Branko has gained international recognition through his prolific music output and ability to realize his artistic vision. As a co-founder of Buraka Som Sistema, he is responsible for spawning a myriad of sub-genres that have shaped the Global Club Music scene and have been championed by the producer’s Lisbon-based label, Enchufada.
His work includes iconic DJ sets, radio contributions to BBC’s Radio 1 Residency and NTS, the documentary series Club Atlas for RTP, and notable collaborations with artists like MIA, Pierre Kwenders, Mayra Andrade, Dino D’Santiago, Sango, Dengue Dengue Dengue, Princess Nokia, and Zebra Katz, among others. Catch the Portuguese DJ and producer at Berlin’s Gretchen Club on November 30 as part of his European Soma ∞ tour.
Upcoming EU tour dates:
28 NOV Coliseu, Lisboa, PT
30 NOV Gretchen, Berlin, DE
13 DEC Rust, Copenhagen, DK
14 DEC Jazzklubben Nefertiti, Gothenburg, SE
FACTS
1. I love to travel
2. Long walks are important
3. Music is the door to a different world
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Lisbon.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
I got hooked on making music with computer software around age 18. It started as a hobby, sparked by a CD-ROM with cracked music software, and by the time I was 22, it had become my life.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
Sara Tavares – Fitxado
A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders
Miles Davis – In a Silent Way
M.I.A. – Arular
Sault – 5
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
Berlin feels like its own planet—different rules, different aesthetics, different everything. I’ll always associate it with experimentation and a futuristic vibe. I love it.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
My studio.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
I’d probably run a small business in a neighborhood, maybe a grocery shop, or whatever made sense. I like the idea of having my own little world.
7. What was the last record/music you bought or listen?
The album Caju by Brazilian singer Liniker.
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I’ve always had a soft spot for UK music. Right now, I’d love to collaborate with artists like Little Simz, Claro Sol, Sampha, etc.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Probably not my best ever, but I remember an amazing show in Berlin at Mauerpark with my old band, Buraka Som Sistema. Right before the show, I went to one of those disposable toilets, accidentally dropped my phone in, and lost it forever. But the show was so good, with so much energy from the crowd, that I forgot about it two minutes after walking on stage.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Technology is at the heart and soul of my creative process, but not in a way where I feel pressured to keep everything updated. For me, it’s about starting on a laptop, transforming sounds, textures, and creating rhythms—often organic-sounding—in a software environment. It’s pretty much what I do all day.
11. Please tell us a bit about your new album and the making.
In March this year, I released an album called Soma, which was heavily based around a three-day jam session I did in Lisbon with some of my favorite, most talented musicians from the city. This brought a new palette and textures to the music, making it more conceptual than usual. Because of this specific aesthetic, some songs didn’t fit in, which gave me the idea to release a deluxe version, where I could include the music I’d been working on at the time, and Soma ∞ was born.
