Terminal V Podcast 028 || Valentina Luz

Brazilian artist Valentina Luz is in the process of blazing a trail for everybody not just the LGBTQIA+ community which she is proud to be representing. Her modelling career goes hand in hand with her DJ career but has never let one overshadow the other. In fact, each accentuates the other that give’s the Mamba Negro resident the perfect platform to utilise her undoubted musical influence.

As an artist, Valentina’s sound is hard to pin down but this most definitely is one of her many strengths. Shifting between feel good house, bleepy techno and more vocal moods Valentina has also recently come to the attention of Scottish electronic moguls Slam amongst many others. Regardless of the sound that she chooses to project her Brazilian roots are never far from her mind and the grooves that she employs always hit their mark.

In advance of her mix for our podcast series we caught up with Valentina to find how the artist is making tracks to break out of her native Brazil and on to the international stage…

 

Hey Valentina, how has your summer been going so far? Where have you been spending your time this year?

In Brazil it’s winter at this time of year, it’s not as cold as in Europe, but I’m a person who loves summer so this Brazilian winter I’ve been staying more at home. Also to be honest, Brazil is still suffering a lot from the pandemic, leaving home is always a risk at the moment.

How was the club scene for you growing up? What sort of parties and music were you into at that point?

I’ve closely followed the growth of some Brazilian parties and collectives and I’m very proud to be a resident of Mamba Negra, I love to see the performances at each set and it also makes me very excited to meet independent artists from the national and international scene at each mamba negra party. is an artistic expression that inspires everyone around!

Do you see yourself relocating at any point due to your music career? Perhaps one of Europe’s many hub like Berlin or Amsterdam?

This is one of my biggest dreams right now. brazil is a very difficult country for girls like me and this makes me project my career and goals outside the country and i hope that in the near future i will be in some european country i can work and exist with dignity!

How did this lead you to become a DJ?

I had a need to see myself in a prominent place, starting DJing was a way of retaking my origins and I was excited by the fact that my work as a multi-artist could bring another narrative to a space that is currently dominated by cis people gender.

Tell us how did you celebrate Pride Month?

Like I said at the beginning of the interview. Brazil is still going through a difficult time in the health area, so this year the month of pride was calm, I ended up doing some work but the demand decreased a lot and that’s sad, I’m hoping that things will go well next year more pleasant.

What has been your experience with the LBGT+ community and the main stream club scene connecting?

I have learned a lot from the LGBTQIA+ scene, it is always very important to be open to new possibilities and the community brings important reflections. I learn daily and find it worthwhile to deconstruct myself daily.

Have you found movements such as Pride Month have made a real difference to this connection?

With Pride Month I was able to meet other LGBTQia+ people that I didn’t have access to before, this is very important because I feel represented on TV and in other spaces that I didn’t see plurality before.

How has the unlocking process been going in Brazil and how has the events scene been recovering?

The process is very slow, it is complicated to talk about health and care when we have such an inhuman president, but we remain firm in the search for the best for our people. The scenario is slowly coming back and this is complicated for people who work with events, now that the vaccine is coming to almost everyone, things are starting to loosen up.

Can we expect any productions from you in the near future or are you purely a selector?

Wait, I really want to be a producer but I am taking my time to learns, research and building up my knowledge. The moment will come, but for now I have a lot of fun being a DJ.

You have mixed our latest podcast what can we expect?

A dance mix that brings with it great nostalgia for a dance floor full of happy people. The goal is to take this happiness anywhere in the world!

Where can we catch you in action next?

I have two dates in this new format in Brazil, 12/08 in tokyo Club and 28/08 in CaosClub.

Thank you so much 🙂

 

Interview by  Stu Todd