Underground’s underbelly: discover 5 of November's boldest releases

With Victin, Geni, Brunossa, Albukkerke, Madd Rod, Sukubratz and Miss Jay, Vetor curated a list of the most incredibly creatives projects that our scene has developed this last month

Text and interview by Pedro Paulo Furlan

Sometimes, when we look around at the biggest parties and the main events of the scene, the underground seems populated by the same names and same faces - but, that's only for people who aren't digging deeper. To show off the underbelly of our hugely diverse scene, Vetor Magazine has hand selected and talked to five of November's most audacious artists and their respective releases.

Picking from all over the world, we have brazilian names, like Victin, Geni, Brunossa and Albukkerke, portuguese, like Madd Rod, chilean, like Sukubratz, and romanian, like Miss Jay. Exploring a wide variety of sounds and creating their own musical universes, these artists reflect their respective scenes and countries, while also crafting something that is undoubtedly them.

Below, you can read about the biggest inspirations and the main meaning behind all these projects, while also discovering a little bit more about all these incredible artists - let's explore!

VICTIN

Photography by Ivi Maiga Bugrimenko

The Brazilian producer Victin - the name behind Bicuda, and part of Mamba Negra’s team - released his latest EP “PROJEÇÃO RÍTMICA” at the end of November. Made up of two main tracks, “GAYBASS” e “BASSDIVA”, and ten different remixes, the EP is a solid body of work rooted in nightlife and the pulsing energy of electronic music.

What's “PROJEÇÃO RÍTMICA”’s main thesis?

“The record is a rhythmic introduction, looking to unite all these layers of samples, clips, synths - and, in a way, showing how to create a rhythm in this summary way. It’s something that’s in constant movement”.

What were your biggest inspirations while creating “PROJEÇÃO RÍTMICA”?

The inspiration comes from a really internal place, somewhere I find peace within myself, with my home, my dogs, my spirituality, my friends - or even going to a party, listening to a new sound and getting in touch with a specific sound that I can fit into my internal rhythm.

MADD ROD

Photography by Larissa Larsen

Born in Lisbon, based in Berlin, producer Madd Rod released his third studio album in November, “In Constant Evolution”. Leaving his perfectionism behind, this record thrives on the collision of the physical energy of the club, with moments of quiet introspection, using electronic music to create contrast between different vibrations.

What's “In Constant Evolution”’s main thesis?

“I’d say “In Constant Evolution” would be the acceptance that creating music, for me, it’s about the process, of creating and expressing myself. It’s also denying this constant need to label everything, finding myself and my comfort in the borders between genres, between the new and the retro.

In my last album, “Sad Behavior”, I collaborated with artists that I really admire, like Noporn and Tomás Branco, but on this one, I decided to go full solo, to show more of me and of how I see myself, leaving behind a time capsule that I leave behind with memories of  what I’ve been living in Berlin, and who I am today”.

What were your biggest inspirations while creating “In Constant Evolution”?

“I avoid listening to music before going to the studio, because I always absolve what’s around me, but, there’s subconscious genre inspirations from post-punk, to electroclash, from krautrock to detroit electro, and even proto-house, italo and synth pop. I think my music nowadays is closer to electronic music’s pioneers than my contemporaries, but I try to imagine them in a parallel reality”.

GENI

Photography by UHGO

Producer and DJ from Recife, Geni released her first EP “CLUBSOMNIA” on the 14th, through BICUDArec. Looking to create a dreamlike club atmosphere, Geni pulled from gamer and otaku culture, mainly Lineage 2, Mu Online, Sailor Moon and Sakura Card Captor, while also exploring multiple soundscapes, really showing herself as a “SoundCloud nerd”, in her own words.

What's “CLUBSOMNIA”’s main thesis?

“I think it’s about crafting a world without this value economy that we are conditioned to today. The EP came about in a moment of my life when I had to be productive in all aspects of my life and all I wanted was to fled to another universe, you know? This project is about being somewhere where everything that troubled me couldn’t exist. If “CLUBSOMNIA” was an anime, it’d be a good isekai”.

What were your biggest inspirations while creating “CLUBSOMNIA”?

“I was listening to a lot of brazilian music, specially "Infinito Particular" from Marisa Monte and "Tudo o que Você Podia Ser" from Milton Nascimento. Besides that, I listened to a lot of PinkPantheress and Érika de Casier - I think they brought into the project this club cherry on top”.

SUKUBRATZ X MISS JAY

Photography by FEYD

In November, Sukubratz and Miss Jay released the VIP version of their joint track “Destello”, which unites their musical visions in one. Celebrating the track’s one-year anniversary, the artists transform it into a club-ready anthem at 130 BPM, with the Chilean singer and producer on the vocals and the Romanian DJ on the beat.

What's “Destello”’s main thesis?

Miss Jay: “When I made the original instrumental, I was aiming for something dark but catchy. Then I heard Sukubratz’s vocals and was instantly hooked.Their vocals and lyrics added this fierce, playful energy that makes you feel like you’re in an unforgettable club night. The lyrics bring their own story, but on my end it’s kind of zero brain and just vibes”.

Sukubratz: “To me the track is really about a feeling I’ve visualized, once I heard the track. When I first heard it, it hit me immediately. The beat Jay came up with was so refreshing it took me straight to: club energy. The track felt like being in a dark, crowded antro, people serving looks, moving in rhythm, sharing fleeting moments. It’s flirty, and a little chaotic. The original was definitely slower, more hypnotic, I loved hearing a slower club take from Jay. But hearing the VIP she reworked completely blew me away. The two versions sort of represent us too”.

Photography by Federico Earth

What were your biggest inspirations while creating “Destello”?

Miss Jay: “Honestly, the biggest inspiration for me on this project was our friendship. Me and Sukubratz became long-distance besties through the magic of the internet, and that connection was really what drove me”.

Sukubratz: “What inspired me the most was tapping into the interests Jay and I already share. Working together felt super fluid, almost effortless. The closeness we have definitely pushed me in a new direction: more expressive, more experimental, stepping out of my comfort zone in the best way. I feel way more in touch with where my sound is heading. And honestly, the VIP is the perfect example of that: our love for thick drums, strong vocals, and charisma just fused together”.

ALBUKKERKE

Photography by Rafaela Urbanin

Belo Horizonte producer ALBUKKERKE released his EP “PENDURA”, in his own words the perfect soundtrack for a night at HORNY, a sexy, flirtatious club night in BH, dipped in hardcore electronic music. In the EP, he develops a story, starting out at the first interlocking of eyes, and ending at the last sigh of pleasure.

What's “PENDURA”’s main thesis?

“‘PENDURA’ is about putting everything out to dry, raw symbols of sexuality, desire and fetishes hanging out in the open. It’s also about seeing the dancefloor as a political landscape where the body can be exposed without worry, and music is the act of freedom. The EP mashes up everything I feel during a night at HORNY. ‘Come To Horny’ is the first moment of seduction, ‘Pendura’ is the peak and pleasure dominates everything, and we come to a close in ‘Ravestance’ in which this movement becomes political resistance, when dancing is more than pleasure, it’s presence and survival”.

What were your biggest inspirations while creating “PENDURA”?

“The biggest inspiration behind ‘PENDURA’ was the sexual and queer energy of Horny - a totally free environment, full of friction and intensity. It’s somewhere where everything happens immediately, the sweat, the meet ups, the teasing, and the collective horniness.

I wanted to translate that energy in a mix of techno with a bass with latino-brazilian references. ‘PENDURA’ is what Horny and Belo Horizonte have the most of: a collective body that pulses together, guided by freedom and an intensity that doesn't exist anywhere else”.