Sonic Junior: the dense dance from Alagoas
Exploring the sonic possibilities of personal computers and the richness of Brazilian music, a duo from the northeast makes one of the most interesting albums of the new pop wave
Silvio Essinger
08/01/2001
Computers make art, Pernambuco-born Chico Science used to sing. A few years later, the guys from Alagoas, Aldo Jones, 23, and Juninho, 25 - a.k.a. the power duo Sonic Junior - bring forward the mangue beat concept recording in their home computer one of the most surprising discs of the new Brazilian pop wave: Sonic Junior 
, now being released on Nikita Music. On the one hand, foreign electronic influence, made accessible through software and hardware. On the other hand, the abundant musical sources found in Brazil, shaped as samba, coco, maracatu, baião, frevo and many other styles. Such combination became fruitful in Maceió (capital of Alagoas), a land that has revealed only a few BPM stars, like Djavan, and more recently, the retro-psychedelic band Mopho.
"We have always listened to everything", says vocalist and drummer Juninho, who started out as a hardcore fan and played with the band Living in the Shit, releasing one CD and playing the two most important festivals in Recife: Abril Pro Rock and Rec Beat. Guitarist Aldo also pursued heavy sounds with the band Dread, and used to have a bit of everything on his turntable. "We slowly felt the need to do something crazier. We couldn't use a lot of effects, then", he says. Juninho started using a groovebox. Aldo started exploring music production softwares. Each on his own until 1999, when they decided to work on a project to perform the drummer's songs as a duo.
Settled at the Sonic Estúdios, in Maceió - that is, Aldo's computer and mixer -, they began experimenting. Juninho would program bass and drums, while the guitarist would add colors to the sound. Then, the drummer would reinforce the drum machine, adding a human touch to the programmed rhythms. Some tips (and the name of the band) were given by producer Beto Machado, who had also produced the Living In The Shit CD, but Sonic Junior, the album, was basically an effort by the two, who were out to explore softwares and find solutions. "We worked a lot upon the timbres", tells Juninho. The guys only had to put out two demo CDs - whose repercussion around the southeast, after a few stops in São Paulo, attracted Nikita's attention, quickly allowing them to sign up the deal for this album.
Sonic Junior features a large sonic gamut, from funk-R&B in tracks like Acelerou and A Negra to the jazzy approach of Brito Bolão, Eu Tô Aí and Raga Jazz/U41-42 (one part is Latin-flavored, the other is trip hop). Aldo's guitar is rich in timbres and harmony, sometimes sounding very 80s, like in Água and Esqueleto. Juninho's lyrics, in their turn (some are written with Wado Filho) are stories that flow very naturally, always respecting some kind of logic. Among the countless influences suffered by the duo - Manu Chao, Dave Holmes, Fela Kuti, The Meters and Banda Black Rio - one is a true highlight, and not surprisingly: no one other than the national preference, Jorge Ben. His gem O Telefone Tocou Novamente was picked to be the only cover in this disc.
In spite of being so close to the mangue beat, Juninho will not compare Sonic Junior to the bands from Pernambuco: "We're from the Northeast, but we're not the same". With the album hitting the stores, both are now touring the country. On stage, they go like this: Juninho clicks the groovebox, sings and plays the drums, while Aldo plays his guitar and does some backing vocals. Working hard, they bet on the commercial possibilities of the dense, dance-driven sound of Sonic Junior. "We don't wanna be in a ghetto, we want to reach all types of people", says the drummer.
, now being released on Nikita Music. On the one hand, foreign electronic influence, made accessible through software and hardware. On the other hand, the abundant musical sources found in Brazil, shaped as samba, coco, maracatu, baião, frevo and many other styles. Such combination became fruitful in Maceió (capital of Alagoas), a land that has revealed only a few BPM stars, like Djavan, and more recently, the retro-psychedelic band Mopho.
"We have always listened to everything", says vocalist and drummer Juninho, who started out as a hardcore fan and played with the band Living in the Shit, releasing one CD and playing the two most important festivals in Recife: Abril Pro Rock and Rec Beat. Guitarist Aldo also pursued heavy sounds with the band Dread, and used to have a bit of everything on his turntable. "We slowly felt the need to do something crazier. We couldn't use a lot of effects, then", he says. Juninho started using a groovebox. Aldo started exploring music production softwares. Each on his own until 1999, when they decided to work on a project to perform the drummer's songs as a duo.
Settled at the Sonic Estúdios, in Maceió - that is, Aldo's computer and mixer -, they began experimenting. Juninho would program bass and drums, while the guitarist would add colors to the sound. Then, the drummer would reinforce the drum machine, adding a human touch to the programmed rhythms. Some tips (and the name of the band) were given by producer Beto Machado, who had also produced the Living In The Shit CD, but Sonic Junior, the album, was basically an effort by the two, who were out to explore softwares and find solutions. "We worked a lot upon the timbres", tells Juninho. The guys only had to put out two demo CDs - whose repercussion around the southeast, after a few stops in São Paulo, attracted Nikita's attention, quickly allowing them to sign up the deal for this album.
Sonic Junior features a large sonic gamut, from funk-R&B in tracks like Acelerou and A Negra to the jazzy approach of Brito Bolão, Eu Tô Aí and Raga Jazz/U41-42 (one part is Latin-flavored, the other is trip hop). Aldo's guitar is rich in timbres and harmony, sometimes sounding very 80s, like in Água and Esqueleto. Juninho's lyrics, in their turn (some are written with Wado Filho) are stories that flow very naturally, always respecting some kind of logic. Among the countless influences suffered by the duo - Manu Chao, Dave Holmes, Fela Kuti, The Meters and Banda Black Rio - one is a true highlight, and not surprisingly: no one other than the national preference, Jorge Ben. His gem O Telefone Tocou Novamente was picked to be the only cover in this disc.
In spite of being so close to the mangue beat, Juninho will not compare Sonic Junior to the bands from Pernambuco: "We're from the Northeast, but we're not the same". With the album hitting the stores, both are now touring the country. On stage, they go like this: Juninho clicks the groovebox, sings and plays the drums, while Aldo plays his guitar and does some backing vocals. Working hard, they bet on the commercial possibilities of the dense, dance-driven sound of Sonic Junior. "We don't wanna be in a ghetto, we want to reach all types of people", says the drummer.