No sonic terrain is too treacherous for Brazilian sound explorer Gabriel Moraes.
Ahead of his next expedition, Gabriel joins us for a chat about music, moving to Melbourne and what he wants from Santa for Christmas.
What have been some of your highlights of 2019?
The biggest highlight for me this year was definitely moving to Australia. I’ve toured here twice in the past few years and I felt that it was something I needed to do now. It felt right.
The way people in Australia accept my music simply inspires me to keep writing music and to be true to myself without having to follow some other style that is trending right now. I’ve had some of the best shows and crowd responses in 2019, which is really special to me.
How do you like to prepare yourself for a show?
I never play the same set twice and for that reason I’m always searching for new and exciting music to play at my shows. Also, I’m always writing new tracks in the studio and my gigs are an awesome opportunity to test them out.
I don’t like to think too deeply about my next gigs, I just organise my music library and make sure I’m prepared for different crowds and vibes. Overthinking is something that can leave you frozen and unable to interpret crowds correctly, so I steer clear of it.
Why did you choose to move to Melbourne?
Every time I travelled to Melbourne it felt like home. I love everything about it: vibes, pubs and clubs, parks and museums, the city centre, the surrounding suburbs and believe it or not. . . even the weather, haha!
There’s something very special that attracts me to Melbourne and I’m really glad I have the opportunity to live here. Every day I fall in love with it.
Did you experience any culture shock when you first moved to Australia?
Not really, to be honest. I find Australians and Brazilians to be similar and that’s probably one of the reasons I moved here. The weather, beaches and cultures also draw similarities between the two countries.
I feel as well that Brazilians and Australians have a similar taste for music. They are both maturing countries and currently evolving quickly when it comes to the electronic music scene.
What do you have planned for your set at Earth Frequency Festival?
Playing at Australian 'doof' style festivals is always a special thing for me, but performing at Earth Frequency has been on my wish list for a few years now. It’s such an honour to be a part of their 15th anniversary edition and my expectations for my performance are high. I’m definitely going to play a lot of new material I’ve been recently writing, including a new intro track which is almost finished.
Who are some acts you’d like to check out at EFF?
The line-up is looking really good and I wish I could just see everyone to experience all corners of what the festival offers. But, I’m definitely going to do my best to not miss Thomas Schumacher, Opiuo, KOAN Sound and Terrafractyl.
What are your Christmas/ end-of-year plans?
Good question. That’s something that I haven’t stopped to think about. So many things going on in my life right now that Christmas and NYE plans were left aside. Probably going to cook some good food and have a few drinks with my friends.
Santa’s on his way... what’s he bringing you?
Hopefully a new synth, Haha! Jokes aside though, my Christmas gift this year is everything that has already been happening in my career and life throughout 2019.
I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to live in a different country and play my music for people that are as passionate as I am about music. It wouldn’t be fair to ask Santa for more than this.
Some artists you’ve been listening to recently?
I usually listen to a wide variety of music genres. My Spotify playlist comprises metal, all the way to jazz. I couldn’t say one name in particular, but one of my favourite things to do is creating playlists on Spotify with different types of music to suit my crazy moods. I also love how the app’s algorithm helped me discover so many new upcoming artists and great music in a way that I never have before.
Your favourite app for passing time?
I’m not a big fan of games, especially on my phone, but I do love a little bit of comedy to kill some time.
When I’m bored or just want to take my mind off work for a minute, I usually enter the vortex that is 9gag or YouTube. It’s not unusual to see me laughing at funny animal compilations or silly things like that, but I try to not get too distracted.
What do you hope to achieve in 2020?
First and foremost, I’m going to keep making music and playing for my audience. Of course, I’m working towards some bigger and better releases and gigs, but just being able to keep doing what I am doing and making a living out of my music is what matters the most to me. I know the rest will come with time.
