A conversation and playlist from Teto Preto, the union of generative forces involving many expressive forms: from music to theatre, from dance to fashion and everything in between. They emerged in the midst of that dense cultural broth stirred by the independent party movement that revolutionised the São Paulo music scene, and nurtured by female and LGBTQIA+ leaderships whose efforts have reinvented the city’s nightlife in the last decade. The protagonists of the Mamba Negra party in Brazil, Teto Preto, with their carnivalesque camp spirit will be closing Terraforma festival this year at Villa Arconati on Sunday, July 3rd when everyone is letting loose, don’t miss the incredible show!
What is your current state of mind?
Uma metralhadora em estado de graça. A toura da tourada: prontes para essa arena que se expande no mundo. Perfeites na totalidade de nosses erros y eros. Somos errorystas. Quem tem boca, VAIA ROMA. We’re really excited to be back on tour – with such a good team and also playing in such an interesting range of Music Festivals in Europe. We would like to thank MAMBA NEGRA, Urban Jungle, Futura Artists, Limitrophe and all the artists, friends, lovers and fighters from Brazylian independent scene. This victory is all ours, we’re gonna eat the gringos alive.
How would you describe your music style to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
Teto Preto is a convulsive expression of electronic brazylian music. It is music to incarnate and devour, music that happens when we come together to fight for pussyble futures. Music, performance, audiovisual, art, poetry, fashion, graphic design. A live crossing of bodies, canção , dubstep, acid, garage, house, eletro, rock, pop, industrial, and strong elements of samba, jazz, brega, funk as languages from Ameryka.
Founded in November of 2014 by CARNEOSSSO (Laura Diaz,singer, composer, performer – also co-founder of MAMBA NEGRA and the label MAMBArec with Cashu) the band is integrated by William Bica (percussionist and trombone) from the 1st formation of the band, and the new members Mariana Herzer and Matheus Câmara, musicians and music producers that came in during pandemic to build this new explosive era of the 2nd album, FALA. Many new compositions of FALA are finally being presented on stage before recordings. All the production got delayed by many difficulties that the raise of fascism disaster imposed directly and indirectly to the independent queer scene. We are strong, but our community is still vulnerable. Each show has a script by CARNEOSSO created with the band. The creative direction of this new cicle is being developed in partnership between Carneosso and the also independent label Jalaconda – MARINA AVELLO and Juan Duarte. While we don’t have the album release, we’ve produced super queer merchandising with the artist FKawallys to raise found to record the album. Support our independent scene! It is full of energy and emotions from a gang that never walks alone. Also Mariana Herzer has just released her first solo album CHEIA on MAMBArec independent label of MAMBA NEGRA collective. Go listen, buy, support and watch!
Do you consider your body as your strongest weapon to express your beliefs? If yes, why?
Tu Cuerpo Es Una Armada. Our bodies are weapons and what we create as a subjective and material network of women and LGBTQIA+ latin american artists is technology. We are disputing dreams, potencies, urges of our new contradictious bodies that transcend the neoliberal colonized gramatik. We’re errorysts. We are the majority. And I still believe we, as a mass young and queer worldwide movement, can come out of this catastrophic era of pandemic and right wing politics even stronger and harder to kill.
From the underground music scene of São Paulo to a global music environment. How was the transition?
Undeground and Queer art movements had always set fresh historykal paradigmas to the culture and enterteinment business. MAMBA NEGRA, Batekoo and many other independent parties, labels and artists have reached new dimensions resisting to pandemic, that I like to call ‘UnderGRANDE’. In this last 10 years, we’ve created a new perspective for young women and LGBTQIA+ artists to be recognized for their work. TETO PRETO is a band and multi artistic project born in MAMBA NEGRA. Our music is reaching many parts of the world since 2018-19. And for us, to be back on tour in such a great selection of European music festivals feels like just the beginning of our lives. There are many other places and continents we hope to visit really soon for the first time, it is a huge privilege to have the opportunity to play for so many different people. We were born ready. Are u ready for TETO PRETO world domination plans, colonizers?
Since the beginning of time, music and dancing, are forms of expression, communication and storytelling. What is the message you want to share with public through your work?
I’m speaking from a very privileged point of view being a brazylian women who is recognized as ‘white’ in Latin America. TETO PRETO has always being a place to transform the violence to which we are exposed on daily basis in some kind of warrior joy. And, many times, the fight for freedom, for our lifes is violent. The dancefloor is the place where we manifest the energy that keeps us alive and proud. Somehow it reminds me the energy of the black origins of House music in North America and, obviously, the Baile Funk energy in Brazyl.
You are the protagonists of São Paulo’s Mamba Negra parties, a collective with female and LGBTQIA+ leadership, pushing forward an anti-capitalist agenda and vibrant affair. Can you share an insight into this?
There are many independent auto financed parties and collectives that are expanding the rich and diverse Underground electronic brazylian music scene all over the country. We are developing new technologies not only within ur bodies, but way beyond creating multi artistic experiences, resignifying the idle buildings and areas of the cities, setting new parameters to deal with the marketing departments of big labels without losing our identities and beliefs. After all, to be recognized as an artist being a women and LGBTQAI+ also means to be paid for it. On this 10 years of hard and obsessive work we can see that we’ve changed the cultural and night scene forever and together: we’re a national patrimony. That’s just the beginning, we’re in permanent transformation.
How important is the sense of community for Teto Preto, and why?
It’s all about context. TETO would never be created if it wheren’t inside MAMBA NEGRA, same as MAMBA NEGRA would never exist without all the street parties, riots and occupations downtown in 2013. To be a band in the music industry nowadays is already audacious. To be a latin american independent band, leaded by a women, highly provocative and performatic, active in the last 8 years in constant artistic effervescence in the decade of egoism, positive psychology, social media and influencers fever is something almost impossible. And it was never about luck, it was always about the urge. Every member of the band works on stage and also on the backstages of real life. Bica is a delivery motoboy, I am also executive producer and video editor, Matheus is a sound technician and Mari works with production and ghost writing for others.
We all know how much work you have behind every ‘ product ‘ of the music and entertainment industry. We don’t believe in this logic, it is archaic. We know that, to be famous in Brazyl, you gotta pay what we call ‘ Jabá ‘. But we’ve never aimed to be famous. We wanna do our art, travel the world in gang oppening new paths for many other cherished talented queer artists that are part of our history. And of course, we wanna be well paid for all of it.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Fluid dictatorship of women, LGBTQIA+ community, workers, people of color and originary populations. Death to white businessman and the few families owners of big fortunes. The end of Military Police in Latin America. The end of extremist conservative dictatorships all over the world. Historykal compensation. Something like this…
Your act will be closing Terraforma Festival this year on Sunday, July 3rd. Will you give us a taste of what to expect?
After this 1st leg of the European (TE)TOUR, we’re charged with new ideas and impressions of this first and much awaited meeting with the public. We hope to surprise you once again in July for Roskilde (Copenhagen), Macki (Paris), Terraforma and Dour (Belgium) Festivals. We’re super excited. We’ve got infinite ammo to be scandalous.
What are your hopes for the future?
GASOLINA NELES!
Listen to Soundscapes vol.99, a playlist curated by Teto Preto
Teto Preto / Terraforma 2022
Artists: Teto Preto / @tetopretofisssial
Terraforma Festival / @terraformafestival
Interview: Iro Bournazou / @irbw