The Mix 098: Slim Soledad

“I'm so proud of myself,” Slim Soledad reveals when she stops by Mixmag HQ just hours before she’s set to join the usual Herrensauna crew at London club FOLD to celebrate the label’s 10th anniversary. She’s speaking about her forthcoming debut album, ‘Noches Calientes De La Soledad’, a surprise release due to land later this week on Headroom Records. “I was thinking that it would take so many years to do something like this, you know?” she beams.

Once a student of contemporary dance and very briefly a circus performer in a compelling past life, Slim Soledad has always had a theatrical streak. Transferring those skills to become the well-loved producer, DJ and vocalist that she is today, the Brazil-born artist has learned to navigate the artistry of music instead, from finding acceptance in her own vocals and lyricism to the complexities of running events, which she does alongside a queer collective named Chernobyl, throwing trans-led parties.

Frequenting baile funks from a young age, Slim Soledad’s music is inspired by the “raw, unpolished and loud” styles that breathe life and energy through São Paulo’s streets – an influence that can be heard throughout her debut album. Featuring fellow Brazilian artists Clementaum and Jota Mombaça as well as ghetto-techno purveyor Evissimax and bass head DJ Fucci, Slim Soledad’s techno-edged baile funk experiments come to life through themes of empowerment, liberation, and the feeling of in-betweenness.

We spoke to the Brazilian trailblazer about that record, alongside a speedy new mix nipping through baile funk, techno and reggaeton, made up almost entirely of her own tracks. Check it out below.

Can you tell us about the music scene in São Paulo when you were growing up? What were your formative experiences with dance music in the city?

When I was in my teenage years in São Paulo, I started to have this desire for music and dance. My first parties in Brazil were these big streetside reggae parties, and after my first experience where I danced all night long with my friends, I started discovering more about the nightlife in Brazil. I really had this love for dance – I started to get into the nightlife scene when I was 17 or 18, and I’d go to more in the centre of São Paulo and discover all these underground parties.

What kind of music styles were popular at the time?

There were so many parties on the street, we don’t have those as much anymore except on certain holidays, but there would be all kinds of techno or reggaeton events, because that was really trendy in São Paulo at the time. But it was very mixed, you would even see people from the punk movement come and join those parties.

Read this next: 10 crucial tracks telling the history of São Paulo's baile funk scene

You ran some of the first trans-led parties in São Paulo, right? Can you tell us about those?

There were four of us who started the collective. I had my own party, my friend had his own, so we decided that we should collaborate together. The first edition was so good, so at some point we were like, ‘we should keep these going’. At the first event there were so many trans girls, and we figured our party should be free for all trans people because we’d usually never see trans people at parties. So from this, we started the collective and tried to create a really open environment.

You mix a lot of Latin American styles like Brazilian funk and bass in your music – since moving to Europe, have you noticed an increased appetite for those styles on this side of the world? How does it differ from back home?

I think so. Everyone's really into Latin sounds now, but there are so many different styles. The stuff that comes here is the more mainstream stuff which is cool as well, but if you go to baile funks in the neighbourhoods of Brazil, you're gonna see that the music is so much more raw, unpolished in production, and so loud. That’s the real beauty of it. There are cars with speakers and DJs playing loads of unreleased music that you’ll probably never hear again. It’s a very unique experience.

You studied contemporary dance and have worked as a performer in the past – can you talk to me about that? Do you think performance informed your work in music?

Of course. I studied contemporary dance for three years, and at some point during that time, I became really fascinated with the circus. I got involved with that for one year which was super cool, but when I started to perform with other artists, I felt like it was time for me to stop and just work on my own. I still have this love for dance, but I knew I really wanted to focus on music and tried to combine both words.

You often use your own vocals on your tracks, does it feel liberating to be able to work on music entirely yourself without relying too heavily on samples and other vocalists?

It feels so liberating because I was really shy before and I didn't like to hear my own voice. It takes a little time when you're producing to get used to your own vocals, and I think the lyrics that I wrote I was ashamed to share with other people – I thought the music wasn’t good enough. I decided that I just have to be a little bit more gentle with myself, and if I don't do this for me right now, when am I going to do it? That's why it feels so liberating, because it feels like a page being turned – I'm being much more gentle with myself.

Your debut album ‘Noches Calientes De La Soledad’ is landing in a few days. How are you feeling about it?

I'm so excited. This is actually a gift that I'm giving to my teenage self, especially because of the pressure I was putting on myself about using my own vocals and thinking so much about how people would see me. I'm so proud of myself. I was thinking that it would take so many years to do something like this, you know? So, yeah, I’m super happy.

Can you talk me through some of the themes and ideas on this record? What were you expressing lyrically?

The theme of my new album is ‘hot nights’. All the music is very related to how I have experienced the night, and how a lot of us have the same kind of experiences like coming back from the club alone or being super drunk and not knowing who you're gonna meet. But so much of it is about shame, too – about relationships with other people or talking about drugs openly. I thought that if I said this out loud, people would judge me so bad, and maybe I’m trying to project someone that I really am. I really wanted to show to people this true picture of myself rather than just hiding it, so I think this music is a really good way to communicate what I'm feeling.

Read this next: The UK loves baile funk — but does it understand it?

You’ve helped to create safe spaces for queer people both back home in Brazil and in Europe with your events while championing LGTBQ+ artists from your home. What inspired you to make this move and forge a community in nightlife?

I always want to have a space where I feel comfortable and where there is no judgment, no sexism, and you can have a relationship with the people around you. Sometimes you just want to hug someone or give a little kiss on the cheek, and feel that everything is alright. Me and my friends wanted to have a space to exercise freedom. I know that we are not free when there are other people in chains, but we can at least try. Just for a few hours, we can feel free and that everything is okay.

What’s next for you?

I really want to plan how I'm gonna do my live show, and keep making music for the next year. I just want to keep going!

Can you tell us about your mix?

Now that I have a lot of music out, I wanted to try making this mix 80% my own tracks and blending them one into the next, which is something I’ve never done before. There are a lot of my remixes, all of the music from my recent EP, and some unreleased tracks as well.

Slim Soledad's debut album 'Noches Calientes De La Soledad' is out on March 20 via Headroom Records. Pre-save it here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on X

Tracklist:
Slim Soledad - Intro (Unreleased)
Slim Soledad - Jetlag Queen 
Slim Soledad ft. Clementaum - Mapoas Only 
Luiz Santys ft. Clementaum - Vai Dj Mais Forte
Luke Hovey & WATTO - Trópico Elétrico (Slim Soledad Remix) 
Slim Soledad - medianoche en llamas 
Slim Soledad - Transmission     
Slim Soledad - DICIENDO ADIOS 
DJ MELL G - Hey Mr DJ (Slim Soledad Remix)
Slim Soledad - LOST IN MOON 
Slim Soledad - Pudor
JLZ & DELCU - ELEMENTS (JLZ & DELCU Remix) 
Evissimax - XXX
petrus.wav, Megabaile Do Areias - VEM BOQUETANDO 
LVNT ft. GUIJAY - BRUXARIA MARIJUANA 
Onelas - Vicious Circle
Dj Babatr - Now Shout 
NCCO - CLUB ADRIJETIVOS