Reggae · September 14, 2010
Experience, ideology and plans: Surforeggae interviews Lucas Kastrup of Ponto de Equilíbrio!
One of the leading bands today, Ponto de Equilíbrio has known how to grow and, with talent and intelligence, STAY in this unfortunately very
One of the leading bands today, Ponto de Equilíbrio has known how to grow and, with talent and intelligence, STAY in this unfortunately very unstable national reggae market. Check out Rafael Costa's interview from Surforeggae with Lucas Kastrup, covering topics that range from ideology and the rich experience gained to the future plans of the guys from Vila Isabel.
1 - How do you assess the band's maturation from the early days until now? What has changed from then to now? Was there anything you changed along the way and then went back on, or would go back on?
Lucas Kastrup: Everything is part of the journey. We are happy with the band's current artistic moment. We enjoy going on stage together to play our songs. Everything we have gone through is part of maturing, and we want to go even further in the maturation of joyful, good Rastafari reggae. What we want to make clear to the audience is that we will not change our direction.
2 - Which places in Brazil have the warmest reggae audience toward the band? Is there any special memory from a specific show?
Lucas Kastrup: It is hard to talk about one specific place because, thank God, we are warmly received everywhere we go. The first city that welcomed us that way was São Paulo. Today Salvador also always welcomes us with enthusiasm, singing our work. Fortaleza and other cities in the Northeast, Porto Alegre, and Minas Gerais should also be remembered, Brasília as well, and so on. Rio de Janeiro, being our cradle, is also very special to Ponto de Equilíbrio. We have nothing to complain about regarding the audience's warmth and reception.
3 - How did the opportunity come up to record with major international reggae names like Don Carlos and The Congos?
Lucas Kastrup: We have listened to reggae since we were very young, and for us recording with icons of the old Jamaican school seemed like a utopia. When the guys from The Congos came to play in Brazil, we rode together on the same bus from Rio to SP and then arranged to go to the studio in São Paulo. We showed the song "Novo Dia" and they liked it. We gave ideas, but let them build the backing vocals. Then we translated part of the lyrics and gave a "free" space for Cedric Myton and the others to record. After a few attempts, the result is there. I, as the composer of "Novo Dia", thought it was great.
4 - You have already represented Brazil outside the country. Which places received you best? What was it like to play at Rototom Sunsplash, one of the biggest festivals of the genre in the world? Are songs in Portuguese well received there, or did the language barrier speak louder?
Lucas Kastrup: We went to Europe 3 times and passed through Portugal, Italy, Germany, and Norway. We made about two English versions of our songs, but Brazilian music is highly valued abroad, and I think language is not a barrier in this case. We played in amazing places: in Norway it was the season when it stays daylight all the time, so we played around midnight under full sun with a rainbow and everything... At Rototom Sunsplash in Italy it was the greatest honor, one of the biggest reggae festivals in the world; we played before Heptones (from Jamaica). An unforgettable experience.
5 - You preach the Rastafari issue a lot in your lyrics. Do you consider yourselves rastas? If yes, what is being a rasta for you?
Lucas Kastrup: Yes. We believe this force guides our work. For us Rastafari is the original Christian, who seeks contact with nature and ancestors. One of the translations of the word is "RAS"head and "TAFARI" Creator. So, regardless of a physical representation, we are connected to Universal Intelligence: the Head of the Creator.
6 - How is the new album going? Is there any song the band sees as its big bet on it? As it was with "Aonde Vai Chegar (Coisa Feia)"?
Lucas Kastrup: I think this is not an album of "one song". We are releasing the "Stay Alive" video and putting "Malandragem às Avessas" on the radio. After those there is "O que eu vejo", today sung as much as "Aonde vai chegar?(coisa feia)", and there is also "Santa Kaya", "Novo Dia", "Odisséia", "Hipócritas", and the album goes on...
7 - Ponto de Equilíbrio is considered one of the biggest names in current national reggae. Are there rising or still unknown bands that you see with great potential to reach bigger audiences? Which ones?
Lucas Kastrup: I really like bands that stopped playing or are slowly coming back, such as Unidade Punho Forte (Niterói), Filhos da Luz (Rio de Janeiro), in their various lineups. I also admire the work of band Aliança (Niterói), Vibrações, I think from Maceió, among others.
8 - How do you evaluate the national market for the rhythm you work with? What could or needs to improve?
Lucas Kastrup: I think that, unlike Europe and California, reggae is still very marginalized in Brazil, often treated as "pothead stuff". We lack programs on major radio stations, more magazines and specialized websites, with good texts and interviews with big reggae names. Reggae people need to rise up! But I think it's close to happening, I believe in it.
9 - The "Pedrada" issue moved many people in artistic and business circles, when the band's bassist was unjustly arrested for growing herb in his backyard. Would you like to leave any kind of message or say something about the subject that has not yet been said?
Lucas Kastrup: The song "Santa Kaya", released before the incident, already talks about the theme. I invite everyone to listen to this song carefully!
10 - At first you were independent and achieved great success with the first album. Soon after came a CD with a major label. Was there any imposition on how the band's sound should be on that occasion? Some fans complained the band is no longer the same; what could you comment about that?
Lucas Kastrup: We tried the label aiming to have our records sold in a larger number of stores, have our videos on more TV programs, etc. It did not work very well because often their mindset is to standardize everything; they are not open to what is different, to the new. Labels are declining, and the internet is now the main medium. We want people to buy our record for the art and everything, but we are not bothered by those who get it through the internet. It is part of our time and, therefore, we chose to return to full independence. We like to have a say in everything: music, art, video clip, and we do not need someone trying to shape us into what we definitely are not.
11 - How is the release of the new album across Brazil going? On some occasions you shared the stage with the great Jamaican Don Carlos, with whom you recorded "Stay Alive". How was that experience?
Lucas Kastrup: The release is going well. As I mentioned, we are always well received, and we usually thank the Most High for living this in today's Brazil. Don Carlos is a reggae master, and we joke that he became our Godfather. Every meeting with him was a blessing of joy. He would come on stage with us and sing "Stay Alive" with love and sparkle in his eyes. He liked talking in the dressing room and at the hotel. Later, in his show, he would call someone from Ponto to come on stage and would pay us tribute. Long live Don Carlos!
12 - Are there already plans to record a DVD?
Lucas Kastrup: I think this should be our next project. Everyone wants it, and so do we. Now it is time to work for it, soon, but still without a definite forecast. We like to do things properly. Some DVDs of ours are sold around, but none is official; therefore, we want ours to come with our artistic signature.
13 - We at Surforeggae thank you for the interview. The space is yours to leave a message for fans or about whatever you want.
Lucas Kastrup: We are the ones who thank you. Surforeggae is today a key space for the reggae scene. We wish it prospers. A big hug to everyone who vibrates positively! JahBless! Lucas Kastrup.
THE INTERVIEW
1 - How do you assess the band's maturation from the early days until now? What has changed from then to now? Was there anything you changed along the way and then went back on, or would go back on?
Lucas Kastrup: Everything is part of the journey. We are happy with the band's current artistic moment. We enjoy going on stage together to play our songs. Everything we have gone through is part of maturing, and we want to go even further in the maturation of joyful, good Rastafari reggae. What we want to make clear to the audience is that we will not change our direction.
2 - Which places in Brazil have the warmest reggae audience toward the band? Is there any special memory from a specific show?
Lucas Kastrup: It is hard to talk about one specific place because, thank God, we are warmly received everywhere we go. The first city that welcomed us that way was São Paulo. Today Salvador also always welcomes us with enthusiasm, singing our work. Fortaleza and other cities in the Northeast, Porto Alegre, and Minas Gerais should also be remembered, Brasília as well, and so on. Rio de Janeiro, being our cradle, is also very special to Ponto de Equilíbrio. We have nothing to complain about regarding the audience's warmth and reception.
3 - How did the opportunity come up to record with major international reggae names like Don Carlos and The Congos?
Lucas Kastrup: We have listened to reggae since we were very young, and for us recording with icons of the old Jamaican school seemed like a utopia. When the guys from The Congos came to play in Brazil, we rode together on the same bus from Rio to SP and then arranged to go to the studio in São Paulo. We showed the song "Novo Dia" and they liked it. We gave ideas, but let them build the backing vocals. Then we translated part of the lyrics and gave a "free" space for Cedric Myton and the others to record. After a few attempts, the result is there. I, as the composer of "Novo Dia", thought it was great.
(Ponto de Equilíbrio and The Congos with "Novo Dia")
As for Don Carlos, he recorded his part of "Stay Alive" in Florida, and we only met later in Brazil through Rafael from Surforegae. We did some performances together, and then he came to Vila Isabel. We had lunch together at the mother of Pedro and Tiago from Ponto's house, and spent the whole day recording images through the streets of Vila Isabel. The result is the "Stay Alive" video clip, to be shown for the first time on the big screen at Fundição Progresso, on September 11. After that it will be on YouTube etc., worth checking out. Don Carlos is a different kind of person, with elevated spiritual vibration; it was worth meeting him in person.
4 - You have already represented Brazil outside the country. Which places received you best? What was it like to play at Rototom Sunsplash, one of the biggest festivals of the genre in the world? Are songs in Portuguese well received there, or did the language barrier speak louder?
Lucas Kastrup: We went to Europe 3 times and passed through Portugal, Italy, Germany, and Norway. We made about two English versions of our songs, but Brazilian music is highly valued abroad, and I think language is not a barrier in this case. We played in amazing places: in Norway it was the season when it stays daylight all the time, so we played around midnight under full sun with a rainbow and everything... At Rototom Sunsplash in Italy it was the greatest honor, one of the biggest reggae festivals in the world; we played before Heptones (from Jamaica). An unforgettable experience.
5 - You preach the Rastafari issue a lot in your lyrics. Do you consider yourselves rastas? If yes, what is being a rasta for you?
Lucas Kastrup: Yes. We believe this force guides our work. For us Rastafari is the original Christian, who seeks contact with nature and ancestors. One of the translations of the word is "RAS"head and "TAFARI" Creator. So, regardless of a physical representation, we are connected to Universal Intelligence: the Head of the Creator.
6 - How is the new album going? Is there any song the band sees as its big bet on it? As it was with "Aonde Vai Chegar (Coisa Feia)"?
Lucas Kastrup: I think this is not an album of "one song". We are releasing the "Stay Alive" video and putting "Malandragem às Avessas" on the radio. After those there is "O que eu vejo", today sung as much as "Aonde vai chegar?(coisa feia)", and there is also "Santa Kaya", "Novo Dia", "Odisséia", "Hipócritas", and the album goes on...
7 - Ponto de Equilíbrio is considered one of the biggest names in current national reggae. Are there rising or still unknown bands that you see with great potential to reach bigger audiences? Which ones?
Lucas Kastrup: I really like bands that stopped playing or are slowly coming back, such as Unidade Punho Forte (Niterói), Filhos da Luz (Rio de Janeiro), in their various lineups. I also admire the work of band Aliança (Niterói), Vibrações, I think from Maceió, among others.
8 - How do you evaluate the national market for the rhythm you work with? What could or needs to improve?
Lucas Kastrup: I think that, unlike Europe and California, reggae is still very marginalized in Brazil, often treated as "pothead stuff". We lack programs on major radio stations, more magazines and specialized websites, with good texts and interviews with big reggae names. Reggae people need to rise up! But I think it's close to happening, I believe in it.
9 - The "Pedrada" issue moved many people in artistic and business circles, when the band's bassist was unjustly arrested for growing herb in his backyard. Would you like to leave any kind of message or say something about the subject that has not yet been said?
Lucas Kastrup: The song "Santa Kaya", released before the incident, already talks about the theme. I invite everyone to listen to this song carefully!
10 - At first you were independent and achieved great success with the first album. Soon after came a CD with a major label. Was there any imposition on how the band's sound should be on that occasion? Some fans complained the band is no longer the same; what could you comment about that?
Lucas Kastrup: We tried the label aiming to have our records sold in a larger number of stores, have our videos on more TV programs, etc. It did not work very well because often their mindset is to standardize everything; they are not open to what is different, to the new. Labels are declining, and the internet is now the main medium. We want people to buy our record for the art and everything, but we are not bothered by those who get it through the internet. It is part of our time and, therefore, we chose to return to full independence. We like to have a say in everything: music, art, video clip, and we do not need someone trying to shape us into what we definitely are not.
11 - How is the release of the new album across Brazil going? On some occasions you shared the stage with the great Jamaican Don Carlos, with whom you recorded "Stay Alive". How was that experience?
Lucas Kastrup: The release is going well. As I mentioned, we are always well received, and we usually thank the Most High for living this in today's Brazil. Don Carlos is a reggae master, and we joke that he became our Godfather. Every meeting with him was a blessing of joy. He would come on stage with us and sing "Stay Alive" with love and sparkle in his eyes. He liked talking in the dressing room and at the hotel. Later, in his show, he would call someone from Ponto to come on stage and would pay us tribute. Long live Don Carlos!
12 - Are there already plans to record a DVD?
Lucas Kastrup: I think this should be our next project. Everyone wants it, and so do we. Now it is time to work for it, soon, but still without a definite forecast. We like to do things properly. Some DVDs of ours are sold around, but none is official; therefore, we want ours to come with our artistic signature.
13 - We at Surforeggae thank you for the interview. The space is yours to leave a message for fans or about whatever you want.
Lucas Kastrup: We are the ones who thank you. Surforeggae is today a key space for the reggae scene. We wish it prospers. A big hug to everyone who vibrates positively! JahBless! Lucas Kastrup.Category
#Reggae