gave a great performance at the last "New Attraction Festival" in Groningen, Netherlands, that you can see a bit here:

Their hot live-perfomance will take place again on next September 1st in Berlin during the "Baile Funk Im Kino Babylon" venue. Will post more infos about that soon...

The other act I was talking about was the maestro (he again!) Sany Pitbull and the funk carioca live legend Mc Duda do Borel at the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland. Pori is one of the most respected and famous jazz festivals in Scandinavia. Sany and Duda made 4 (!) gigs in the same festival before leave to Stockholm. Some people said that the performances were increadible good. Here you can see and feel a bit how it must have been there:

Dj Sany Pitbull and Mc Duda do Borel in action.

They drove the finnish audience crazy!

Mc Duda do Borel

Photos taken by: Timo Santala

And what would say some funk carioca oppositors about that? Probably things like: "Funk (Carioca) cannot be considered as "music" (lol), its Mcs are illiterates,whom cannot sing at all and this kind of stupid stuff." So imagine if they would...

Patty Diphusa - La Estrella del Porno

2007-07-26T01:29:00.000+02:00

There are few books I use to read over and over again. One of them is "Patty Diphusa Y Otros Textos" by Pedro Almodóvar. I am a big fan of Almodóvar´s filmography and about one year ago Renata Voss, a good girlfriend of mine, knowing that had the great idea to give me this book, and best - the original one in spanish. And everytime I read this (I must confess I have read it at least three times in one year!) I wonder why it has to come to the end. Can´t help stop reading this book! When I read this I get so afraid to come to the end that I prefer read it as slow as possible to avoid to finish the lecture quickly.Patty Diphusa is Almodóvar´s female alter Ego and he used to publish small stories about her back in the beginning of the 80´s on the spanish vanguard newspaper "La Luna". Patty Diphusa was a kind of the quintessential character of the La movida madrileña and also the inspiration to all those post-modern female characters of his first films.(although strangely she has never appeared in any of his films as Patty Diphusa herself. In Laberinto de Pasiones, Almodovar´s second featured film, she is reprensented through the transexual character of movida´s performer and plastic artist Fabio MacNamara.) "Patty Diphusa Y Otros Textos" brings back some sort of amazing adventures of this post-modern woman, a self proclaimed "porn star" and party girl , a bit nimphomaniac, a bit junkie, a bit naiv, who never sleeps and never is depressiv! Guess will start to read it again right now. (:

And here you can watch one of the infamous scenes of "Laberinto de Pasiones" (1982) with the fabulous Fabio MacNamara:

Glauber Rocha

2007-06-29T18:41:00.000+02:00

Othon Bastos as "Corisco"

Last night I had the chance to watch the remasterized version on DVD of "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol" ("Black God, White Devil") film of 1964. "Deus e o Diabo..." is the second film of Glauber Rocha, whose first one was "Barravento". I d´ont remember the first time I watched this film, guess I was still little and I d´ont remember the details. So some days ago a friend has borrowed me a special edition DVD with many interviews with the cast (Othon Bastos and Yoná Magalhães) and the crew. I normally watch a film first and then I watch the special features. This time I started watching the featurings and then the film. All people involved on it talked about "Deus e o Diabo..." as a definitve masterpiece of Glauber Rocha and I was a bit sceptic. Well so I´ve watched it then. And indeed it´s about a masterpiece. The whole progressive concept of the film (as for example using songs to explain the scenes ) is just one of the genial elements he used in this film. It´s about a low budget film but enourmously beautiful and visionary. I couldn´t stop to repeat the monolog´s scene of Othon Bastos when he is representing at the same space of time two different characters while the camera just followed his movements as it was part of it too. I guess this is one of the best images I´ve ever watched in my life. "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol" was filmmed in 1964 but seems so much timeless that I had the impression that even in third years nobody will be able to do something similar. And this has nothing to do with money or special effects ... And Glauber Rocha was only 26 years-old at that time!

Black Angel

2007-06-28T17:45:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I was at the Volksbühne in Berlin Mitte, which is a very nice theater, one of the most importants of the east Berlin. The play was "Anjo Negro", in german "Schwarzer Engel" ("Black Angel") a classic work of the most famous brazilian dramaturgist ever Nelson Rodrigues. Although Rodrigues is since decades glorified for brazilian artists and intelectuals I must confess (and I am not alone) that is a bit strange for me to clap my hands for an author who has belonged to the right politics during the military dictature in Brazil and among other things used to surrender his friends to the militars. Also he became infamous for his machism and racism, what is very clear in the form how he used to expose females and afro-descendents characters in his work. But whatever as someone said yesterday during the panel after the play: "we should try not to mix the person with the artist." But I swear I know many people who didn´t find out any beauty in Wagner´s work anymore, since they knew he was an antisemit. On the other hand it´s not possible to listen to Wagner´s antisemitism through his music, what makes things easier at least. But in Nelson Rodrigues case is different: you can read it in his texts and you can even feel it. Like in the case of "Black Angel" for example. The play talks about racism from the perspective of an afro-descendent Doctor, who hates his own color of skin. His white wife kills the two kids they have, because they are blacks like the father. Well there are two things which annoys me on it: first is this stigma of "victim" he used to describe black people in his plays, as the whole racism issues would be characterized through this "victim of the society" behavior. Sencond, I think brazilian society loves to talk about racism and prejudice aways from a "white" perspective, what makes things much "easier" for them. They d´ont need to feel guilty nor have any political and social conscience about nothing related to it since some right intelectual did this job for them. And it´s just the way it is untill nowadays in that country.By the way I would love to read someone, who really faces those situations ( racism and prejudice) talking or writing about that through his own perspective. Otherwise all this shit sounds too faraway from the reality... Well the point is that yesterday I saw this play with direction of Frank Castorf, who is also the director of "Volksbühne". Castorf was a long while in São Paulo and had the idea to mix Nelson Rodrigues "Black Angel" with Heiner Müller´s "Der Auftrag" ("The Mission"), a play written in 1979, which talks about the slave revolution in Jamaica some years after the french revolution. The result was pretty radical and I really liked what I saw. But I guess some people were really annoyed by hearing sentences like: " (...) there will be only Africa, Asia and the two Amercias in the future! " I cannot explain why but I feel there´s some sense on it...

Sany Pitbull talks

2007-06-23T16:32:00.000+02:00

Photo: Adriana Pittigliani

I´ve sent some questions to my friend Sany Pitbull to answer in order to finish the script of my documentary about the Baile Funk scene in Rio de Janeiro. I said to Sany: "Man, no need to answer everything if you´re busy. All I need are some specific informations, so take your time." And for my big surprise he got me back with this amazing testemonial telling a bit of the history of the Baile Funk scene in Rio, his own history and point of views about racism, politics, music and the past and the future of Funk Carioca. He gave me a life´s lession by writing this and that´s why I decided to publish it here.

Interview by Sabrina Fidalgo

"I grew happy, poor, suburban and carioca, son of a Bahian mulata with a catarinense descending of German that met at Rio (the mixes already are in my life since forever). I was born in 17 December 1968, in the best hospital of Nova Iguaçu, city of the of the state of Rio de Janeiro, but lived at suburban Ilha do Governador, up to 1977, with my parents and two brothers: I'm the oldest, 3 years more than Laércio, again 3 years older than Luciano. By that time we could still swim at the beach in the suburb, without pollution. We enjoyed walks and plays at Quinta da Boa Vista public garden, playing futebol, school and Maracanã, to see Flamengo plays and Santa Claus arriving on a chopter to the city.

My mother, Vitória Reis, were house servant and my father, João Silva, son of the refugee of war Angelina Kristarla, worked in civil construction. Person in charge of machines, for incredible that it seems, he couldn't read and badly wrote his name, but commanded a team of specialists and helped construct the Rio-Niterói bridge. In 77 he moved of company, and the family to Nova Iguaçu, and in 83 we came back suburbia to São Cristóvão, where I live until today, with a fast exit to Petrópolis when my son João Vitor was born.

Music was always present in my life, blame it to my parents who listened at home Tonico e Tinoco, Texeirinha -- sertanejo was the choice of my father, who piloted the family in the weekends. During the week I listened to pop brought up to date of radio MUNDIAL AM, they had the top shows national and international, and my mother listened to Abba and disco music, it was a happy noisy house.

Funk appeared when we moved to São Cristóvão, I had 13 or 14 years, underage for the party, but my friend Walmir, who turned later partner DJ Pancada, already deceased, had this older sister that was dating one of the security guys of Clube Magnatas here in the quarter, that had a ball with the team Cash Box, every sunday. TomTom Club, NewCleus, 100% american funk. Big wall of speakers, 3, 4 thousand people, that feeling will stay with me forever, I was coming from countryside, starting to date …

Fan of the Cash Box team, I started to go with a group, Roberta, Roberto, Flavinho, João Henrique, Sabonete... We were real groupies and also went in the other nights in other quarters, anywhere in Rio De Janeiro, until we got the attention of the owner of the team, DJ Marcão. There were prejudice already, I had friends with more money that loved funk as us, but finished having problems with the family, because bailes were poor people's thing. They ended up changing to rock fans. I used to argue with my father too, but the passion was stronger.

I started to arrive early at the ball and to take one liter of the peach batida do Primo, celebrity here of the quarter, glue in to Marcão, fan of the drink, and start learning from him, that showed me the labels, taught tricks. I used to buy those expensive chrome cassettes and make him record musics for me. He always gave me the entire songs, but with the vignettes of Cash Box, by that time the last funk releases were exclusive imported vinyls not released here that only Tony Minister and DJ Nazz brought to pro DJs like Marcão. National records, only from the sound teams, mixed and old already. I started to know djs, as Pouca-Telha, Portugues, Marcão from Furacão, made friends.

One day me and Walmir knew of a meeting of DJs, were you could just show up and play, at Vale do Ipê, hidden at countryside Rio state at the city of Caxias, we catched 2 buses and a train only to get there, and knew nothing about mixing, but DJ Garrafinha, full of imported vinyls, gave us a shot. We started performing together (Dj Sany and Dj Pancada), bought some imported records, I remember in special the Krafwerk with Trans-Europe Express (this I was ripped off, scraped label, it was national... 'cause it was not funk, then was released in Brazil, but we were so used to difficult ones), and Smurf Rock. Walmir liked playing the slow ones with lyrics, and I made people dance with instrumentals. Side A and side B, we always shared the tracks.

In 87, I made my first solo ball. The place was at Ramos beach, one box of concrete, did not have window nor nothing, only a small door, the people called Forninho. I played there for about a year, started to receive compliments, and became professional. While also studied at night, worked as ofice-boy during the day and served the army, but I never gave up until I was living only out of funk, around 92.

My dream, twenty years behind, was to travel, to know Miami and Berlin, because of it's music, I wanted to know the places, the people, if possible the artists, and the technology, know how they did that. I wanted to learn, only. Never, never I imagined that one day I could travel because americans and germans wanted to listen to our funk. Nor I nor nobody in funk. Today, I continue wanting to go all places, and to learn, but the conversation became longer now, there's much to show about funk carioca, not only my work, but many artists, I wish to show it to the greatest possible number of people.

I never passed hunger, work since 12, selling home made ice cream, whatever, did not complete high school degree, my bigger pride is music, to have always been funkeiro. It feel that I'm conquering today slowly my dreams, despite the difficulties - I cannot forget Walmir, DJ Pancada that started with me, gave up funk, and some time later finished killed by police, or crime, doesn't matter, he was funkeiro for me.

To be carioca is what makes funk of the bailes to be syntonized with the world, not this or that artist or style. Somehow our people makes ART out of the parties and happiness. With little traditional education even for those who had school, is in the parties that people develop skills to understand life, ones with the others. I find this carioca (or Brazilian) atittude what attracts the foreigners. In music, this carioca feeling always ment having much percussion, with complicated rhythmic harmonias, even when the remaining portion of the song is all well simple, coarse even. For the natural born funkeiro or sambista it feels easy, but for a more erudite musician is full of timming and timbre details hard to execute.

In funk is even more complicated, with the electronic effects and the lyrics coming directly from the behavior of the crowds at the balls, it has an huge amount of encoded information there. Just to make it harder, there's this brazilian taste for the new, disposable or not, and love to be always mixing, transforming everything that falls in our hands -- each month appears a small detail, and as everybody absorbs, starts to be part of the genre itself …

The future? I only know that it depends on all of us together, depends on Sany, Pitti, Marlboro, the artists, the guys producing the balls, journalists, gringos, brazilians. Each one is alone to make right its part, to have self-respect, to be professional, at last, to have faith and to believe the future. As I am funkeiro, already I was born with this carioca antenna in the soul. I do not know which beat or style will dominate the future, but this irreverent carioca mixing attitude is spread all over, in the music of the world today, we are here making the music that young artists of the world are doing too, we are connected, that's for sure.

My religion is God, there's something there, but I do not identify myself with no Church in particular. I never had great contact with none of them, but friends, family, girlfriends, we live here surrounded of different histories in Brazil, you know? And all of them also finish being part of ours. The tamborzão has much agogô afro. But in Brazil you don't need to be religious to know that. It's part of our daily culture already.

Even with this practical mixture going on, I suffered many prejudices, is complicated to understand this in Brazil, we are turn-cans in everything but we are ashamed of funk, poverty and slum quarters. And theres the colour of the skin, mulato, bad hair, I open my mouth and funk comes ... I lost a few girlfriends and DJ gigs already to that. Around 92, 94, even already easier to find fresh released funk records in Brazil, still it was considered without value – even at the inferninhos of strip-tease at Copacabana where I took off the recess of the Djs from monday to wednesday, if I played Stevie B., Tony Garcia or Spring Love, always a waiter or the manager came saying -- ' What's that, my brother? Funk here, no'. And it was not even the funk carioca that I played at the balls, just american funk, part of pop world-wide nice set for me.

I love all music, arab, japanese, samba, hip hop, electronic, heavy metal, pop that everybody knows and hidden things, current, old, good, very very bad. I am addicted to music. It is something of an entire life. Taking off some other popular rhythms in Brazil, still I can't really share fully this passion with the funk musicians here, there is this exclusive circuit of balls and ephemeral records of funk carioca that seduces the kids mainly, and few are eclectic, curious with the remaining portion of the world. But already they do not find me eccentric as before, have come to ask what is there out, where to find infos.

Funk at the balls has their own language, the circuit is like a private channel of subscribers, the funkeiros, that nobody else understands right, but once you catch the signal you can't unglue off the TV. And the audience goes increasing, diversifying, the person on the other side of the screen can be in Asia, or Ipanema. So around the globe all kinds of different people are translating and incorporating pieces of this language at its own universe. Each one with its culture, its history, out of its skills. That's how today's balls are turning into funk carioca spread world-wide. Funk of the slum quarters belongs to the slum quarters, each audience has its own taste, all DJ knows, the crowd rules.

The great evolution of funk in last the 20 years was to become brazilian, while it changed the technology, and the carioca society. In 89 the llyrics in Portuguese appeared, then later the romantic success, in 94 the corridor balls, always in the suburbs, and 98 the first slum quarter balls. While this, american funk transformed into voltmix, and finally the tamborzão, each time more and more batucado (beated, like the act of playing a tamboor), from vinyl and tapes, mds to mpcs. The message was always the life of simple people in Rio De Janeiro, but the audience changed many times, and with it the form of the music, we sang 'I only wanted to be happy at my favela' when speaking to the asphalt, made almost punk-rock when playing for the suburban crowds, proibidão when funk was finally banished to the favelas, and putaria when funk artists became promotional exotic performances at fancy parties …

My great idol is my father, who had a happy life, full of accomplishments out of very little, with much music, love and respect. When he saw me serious and progressing as DJ, never argued again and supported me, said one day he was very proud of me. This respect marked my life, somebody invented this maestro nick and it worked, I do take music seriously, like to work together with other musicians, and don't mind teaching some music to kids with patience - I learned all this with father, when somebody calls his funkeiro son a maestro, I think of him.

Carioca Funk Clube - This is the project that I want to continue making, working serious new mixtures of sounds and people, commanding the carioca balls wherever they be, at a favela or the moon, to have one little better studio to mix the artists, freedom and audience to play what I want not only at Stockholm, but downtown Rio too. I wanna take what's carioca about funk even further worldwide, and continue to have the privilege of keep a tradition from many artists who I saw and I had been with but are gone, playing funk of all the kinds that already existed, or will exist, at a studio or live crowd, for me the best ever invented drug and only one I do, this is my life, is shy, I'm shy, not much of a talker, my history is the history of funk carioca.

I am Sergio, the fiancé of Alessandra, father of João Vitor, Sany for the family, and maestro Pitbull of funk since I joined Serginho's crew with the same name, after many other great sound teams as Live, A Cova, Águia Disco, I launched and worked with many artists, MCs, DJs and Bondes (groups). It was the people dancing at the balls that gave me SANY PITBULL, and I work for them for already 21 years as musician and artist."

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