Interview: Get ready to dance, Throes + The Shine are here!
Throes + The Shine are known for their fiery concerts and their ability to absorb influences, seeking new paths within dance music. With bpms reaching 140, their music is unsuitable for the faint-hearted. They just finished their fourth album produced by Jori Collington, where they joined forces with the Mexican brothers Sotomayor, Mike El Nite, Selma Uamusse e Cachupa Psicadélica.
We caught Igor, Mob, and Marco at a rehearsal where they played us some of the new songs. What an honor. The party was on. The music was so captivating that a friendly neighbor knocked on the door to join the fun. Tie your shoes and get ready to dance!
How did the two bands merge?
The two bands came together in 2010 in a fortuitous meeting on Plano B. However we only got together in 2011 to make music and things evolved from there. We have released three albums and we have undergone several changes in the bands’ formation, now consisting of Igor Domingues, Marco Castro, and Mob Dedaldino.
How does your creative process, usually, looks like?
It varies a little. In the preparation of this new album, there was an involvement of the three in the process, but essentially the instruments begin with ideas that can either come from Marco or from Igor and then work together, with input from the three of us, until we arrive at a structure and lyrics that satisfies us. After that, we take things to a producer so that we can also get an outlook of what we are doing, something that allows us to challenge ourselves and learn new ways of approaching the issues. This entire process takes months and many things are left in the way, but we feel more of evolved as artists.
How would you describe the sonority of the disc you are producing? How do you feel you have evolved since "Wanga"? What new sounds are in the album?
The new album is going to be a lot more mature and worked on than Wanga, although we feel very proud of our third album. In the production of this new album, we felt that our personal evolution has helped a lot, as well as spending the last month of it completely apart from the world, living in a villa in Palmela and recording in a studio attached to it. All the themes were composed between breaks from our tours, but then we isolated ourselves to record and improve everything, something that had never happened before. In previous recording processes we've always been in urban centers (filled with distractions), and it was only I (Marco) and Igor that were there a lot of the time. The fact that we were able to constantly exchange ideas in real-time was very important.
Your stage clothing has also changed. From tropical clothing, you’ve now opted for white, why?
We decided to break from the conception of what people would consider our creative universe. A kind of white screen for the people to imagine what best fits in those moments of celebration that we try to have in our concerts. In the future, we will try other things and we will try to touch other aesthetics that escape from what is expected compared to what was typically associated with our past. The truth is that our sound is in constant metamorphosis and the visual part has to follow this desire to change and experiment.
What's the weirdest place you've ever played?
Perhaps the most bizarre was a private party thrown to celebrate the anniversary of a Dutch coffee shop. It was in a small town in Holland and let's just say there was a cloud hovering around the club as well as a table completely jammed with gums: a good way to prevent those inconvenient munchies. But it was fun to watch the guys trying to keep up to the average 140 bpm of our tracks. I think they got around to 70, it was fun to watch those half-time dance moves.
Can you think of any funny situation while you were on tour?
Maybe that moment when I’m at the backstage bathroom urinals and I hear a guy talking on the cell phone with an Australian accent in the cubicle and trying to (not to hurt any sensibilities) get a little lighter. You start to wash your hands, the cubicle door opens and it's Kevin Parker from the Tame Impala in flip flops. It can happen to anyone.
Do you get different reactions when you play in Portugal from the rest of Europe?
It’s not something we feel a lot. Even in countries where we’re told that people are not very effusive, we end up feeling that they have fun at our concerts. We prepare ourselves in that sense and try to create an environment where people can relax and feel comfortable dancing and having fun. The audience is part of our concerts because we live a symbiosis of energy with them. We need to have fun to feel that we’re doing a good job and so we give it our all to achieve it.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Igor: Fucked Up e Anderson Paak.
Marco: Vince Staples, Auntie Flo, Petite Noir, Nao e Marie Davidson
Mob: Migos, Queen, Childish Gambino, XXXTentacion
What are your favorite spots in Porto?
Igor: Sé, Passeio das Virtudes
Marco: Parque da Cidade
Mob: Jardim das Virtudes
What’s your go-to karaoke music?
Igor: Toy - Estupidamente Apaixonado
Marco: Marvin Gaye - Let’s Get It On
Mob: Quim Barreiros - Garagem da Vizinha
Shop the look
Thank you so much to Igor, Marco and Mob for the time. We had a blast!
Special thanks to Daniela Correia for helping with the translation.