Lisbon based PEDRO started making music when he was in school around seven years ago. Initially inspired by his older brother’s techno collection and the kizomba and kuduro he’d hear when he was hanging outside with his friends. Growing up with this “really cool blend of cultures and sounds” shaped the way he listens and makes music to this day.
He also cites his biggest inspiration as Buraka Som Sistema – “they were the first ones from Lisbon to make it big worldwide. If it wasn’t for them, a lot of kids like me wouldn’t be doing this,” but at the moment he’s also being pushed on to make the best music he can not only by a very fervent and active local scene in Lisbon but “a lot of great music being done in the entire country.” He finds that the “will and determination that all the new guys like me are putting into the work they do, ends up fueling me as well and it makes me work even harder.”
At the moment PEDRO is putting the finishing touches to his debut album which will be released by Enchufada (the label run by Branko of Buraka Som Sistema) later in 2019. Still deep in perfecting the record he says he has spent a lot of time “thinking about what would be the best way to make something that could show the way I hear and see specific things; how those thing’s inspire me to make the music that I do and how I can get my music connect with other artists buy working with some friends and people I admire a lot on almost every track of the album.”
The second taste of his upcoming album is “Too Much” a collaboration with Magugu that will drop on June 7th. Its follows his early April released instrumental cut “Rapazes” that received praise from DJs like Gilles Peterson. Talking about “Too Much” Pedro notes that he was aiming for universal appeal – the kind of track “that could be heard in your car with friends, on Spotify, during a workout or on a dance class.” He notes “I’m not in a “place” where I can just make a club record because I don’t feel like that’s the correct way for me to do things.” Despite his word the track is sure to end up in a wide range of DJ sets. But it’s an important distinction – like his label mates at Enchufada PEDRO is aiming for a more universal sound – not just dance floor fodder. He sums up the new cut noting that his collaboration with Magugu “was a good challenge for both of us because you can really hear and feel both identities in the track.” You can expect to hear more unique collaborations on Pedro’s debut album too. Stay tuned.
released June 7, 2019
