Contributing Writer
Brazilian duo Nu Azeite bring together the musicianship and club scene of the countries capital in a perfect musical package. Signed to Get Physical Music’s South American sister label, Cocada Music, the pair have just seen the release of two singles which have garnered support from the likes of DJ Sneak, Alinka, Richard Dorfmeister and Bill Brewster whilst their debut album drops at the end of January. We caught up with the pair for a quick chat about music, their hobbies and their hopes for the year ahead….
Thanks for taking the time to talk to Music is 4 Lovers. Can you tell us a little about yourselves and where you are from in the world?
Hey guys, thank you for inviting us. We are both from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, born and raised here. Bernardo is a DJ, resident of most of the key clubs and parties focused on electronic music in the city, while Fabio is a multi-instrumentalist and has his own live show called Live Motel.
You have a debut album coming out in January, on Cocada Music. How did you get involved with the label and what’s the backstory to the writing of this album?
This project came together as we were both in a similar musical moment, mixing electronic music with traditional and contemporary Brazilian sounds. Most of the music that people were making in this style were edits, so we wanted to make something new and original. With regards to Cocada, when we finished the album one of the first people we played it to was Léo Janeiro, head of the label in South America, and he really digged it. Then he sent for the guys in Germany and they went crazy as well. We are really lucky to have this strong team working with us in Brazil and in Germany as well, all really nice individuals that became a big family.
What does your artist name or ’Nu Azeite’ mean?
Ha! Thats a good one. Nu Azeite (or rather no azeite) is an expression in Rio de Janeiro that means when something is dope. Example: did you hear that track? It’s “no azeite”. Azeite is olive oil. We just changed to Nu because it’s short for new in english.
2020 was such a challenge for almost everyone, how have you found the last 9 months and have there been any positives for you, alongside the obvious limitations of the year?
It was challenging to say the least but we were able to make more music and also released this project to some amazing reviews. So not everything was bad. We only wish to have played some shows but hopefully that’s going to happen in 2021.
What are your personal passions and interests, apart from producing and performing music?
Bernardo – Bodyboarding, biking close to home, oriental cuisine and poker
Fábio – Surfing, biking at the beach, hardware equipment and design.
Which artists, albums, songs have affected your musical taste and production style the most, would you say?
So many! A lot of the brazilian boogie disco funk from the great years between the 1970’s and 1980’s. People like Tim Maia, Sandra de Sá, Lincoln Olivetti and many more. Also contemporary electronic music producers like Prins Thomas, Lindstrom, Hotmood, Polo & Pan, the list goes on and on…
What are you hopes for 2021 and what plans do you have for Nu Azeite?
Hopefully to play live shows and also record album number 2.
Nu Azeite’s self-titled album is out on 29th January via Cocada Music.