DJ Nazz tells about the early days of baile funk
An interview by Daniel Haaksman, made in summer 2006
DJ and producer Carlos Machado is one of the main protagonists of the funk carioca scene of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since the very beginning of the Rio funk movement, Carlos was an influential figure. First as a DJ, then as the main importer and chief selector for US vinyl coming to Rio de Janeiro,and last but not least as one of the producers in the Grandmaster studios in the virgin days of funk carioca. Today, Carlos is one of the most respected DJs, producers and audio engineers in Brazil. In our interview Carlos talks about the roots of funk carioca, how Miami bass came to Rio and what the scene is up to today.
Carlos, when did you started as a DJ?
I started to deejay in 1974 doing private parties called “Hifi”. At that time we didn’t have a mixer or anything, only two home made stereo speakers with a hifi sound system. In the same year I got my first professional residency with a sound system called “Equipe Oxford’ that originally was a live band but later became a sound system. And then the scene was starting to get big, since more and more people were doing the parties and got involved putting sound systems on several small and large clubs at that time. It was an important time as live bands would disappear from playing parties and Djs became a more common sight.
Tell me a little bit about deejaying in Rio in the 70s. How did a typical party looked like in mid seventies 1970s Rio? How many people came to the parties you played?
The official Rio nightlife at that time was very exclusive. There were night clubs like Regine’s or Le Bateu. These were Class A clubs. Very expensive, they were basically only for the rich people from neighbourhoods like Ipanema or Leblon. It was impossible to get in. We were too young, we didn’t have the right clothes, we couldn’t afford to enter these clubs, so at a certain point we started to make our own parties with sound systems. These were taking place both in large gymnasiums and in small clubs. Sometimes we would play in big outdoor places where there were more than 5.000 people. Other important venues at that time was the Orfeão Portugal (the Apollo theather version of Brazil with DJ Santos ), and the Gremio de Rocha Miranda with Luizinho DJ & Black Power.
What music did the DJs play in those days?
We played strictly black music. The big records around that time were by artists like James Brown (”Sex Machine” etc…), Kool & the Gang(” N.T.”), KC & The Sunshine Band (”Ain’t Nothing Wrong”), Lee Fields, Rufus Thomas, the JB’s, Bo Diddley (”Hey Jerome”), Clarence Reid (”Funk Party), Barba Racklin (”I’m not the same girl”), Heatwave (”Super Soul Sister”), War (”Heartbeat”), just to tell you a few. One thing that I want to make clear is, that in these days, people went to parties not only for the sound system, the women and beer, like today’s parties, but mostly because of the DJs. They knew that certain DJs would play records that people would hear nowhere else, not on the radio, not in any shops or from other DJs. And these DJs had the biggest following.
Who were the main DJs at that time?
A DJ named Big Boy was the father of what we call today baile funk. Big Boy was a very famous DJ in Rio at that time, because he played soul & rock music on a radio show called Mundial that was broadcasted by the media company Globo TV & Radiobroadcast system which was the most important radio station in Rio in the 1970s. Ademir, his manager, one day said he should play records in a party, and that´s was how it started. Big Boy played the Baile da Pesada in the club Canecão in Copacabana in 1970. It was the first baile party that featured a guy playing records. Before that there were always bands playing at the bailes, so that was quite a change in the way music was performed.
Besides Big Boy, there was Ademir. Before deejaying, Ademir & Cidinho Cambalhota were dancers in a TV program of a guy called Carlos Imperial. There, Ademir made his first connections and from that point on started to become a DJ. Ademir was really important because he was the first DJ ever to do a compilation of non stop music on a vinyl record. The record was called the “Le Bateu” named after the night club where he used to deejay. At that time he made edits and mixes of his favourite songs with a splice and razor on an Akai tape machine. That was also something never heard of before in Rio and gave Ademir a very important status. Later on, Ademir released a few more mix compilations, you can still find them in street markets in Rio today.
Apart from Big Boy and Ademir, Monsie Lima was probably also one of the DJs that you could consider as one of the founding fathers of baile funk. He had a TV program like Cidinho Cambalhota. Also considered relevant is Mr. Funk Santos, who saw Big Boy playing and started to make similar parties on the suburbs to poor people that didn’t have money to go to the Canecào.
What does the term “Baile Funk” actually mean?
Well, it´s simple. The term baile comes from the Portugese word „bailar” which means “to dance”. So a “baile” is a dance party, and a “baile funk” is a party where people dance to funk.
What about the technology? What equipment was used at that time?
For the power we used Macinthosh amplifiers. The turntables were Garrard Pro 2000, the speakers we used were from Novick , Altec or JBL, dependíng on the budget. Basically, no one had money at the beginning, so many DJs custom made their equipment from old parts, as they couldn’t afford to rent equipment. But the moment the first parties started to make money, people invested intensively in equipment and suddenly there were really loud, powerful sound systems. That was also the time when it started to become more concurrent, those DJs who had the better, louder sound systems dragged more people than those with a poor sound. It wasn’t really not very different from what happened in the Bronx almost at the same time, it was a pretty similar social setting too. The only thing was: We didn’t had a clue what was going on in New York at that time.
Tell me the way people spinned records. What techniques did the Djs had?
For a long time, we only cut records. You have to understand, that the first mixers we used only had an A/B key on the pré amp or channel 1 or 2 in the mixer and we just cut. It was no mixing technics like today. But then in 1976 we saw a guy called Ricardo Lamounier that was a DJ in a club called New York City discotheque, where we saw for the first time a DJ mixing the records seamlessly together. We went crazy – how was this guy doing this? We didnt know. Then in the two clubs they had here in Rio, I saw for the first time the Technics record players I saw too for the first time a mixer AST, a Crow amplifier, they had a lot of stuff. And they brought tapes mixed by DJs from the USA.
So I went to the DJ and asked: Please could you show me how you do this ? I went to the club where I played at that time the Pacheco futebol club and then trained every single day with a turntable called Polyvox td 5000. This was the end of 1976 beginning of 1977.
Later on, how did you hear about scratching for the first time?
Of course, we heard it on records but didn’t knew how this sound was created, but then in 1984 we saw it in a film called “Breakdancing”, that the sound was eminating from a DJ that was scratching records. Then I asked that guy called William from Downstairs records in NY to show me how to make a scratch with rhyme, and how to make the transformer. A movement that the sound is cutted very fast with a key in the mixer while you scratch the vinyl. When I returned to Rio, I showed it to all the DJs. Julinho Vôvo was the first Brazilian DJ to do the scratch, then followed Marlboro, Marcão, Edil – everybody. Because at that time, when I returned from the journeys, everybody would come to my house and listen to the new records and exchange informations.
When did Miami Bass arrive in Rio?
Well, actually the first ever electronic funk record that brought the Kraftwerk sound in a danceable version to Brazil was Afrika Bambaataa´s “Planet Rock”. Kraftwerk were already huge in Brazil in the late 70s, but it wasn’t really danceable music. So when “Planet Rock” came, it was like a revolution. It was for us the first time we heard a 808 drum machine ,which basically represents the funk for me. Before that we didnt know about electronic beats, we only knew Midnight Starr, Lakeside, but when the Africa Bambaataa record came, it changed our minds. We could see the effects on the parties. People went crazy, you only had to put the first bits on “Party Peopleee” and people were screaming. So after that, a lot of similar records came in, like “Looking For The Perfect Beat”, also by Africa Bambaataa, Globe & Whizzkid and the Pow Wow, Jonzun Crew, Newcleus, Warp 9 “Light years Away”, NunK and others. About that time, we started the parties with slow dance, we played Bobby, Jimmy & The Critters “Big Butt” or Whodini´s “Mr Magic´s “. We played Mantronix “Needle to the Groove”.The parties went like this: The first part was a slow jam, the romantic music we would play soul, Kool & The Gang, melodic kind of music, we play the Paradão it´s music with a melody but with a beat. Or we´d play Fonda Rae´s “Sex Appeal”, then we played slow jam again, and then we the party finished, we would play old soul and original 70s funk music. And then in 1984, Miami Bass came to Rio.
So how were these records distributed in Brazil?
Well! It was always quite difficult to get good U.S. records. Some were licensed to the Brazilian market, like Africa Bambaataa, but the cool underground stuff, you couldn’t get. There was no import export kind of company for that type of music. And at that time, no one was travelling. So in terms of shopping it was a nightmare. But I knew a stewardess that was flying with Pan Am to the USA regularly, so I asked her whether she could bring records to Rio that we would read about in American magazines.I had too a dear friend called George Alexander Boeckis who had an import export company and was a music lover . I asked him to bring me records from the USA like Tyrone Brunson, Dr.Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde, the first 2 Live Crew´s record (”What I like “) Conie “Funky Little Beats”, MC Shy D („I’ve gotta to be”), Gigolo Tony, this was the beginning of the Miami Bass, MC Ade´s “Bass Rock Express” was a big hit too here in Rio. And after all that records poured in. As the stewardesses flying in and out of Rio could always only bring a few records, we decided to travel in 1985. We decided that we need to go by ourselves, and not always asking other people to bring us the stuff. I already had established a good relationship with Downtown and Downstairs records in New York by phone, where I had ordered records before. So I went there myself and started to bring in lots of records to Brazil.
How often did you go to the USA to shop?
Once a month.
And did you pay those travels from the sales?
No. I was paid to travel. There was a guy called Mr. Milton he was theowner of a big sound system. At that time he had one of the best party in Rio, it was in a club called “Canto Do Rio”, it was for 6.000 people. I was deejaying there on that time. And then one day Mr. Milton came to me and asked me to bring him records for the club, as I was the only one of the DJs speaking English. He paid me everything. I was a respected DJ and played for him, I knew what was good in the Brazilian market. So basically, I opened the market for the electronic beats. Everybody in Brazil travelled to Rio at that time, to buy records from me. I had a stand in Lago Carioca. We stayed in the streets, we sold them out of bags. We put people in the street to sell the records, then music lovers came from all over the country and bought the stuff, it spread really quickly that we were selling imports there – you couldnt get them nowhere. Everytime I travelled, I brought 1.000 records. At a certain point it got really crazy, one day I returned home from the US and people were already waiting at the airport and bought directly all the records that I´ve brought. They paid 20$ per record. I was a platinum traveller at Pan Am, I was travelling like crazy.
Miami Bass at that time was strong in the USA. The most important shop in those days was Downtown Records in New York, owned by Frank Ramos. There was a guy who worked at Downtown who had all the contacts, and he knew every single record he was selling, his name is Alberto Marrero. He taught me how to work as a record dealer. Everybody knew him so records came from all over the US and went through his hands. He gave me “Doo Wah Diddy” from the 2 Live Crew, a weekend later I played it at a party in Rio and it was a big hit. (Marlboro later did a Portugese version for it).
Alberto then left Downtown Records but then he said: Listen Carlos, I´ll teach you. So he gave me his notebook as a gift with all the contacts and names. So this allowed me to call everybody and I was going like “This is Carlos Machado from Downtown Records New York City, I would like to place an order”, and I could get everything. I was doing the business myself. I was then commuting a lot between Rio and New York. The backside of the coin is that this was also a time when I started to lose control and touch with the Rio scene. I was basically never at home. But I was really the main selector for all the records that got into Brazil. Without my taste and my choice, the funk carioca wouldn´t have ever evolved to what it is today. I can tell you the history of every single record between 1986-1998 and how they got to Rio.
I was travelling for Mr. Milton, but then the owners from Cash Box, from Jet Black and other sound systems started to pay me too so I could buy them stuff. At a certain point I didnt had to go to one shop anymore, I could order from the labels myself. I went everywhere, to Philly, NJ, Arkansas – everywhere. I visited Miami, NJ, LA, NY, Queens, Bronx, London (the VIP fairs) all record stores to discover records. I paid 5$ there and would charge 20$ here. And music lovers, they always pay. Later on, I also was bringing equipment to Brazil, at it was extremely difficult to get good technology in Brazil (as it is today).
And you equipped your studio with that imported technology too?
Of course. We started to buy drum machines, and samplers. In the Grandmaster Raphael studio where I worked, we had an Atari 1040, running a Cubase sequenser. We had an Akai S950, a Roland W30, a ASR10 Ensoniq (the ghetto sampler), some rack synths modulos like a Yamaha Tx 81z(the lately bass), we had 32 channel Mackies, very basic stuff. It was a very crucial moment when we had the stuff together to actually start producing. People where really amazed to see then that we could do the stuff by ourselves, that it wasnt necessary to be in big studios US style, that we could do it ourselves! Then, more and more people started small studios and the whole fundament of the baile funk movement as we know it today, with own recordings, own records, artists and labels blossomed.
Tell me about the “Funk Brasil” compilation and how the whole idea started to record an album with only portugese raps?
The first record with Portugese lyrics that is considered as the very first funk carioca song was recorded in 1979. The name of song is “Mêlo do tagarela ( the tagarela song)” by a guy named Miele. “Tagarela” is a person that speaks too much. It was a cover version of “Rappers Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang, sang in Portugese. Today, it´s an incredible hard to find record, it was only pressed on 7″ vinyl.
But the guy who had the idea to make an electronic funk record with lyrics in Portuquese was Cidinho Cambalhota. He suggested the project to Polygram Brasil. Though they didn’t know anything about the funk parties, he convinced them to make this project possible. Sadly, in the middle of the project he was killed in an assault. The project was already in progress, so a few people started to work on that project, the original idea was to invite a handful of different DJs and producers providing their latest tracks. At that time Marlboro was starting to produce and everybody was trying to giving himsupport so before Cidinho died, we asked him to give him a chance. We were all complete rookies, so we supported each other were we could. When Cidinho died, the Polygram people howeverput Marlboro in the front of the
project. Then it became a huge success and Marlboro took all the credits.
We shouldn’t forget in this, that the very first record, “Funk Brasil” was made by a big media company, Polygram, because at that time studio time was very expensive, there were no small studios like we know today with Pcs and stuff like that, so the sound at the beginning was only financed by the big companies. In the beginning, it was 30.000$ for a track, when we later started to run our studio, it was like 50$. Shortly after, everybody was doing their own music.
What were the lyrics on the “Funk Brasil” compilation like, were people talking about the social reality of their lives, were they talking about everyday lifes in the favelas?
No, basically they were talking funny stories, rhymes with nonsense content
After “Funk Brasil” was released, what happened?
It was a huge success, it sold over 100.000 copies in Brazil and the record company was really surprised by the success and they started to invest money into rap and black music. A lot of people then started making their own music, me, DJ Grandmaster Raphael in the Grandmaster Studio, and DJ Amazing Clay, Maia Funk, DJ Edil, DJ Marcão, DJ Julinho Vôvô, George Maluco and others.
So there were a whole bunch of people getting into producing at that time. We then made the records ” O Melhor Do Funk”, “Festa funk 1 & 2″, “Beats Funks & Raps”. The MCs we invited to perform on the records were people from the favelas in Rio. They were real ghetto people who were speaking and rhyming over the beats talking about their realities, and not just making parodies, but making authentic street rap. It was something that the established DJs criticized and didn’t play on the radio. On this point, the funk carioca what we know today was born.
Though they invested a lot of effort in the new market, at a certain point the big companies found out that they really couldn’t control the whole movement.. There were people working independently, like Grandmaster Raphael, DJ Amazaing Clay, others like DJ Marlboro, who cooperated with the majors, established his own company and got very powerful with his radio show “Big Mix”.
So what Marlboro did was producing and compiling?
He was always mentioned as a producer on the record, but actually he was more starting with everything, he didnt have any representative, everybody was trying to help him, as we all helped each other. He was more of a lucky guy who was in the right place at the right time. At the beginning I have to say, he didnt have a clue about producing, he always had people who helped him.
And basically, that´s what he´s up to until today. He has his engineers who program the beats and record the singers, and he puts “Produced by DJ Marlboro” behind it. He´s more a kind of impressario, who puts people together, gives them some time in his radio show, but the real producers of funk, they are other people.
How many records do you have today?
I don´t know. A lot. But I´ve recently started to put records on CD’s, I´m sick of carrying record bags, I´ve been doing it all my life, and now with 47 years old I really like to play with Cds because now with the new technologies you can do anything with a good CD player.
What do you think about the evolvement of the funk? Why do you think has time – musically- stopped in Rio, and the sound of electronic funk and Miami Bass circa 1985, 1986, is still very popular in Rio?
The time stopped a bit in Rio, it´s true. But the audience like the music style, so there was never the necessity to innovate or change the sound in a big way. But we are trying to change this now, bring Mcs together, record with them. What I want to do, is to give people a bettert way of life, do something for the communities. Rio is a city of joy, of the carnaval, they like the uptempo beats, but we have to evolute the stuff, we have to bring people together and take them out of the hands of the big producers. Do the music more independently. And then maybe people can bring the music to another level, innovate, do something new.
The sad thing is: There is a mafia now that tries to control everything There´s a tension now. It´s now the time to change. The MCs only discover now that they have power, but the managers and people in control don´t pay them correctely, they don´t give them respect. The managers get almost all the money, but the artists don´t get shit. I don´t want this. And I think we can change this. But the people controlling everything destroy it all. Many artists have produced amazing stuff, but if they are not signed to big labels, or the big DJs don´t play their tunes, you don’t get any support – and in the end no gigs, which are crucial for all the artists. This is a vicious circle and it has to be broken.
Thanks for the interview, Carlos
