Words by: Chase
For musician/singer/song-writer Curumin, the world has been his ghetto blaster since he began creating music for the masses at age 7. His music has always had a distinct international flair, drawing inspiration from practically everywhere. Now on his sophmore album, JapanPopShow (JPS), Curumin feels no pressure proclaiming, “If tomorrow, I want to do traditional Russian music…I will.”
Was the original JapanPopShow your favorite TV show?
NO, no, JapanPopShow was boring. The name of the album is connected with the time of the world I grew up in. JapanPopShow is a name that, for me, makes an image of our world now and in the past.
Who do we have to thank for your particular blend of melody?
We? I don’t know about we! Who are you? Hahaha! The music was so diverse and there are so many styles. Recently I’ve been looking to the great and experimental maestros, like Duke Ellington, Rogerio Duprat, Moacir Santos, Axelrod, Lalo Schifrin.
Can you pinpoint the moment you said “forget the BS; music is where I want to be?”
This just happened last year, when I quit teaching. In Brazil it’s not easy to be a professional musican. So I tried other jobs until I was more established in music. Last year I felt comfortable enough to quit teaching and focus on just music. But I like teaching; someday I will return to it.
Is music the be all end all?
No, but I guess that any kind of art has this motor that is the creativity and this is an energy that ends. Hmm…not completely, but I imagine that, at some point, you must focus that energy on other things to keep it alive. Maybe plants; sometimes I think I could work with plants.
How is the way you approached JPS different from the way you approached composing your previous album Achados e Perdidos?
Hmm…Everything changed so fast. Well first of all mp3, and mp3 players really came into my life between those two records. It changed the way I listen to music. I heard thousands of songs all day long. So there are more references, artists, genres, and they get more mixed. When I did Achados e Perdidos, I was very fresh with computer producing. Now it’s clearer to me the many new possibilities that the tecnology gives me.
Will you ever make any foreign langauge albums?
I love languages; the different tastes, different accents, and different sounds on it. I would love to do a song in Spanish, or french.
What’s your favorite 45?
Well, my favorite of late: Black Juniors “Mas que linda estas”. It’s like old school hip hop with kids rhyming. It’s just great.
For those who don’t speak Portuguese, what would you like them to take from JPS?
JPS pokes fun at ways that the world could be destroyed or saved. It’s like the end of the world show! (Writer’s note: the album finishes with “Esperança”, which means hope in English.)
