- In the mind's eye of a virgin participant in South America's club scene, Luciano and Brazil would seem to go together like Caipirinhas and sunshine. Vocal chants? Hip-pinching rhythms? Showmanship in abundance? Hello happy marriage. However, upon my arrival in São Paulo I was more than a little surprised to be anecdotally informed of a decidedly average party that he had helmed in Rio merely a week prior in which his brand of a cappella-laden percussive house fell flat on a sizeable pre-carnival crowd.
Photo credit: Fabio Tavares
Counting the likes of Zip, Michael Mayer, Ricardo Villalobos and Richie Hawtin among its list of previous DJ attendees, São Paulo's D-Edge would seem like the preferred Brazilian platform for the Cadenza boss. Since their relocation to their current space in the comfortable surrounds of the city's Barra Funda district almost eight years ago, D-Edge has pushed an alternate agenda from the peripheries of a Brazilian scene still very much embroiled in the big room sounds of trance and electro house. Much like Watergate in Berlin, D-Edge's headline images centre on an eye-popping lighting rig that in this case, means LEDs coating almost every one of the 500 capacity club's surfaces, pulsing seductively in time with the music.
It's certainly an affecting trick but one that renders you temporarily dumbstruck and a little dazed upon initially entering the venue. Luciano was at this point already in full swing. Any suggestion that his sound wouldn't translate to this Brazilian audience was banished from my mind within approximately ten seconds and a single high-pass sweep filter. The club was loud, but mainly due to the collective noise of its patrons; the sound system while powerful in all the correct places, was easy on the ears, facilitating dance floor conversation if you so desired. Despite having a further four hours to toy with, it was clear Luciano was in no mood for cruising in the lower gears. A young and expectant crowd were feeding off every nuance of his party-friendly set, but having seen him spin on a few occasions over the past two years, I couldn't help but feel disappointed to hear so many of the tracks and a cappellas that have been synonymous with his set of late. Much has been made regarding Luciano's shift into housier sounds, which in all honesty is his prerogative. But taking the time to dig out alternate takes on Latino-style vocals shouldn't be beyond his remit.
To these ears, the latter stages of his set provided a far more interesting proposition—sparser arrangements, unpredictability, darker vibes—although the dance floor had remained enraptured throughout. The more rhythm-based workout was greeted with the occasional melody cloud such as M83's "In Church"—an ethereal sidestep Luciano has been peddling for nigh on three years now—and recognizable samples of Lumidee's "Never Leave You." D-Edge owner and resident DJ Renato Ratier joined the Chilean for an hour of back-to-back action before offering up a well-paced closing set on a tough house tip.
Photo credit: Fabio Tavares
Putting to one side my complaints over Luciano's repetition of sounds, the atmosphere throughout the night remained consistently on the edge of celebratory chaos, and as a venue, D-Edge easily rivals any of its European or US counterparts. An abundance of beautiful yet friendly people usually helps a party along, but small touches such as a pay-as-you-drink card system for the bar left a particularly pleasant taste in the mouth. The club may only represent a small niche among a wider scene with its eye clearly fixed on the mainstream, but for locals with a thirst for more refined and restrained styles of electronic music, D-Edge is a refreshing exception to the rule.