After being featured in the 62nd volume of Focus Five back in May, it’s already time for KARAN! to debut on FUXWITHIT’s main page. As mentioned in the column, If you are here for the culture and not just for the clout that surrounds the Brazillian sounds at the moment, KARAN! and his brand-new MOVADÃO EP will pave the way.
“MOVADÃO is probably the best piece of music I’ve ever made” the just-turned-18 producer says, “I just went crazy on it and poured my anger in all the songs“. Released on Slow Roast Records, the project is composed of five tracks that reflect KARAN!’s interpretation of various styles of Brazilian funk while encompassing elements and influences from plenty of other electronic music heritages. As anticipated directly by him, the result is a collection of furious beats that take the listener literally by assault.
While ‘MOVADÃO’, the opening title track, might sound pretty “classic,” at least for those familiar with this genre sound, it’s just a prelude to the madness that comes right after. For example, the insanity of ‘AKITA’, where a massive wobbling bassline combines with hardstyle elements and Portuguese lyrics, or the perforating synth in ‘KELATA’ which makes the tracks sound like a collaboration between KARAN! and Shangai Doom. The broken rhythms of ‘MOVIMENTA’ deliver the most syncopated piece of baile funk I’ve ever heard while ‘ADENTO’ flirts with abrasive sounds that might appeal to even dubstep and riddim fans.
“I always like to do different stuff, taking inspiration from everyone else. That’s always been the main goal of the KARAN! project” adds the producer, who started the alias at the age of 14 years old, after his friend Klean (the mind behind the infamous Rude Boy edit played at Super Bowl) introduced him to the marvelous anarchy of the SoundCloud scene. “Some tracks were made in days like ‘MOVADÃO’. I made this song way faster than everything I’ve ever made in my life. Others, like ‘MOVIMENTA’, are from months ago. It was made last year and it was supposed to be a single release, but since I wanted the EP to be aggressive and represent the different Brazillian funk styles in my style of music, I just threw this track in there.”
As someone who is completely new to this sound and this scene, I admit I had to recalibrate my approach as a listener and writer to get on the same vibe with the widely different production style of KARAN! and most of the other Brazilian producers I’ve discovered so far. It took a while, but then the fun began. Assuming that it may be the same for many of you, I urge you not to be too influenced by the first listen. Do not fall back into the routine of passive binge listening and indulge in the fascination of active, inquisitive listening: it’s worth it. After all, what is more fun than breaking through the wall of our comfort zone and throwing ourselves into the arms of new, challenging things?
Listen to MOVADÃO below or on your favorite platform.
