Get Rowdy With Brazil's Disco Punks Blastfemme Dec 7
Generally speaking, the musical genres of disco and punk could not be more polar opposites – on the surface, one idealizes glamour and consumerism while the other holds dear to its gritty existence of disestablishment. However, their combination when done right can be a beautiful thing and Beijing has seen some exceptions to this throughout the years.
In Beijing, mainstays like the bubbly, yet feisty, Pacalolo has been offering their unique blend of disco-punk to the scene for almost a decade now. Now, however, the city is about to get a taste of this rowdy and frenetic style from a group from much further afield courtesy of Blastfemme (listen here via Soundcloud) who have made the trek to China all the way from the sunny (and considerably warmer) climes of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ahead of their Beijing performance at DDC this Friday (Dec 7), the Beijinger caught up with the disco-punk outfit to talk about their experience in China so far, the music scene in Brazil, and what they have lined up for the future.
Thank you for taking the time to sit down and answer a couple of questions. I see that you have already arrived in China. How has the tour been so far?
We were warmly welcomed upon arrival and are staying at the home of Shanghai punk band, Dirty Fingers. It has taken us a few days to get over jet lag and adjust to the weather difference. We have been delighted by the architecture and organization of the cities we have visited so far. The fluidity of the traffic has also impressed us and we have felt very safe while eloping the urban landscapes during the day and especially at night.
Speaking of Dirty Fingers, I read that you will be inviting them to play in Brazil next year. How did that come about?
Alê Amazônia, the drummer of Dirty Fingers [and co-found of promoter Subtropical Asia], visited Brazil in 2016 with one of his projects at the time (Little Monster). Jhou, our bassist, and Vladya, our drummer, opened for them in another project called Lovejoy. During that tour, Blastfemme didn't even exist as it does now. We kept in contact online after that and Alê found out about our new band Blastfemme after seeing a post from a video for our song "Thank You for the Part You Touch Me”. That was really where the flirting of the idea began.
For someone who does not know that much about the music scene in Rio de Janeiro or Brazil in general, can you share with us a little how music is over there as far as music is concerned?
The best way to describe what is going on in Brazil would be to check out some of the acts. From the underground scene that we are part of and have helped build there are a bunch of bands to mention such as Oruã de Lê Almeida, Laura Lavieri, Larry Antha, Black Sauce, Fuck Youth, Veronica Decide to Die, Jonnata Doll, and the Solvent Boys.
On some of your songs, you choose to sing in English. A lot of Chinese bands also choose this route, but the reason varies for each band. How about you guys? Do you think language can be an important factor to consider when it comes to songwriting?
We find the message important and even if you do not understand the language it is still possible to feel the energy.
Could you tell us a little bit about what we can expect from your Beijing show as well as what you are looking forward to about playing in Beijing?
We are very excited about our Beijing show as it will be completely new for us. We will find out when we get there. Take our recent show in Hangzhou, for example: we had many expectations, but none of them prepared us for the response of such an energetic audience that night.
Is there anything else you like to share with us?
Overall, this experience has been quite unique for us. To discover and try to understand a new culture and to be able to share our sound with new people has been an amazing feeling for us so far.
You can catch Blastfemme this Friday, Dec 7 at DDC with Xiao Wang, Lonely Leary, and thruoutin. Tickets are RMB 100 on the door or RMB 80 advance.
Images courtesy of Subtropical Asia
