Interview: João Azevedo, making people feel good 24x7!
João Azevedo divides his time between medicine and clubs across the country. It can seem like an odd combination for most people, but he does it masterfully and with ease. As you see him conduct the dance floor, you get a sense of the emotional connection and the systematic discipline of the rhythm, with each new melody conjuring up a different emotional journey for each dancer in the crowd.
Profoundly influenced by his father's love for music and cinema, he dedicated his first album to him, which he released in 2018 through Blossom Kollektiv. It was played and supported by names like Dixon, Âme, Peter Kruder, and Mind Against.
Kadosh and Omri Guetta's Israeli label, Frau Blau, released his second EP in 2020. In January 2021, he joins Frau Blau's VA with the theme "Nightshift." In May 2021, he signs the theme "False Mirror" for the Italian label Multinotes from Lehar, Musumeci, and Olderic.
We met João at the Industria Club, one of the most iconic clubs in the Portuguese music scene, the place he calls his second home.
During the day you're a medical doctor, and at night you’re a DJ, how do you navigate between these two worlds? Well, my music addiction began very early in my life as my father deeply influenced it, way before I decided to go to medical school. Music is my escape. After a hard day's work, there is nothing as relaxing as listening to music, so I really can't imagine one without the other.
So tell me, what first allured you into music? My father owned two small clubs back in the day and he used to share his record collection with me. At six, I started my guitar lessons, and about ten years later, I had my first band experience. Electronic music just got into my life at that point. Actually, my first gig as a DJ was in 2004 and at that time it wasn't uncommon to have a concert and a DJ set on the same day on weekends.
I imagine your office is like that Matmos album, "A chance to cut is a chance to cure". What kind of music do you listen to while working? To be honest, I barely listen to music at work unless it's a long procedure, and in that context, I'd rather listen to ambient or jazz music.
In 2018, you launched your first EP called "7th Art", how does cinema influence your life? My father used to run a cinema during my childhood, and again, it had a huge influence on my life. My first EP was kind of a tribute to him, and I decided to call it "7th Art". It included two tracks with two movies I remember from that time: "A Clockwork Orange" by Stanley Kubrick and "Seven Years in Tibet" by Jean-Jacques Annaud.
If your life were turned into a movie, do you think it could be a superhero flick? A double persona helping people in different ways? I wish I had superpowers (laughs), but I'm just an ordinary person doing what I love the most.
You have 5 releases by now. How would you define your sonority, and how has it evolved since the beginning? It all started in 2017 when I produced my first track, "A Clockwork Orange." I expected nothing from it, but I was quite surprised to realize some of my all-time idols were playing it. Since then, I kept on practicing and released a few more tracks. I don't like to label music, but if I have to, it's house music.
What moment made you happier? Well, it's been a long journey in the last 18 years, filled with great joy and surrounded by amazing people. If you ask me to choose one, I'll have to say it was when I was just finishing my board exam on medical residency and waiting for the jury to tell me my final degree. I started to get some messages from unknown people saying Dixon had played one of my tracks at the Farr Festival (London). At first, I thought they misunderstood it with someone else's track, but then came the videos. I couldn't believe it. When they called me to enter the room and listen to the jury's final remarks, I didn't pay attention to a thing (laughs). One month later, Kristian (part of the duo Âme) came to Porto to play at a festival and asked me why the fact that Dixon had played my track had had such an impact when he had played it the year before at the Innervisions Off Sonar party in Barcelona for 5000 people. I wasn't aware of it and I still can't believe it happened.
So how did your relationship with Rui Trintaeum start? Rui was a local hero for ages, but actually, we just shared the booth for the first time at Passos Manuel back in 2014. Since then, we've been sticking together on this long journey till today. We’ve played countless times together with such consistency that some promoters have started to book us for back to back. It wasn't planned at all.
Who would you love to collaborate with? Hanz Zimmer.
What places and projects excite you more in the Porto music scene? I have a strong connection to Industria Club. As you may have noticed, it's my second home where I've listened to almost all my favorite artists in the last decade. Porto is full of good places and very talented artists.
What do you have planned for the future? I have nothing in mind, I just go with the flow. I made a lot of music during the pandemic, so we'll see what happens.
With your hectic schedule, how do you unwind? There is time to do everything, you just need to organize your time.
Can you choose 5 tracks for us?
In no specific order
Manuel Gottsching - E2E4
Miles Davis - Tutu
The Detroit Experiment - Think Twice
Grace Jones - Williams Blood
Air - La Femme D'Argent
Shop the look
