STRATUS LUNA
Join in on the instrumental journey with “no start or finish” alongside these prodigies.
Brazil might Be best known for giving the world samba and the Bossa Nova, but four young musicians from São Paulo look set to put their country on the prog map. Brothers Gustavo and Ricardo Santhiago started playing music with their cousin Giovanni Lenti when they were just kids, displaying talent beyond their years on Brazilian TV shows. The line-up was completed by the addition of Gabriel Golfetti, son of Gong’s guitarist Fabio Golfetti, in 2017. While the band range in age from 17 to 21, they embrace prog’s heritage.
“When I started playing the keys, my main inspirations were guys like Jon Lord and Rick Wakeman,” says Gustavo. “We’ve all been fans of progressive rock from a very early age, and trying to learn those complicated pieces is a great way to develop skills.” Likewise, Golfetti names Greg Lake, John Wetton and Mike Howlett as influences, alongside bands like Tool and Animals As Leaders. “Here the prog scene is very much alive, but undoubtedly niche,” he says. “There are a few places in the country that pump out a lot of music in the style, mostly here in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. This is not to undermine the many other regions that have great progressive bands across Brazil, but over there it’s even harder to spread the music.”
Inevitably, the unique beats of Brazil have found their way into the band’s sound.“Anyone that’s born here grows up listening to a lot of percussive music on the radio and in the parades,” says Santhiago, “so we’ve assimilated a lot of the vibes from Brazilian rhythms.
Some examples are the baião, present in the song Zarabatana, samba and others.”
Their self-titled debut album was recorded in Orra Meu studio in São Paulo and in their own homes. “Most of the tracks were recorded very swiftly,” says Golfetti.“What took a little longer was the guitar solo in the end of Efêmera. Ricardo tried a lot of things with that, bouncing around a lot of ideas for over a month. What came out eventually was so epic that it was the main reason to end the album with the track.”
When writing and recording, the band focus on getting the best results for each song, and then they worry about how to play it onstage.“We eventually find ways to make things work live afterwards, but in the end, even if we don’t have all of the minute details under control, the music flows very well, and with a lot more hype, energy and passion,” says Santhiago. “I’d point out that our music, even though complex, with hard-to-play instrumental passages, is very accessible and not at all intellectual or mathematical. The pieces move between many atmospheres, from psychedelic to epic, from energetic to introspective, and from acoustic to electronic. In short, it’s an instrumental journey with no well-defined start or finish.” DW
“WE’VE ALL BEEN FANS OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK FROM A VERY EARLY AGE, AND TRYING TO LEARN THOSE COMPLICATED PIECES IS A GREAT WAY TO DEVELOP SKILLS.”