When it comes to inspiring a dancefloor to move, Clementaum leads by example. The Brazilian DJ has that indefinable and all-important quality for electrifying clubs from the booth to the back of the room — she’s a total vibe. Sometimes waving a fan, always with a sparkly purse by her side, Clementaum sets the pace in a flurry of waving arms, pumping knees and full-body spins, executing propulsive blends from a flow state of constant motion. The sounds she unleaeshes are both experimental and irresistible, fusing Brazilian funk with Latin rhythms from guaracha, tribal, and more, turbo-charging this mix with an emphasis on vocals and influence from vogue beat to pop. The effect on crowds is like mainlining adrenaline.
Initially trained by vinyl aficionados and cutting a focused figure behind the decks, she developed her larger than life stage presence while playing lockdown live streams, noticing on playback that she wasn’t conveying much energy while in the zone. “If I want to see the dancefloor vibing and jumping and being happy, I need to show that myself,” she notes.
With ballroom culture also fundamental to her journey in nightlife, Clementaum is now a figurehead for injecting queer and feminine energy into Brazil’s funk and club landscape, and fuelling Latin American music’s international popularity. As a resident on London’s
@rinsefm , she uses the platform to promote peers and underrated artists from the Global South.
Since her first production arrived in 2021, Clementaum has collaborated with major stars such as Pabllo Vittar, Nathy Peluso and Pedro Sampaio, as well as underground heroes like Caio Prince, Slim Soledad and Rafael Rosa. Her tour dates tell a similar story, with a packed schedule over the past couple of years spanning major European festivals like Primavera to the nicher bills of Unsound and Draaimolen, plus sets at gamechanging parties at home and abroad from Mamba Negra to Baile Trama.
Clementaum’s contribution to The Mix is an exhibition of her rip-roaring sound, comprising entirely of her own tracks, collaborations and remixes.
Head to mixmag.net to listen and read the interview.
✍️:
@patrickhinton
📸:
@mateusaguiar