Sweet Music RecommendsDudu Palandre and Décio Deep form the duo Anhanguera, which for 18 years has been delivering an energetic house music that rocks national and international dance floors. With so much time on the road, the artists’ backgrounds are full of stories and experiences that they shared in this interview with us.
Hello Dudu and Décio! How is 2022 going for you guys? Anhanguera was on a break from the dance floors between 2019 and 2021 and came back at the end of last year. How has this comeback been?
Anhanguera: The return has been gradual and more local. Before the pandemic we used to play more often out of the state, but the logistics costs became prohibitive in some cases and we now play more locally.
Your career has been going on for about 18 years now. When you started, which DJs, labels and parties inspired you? Are they still references?
Many labels from the time we started are hot again, like Classic Music, which is currently part of the Defected family. Another one that has been releasing cool stuff is Large Music, also from Chicago. Some artists that continue to inspire us and that we enjoyed a lot when we started Anhanguera are: Miguel Migs, Jimpster, and Homero Spinosa. A bunch of guys that have definitely kept deep house up to date. In terms of parties, perhaps the most iconic one that has been active since the beginning of Anhanguera and serves as inspiration not only for us but for all lovers of pure house music is the Queen party at Smart Bar in Chicago.
As the years go by, of course, references and tastes change. Nowadays, what would you say are the main inspirations? Also, how has your relationship with music changed during this time?
We have been doing a regular show on Energy radio, (https://radioenergy.club/) every Friday at 10pm where we mix music from the 90s with music from the 2000s and new releases of the year. It’s amazing how our taste for house music remains the same and it’s often difficult to identify in our set if a song is from 2022 or 2002 for example, because our music is timeless. House music from deep to tech. But of course we were discovering new artists that were adding new layers to our music, but the essence hasn’t changed. To give you some references, our sets range from Kerri Chandler to Darius Syrossian. From Dam Swindle to Trucillo. From Art of Tones to Olliver Dollar.
And the performance differences. Do you notice changes in running a dance floor in the beginning and now? Not only in terms of experience, but in the dynamics with the public…
Anhanguera: Nothing replaces experience. Even the most talented DJs don’t play like the most experienced ones. The years on the dance floor and Anhanguera’s vast repertoire within the house music genres provide a unique experience for the dance floor. Of course our sound varies depending on the audience, but without losing our identity. Over the years we have learned to adapt to different dance floor profiles, to play for a more intimate audience or at a large open air festival. Our intention is always to engage the audience in a journey through the history of house music, without losing the fun.
And how does your production process work as a duo? How do you coordinate your creative ideas and collaborate with each other?
We always align ourselves, exchange ideas and references, but Dudu is more in charge of the studio work. He has improved the technical part a lot throughout these 15 years and built an impressive bank of samples with references that we have collected throughout his career.
Dee’s Definition is the most recent Anhanguera’s release, by Guesthouse Music
You also run a label, Maracujá Recordings, totally focused on and committed to House Music. How did the idea of the label come up? Which were the most outstanding releases and the ones you have most enjoyed working with so far?
Initially the idea was to represent the Jackin scene in Brazil, as the first local label of its kind. Currently is more focused on supporting the releases of Anhanguera, being the biggest highlight so far the track Cirandisco that was licensed for a collection of Glitterbox which belongs to the label Defected.
This year, you also got a radio show, “Anhaguera na Pista” on Energy Music Radio. What is the purpose of the show and how has this experience been?
The idea is to present our repertoire collected in more than 25 years of DJing in house music, mixing news with underground classics and even tracks that have broken this wall and reached the mainstream.
Finally, what are the next plans for Anhanguera? Is there anything new coming up?
Playing, making music, eventually throwing a house party again. In short, continuing our journey in the scene.
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