Sheri Vari gets real with some insightful words and an outstanding mixtape
We spoke to the somewhat mysterious producer and DJ in advance of the release of her new ‘Flagrante Delirio’ record, and she gifted us a sensational DJ mix to go with it
By Rocco Universal
Just a month or two ago, I received a pair of promos of music by Sheri Vari from separate channels. One of which was the fantastic new record she has forthcoming on Percebes, and the other an inclusion on the recent Integrity Records compilation. The excellent, ostensibly Detroit-inspired sound resonated with me massively and left me wanting to learn more. I dug a little deeper and discovered some previous work, but other than that, I came to the conclusion that perhaps Sheri Vari was someone who avoids the limelight. In a musical world that apparently values endless social media posts above quality of product, this was something I found hugely refreshing. I decided to reach out to her for an interview because I was curious to know more, and on the strength of her sound, I felt that hers was a story that deserved to be heard.
Her music is exceptionally good. Freeform machine funk with an organic feel, and exhibiting a finely poised balance between rawness and intricacy of harmonic patterns. Frankly, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if I’d found out that she was based in the motor city, but in fact, we tracked her down to her home in Lisbon, and it was from there she delivered a hugely entertaining and most insightful interview. On top of that, she’s furnished Cosmic Tiger with an expansive four-hour joy-ride of a DJ mix that has gone down beautifully in our HQ. For reference, my pick from her brilliant forthcoming ‘Flagrante Delirio’ record, ‘Luv101’, comes in at around 1’31’', and the equally good ‘SoInLuv’ collaboration with Javonntte follows at 1’55’’.
I’m keen to let the woman herself do the talking, so please read on and get to know much more
Thanks for taking the time to do this Sheri Vari. What are you up to today?
Well, first I took the afternoon off to do this questionnaire, later I will be tending our bar Suave in Bairro Alto, a historic part of Lisbon. It’s a classic cocktail bar were we used to host some of Lisbon’s finest local DJ’s before the pandemic. Right now we are just trying to stay open!
Tough times. Over here in Bangkok most things are open again, but the borders are closed, so many business are in trouble. I hope things improve for us all soon! Now, what can you tell us about how your musical journey evolved, specifically how your tastes and interests progressed and your route into the studio?
When I felt music was going to be my life, I lived in a reality were there was no real access to research music. There were no record shops, the night clubs were dodgy and the music was mainstream. The first tracks I enjoyed, I got into them through the radio and googled what they were through their lyrics (Armand Van Helden - You Don’t Know Me , Eddie Amador - House Music , etc). Luckily, I made the right friends and they introduced me to better night clubs and deeper underground music when I went to college and moved to a bigger city. At that time, I remember the feeling of discovering an artist and falling in love with new music, that’s the best feeling you can have… like the first time I heard Pepe Bradock’s ‘Deep Burnt’ or Carl Craig's ‘At Les’. Now I’m an adult and I live in Lisbon, the capital, and whenever I start to feel like I am in control and I know all there is to know about the music I want to play, something comes along and changes my outlook. The more time goes by, the wider my taste gets. The last few years have been the ones when I’ve learned the most as a DJ, and of course that has lead me to grow an interest in making my own music as well. Because I started to feel like I needed to create something that would somehow be the synthesis of all that I love and enjoy.
Ah, ‘Deep Burnt’… What a fantastic era that was. Would you mind revealing what the first record you bought was?
I don’t mind that at all, I just don’t remember whether it was Green Velvet’s ‘Flash’ on Open or Metro’s ‘$1.15, Please’ on Nugroove. Metro is Rheji Burrell, one of my favourite deep house heads from New York.
How would you describe your sound?
I am also a poet (I actually wrote a book before I released a record). When I write, just as when I make music, the initial idea comes very quickly - as if it already exists in it’s completion. I just try to grasp it in my machines. I explore two different environments: either a rougher and rawer, nasty kind of aesthetic, or a deeper, mellower, tantric and sweeter soundscape. I don’t know how else to describe it, as it’s also a very emotional experience and it’s not very easy to verbalize the process.
That’s great, I’m going to try to search out your poetry! So, how did the collaboration with Javonntte evolve, from the idea to the execution?
The first record I bought that he did was ‘To France’ on Sounds Of The City. It’s undeniable that he is a super talented creator and keyboardist, vocalist, bassist, etc. He’s also a workaholic, a very accessible person and an enthusiast. Ka§par reached out to him on behalf of the label and showed him the track I had started and he added many layers to it: acoustic and electric piano, lead and solo and of course the vocal lick that names the track. Then I had to re-arrange the track with Ka§par to properly use all of that material in the best way. Make something that could be as good as an Underground Resistance release to our ears. I think we did it, and I am not afraid to say it.
Well, I’m not going to get drawn into comparisons, but for what it’s worth, the record sounds fully legit to me! Now, can you tell us about any special artists who have influenced your music?
I think in my sweeter side I explore a lot of what I love about the music of people like Move D or even Dam Funk, and my rougher and rawer side, maybe Marcellus Pittman and Maurice Fulton in their wildest moments.
That’s a nice combo, I’m a huge fan of Maurice Fulton esoecially. Back to the studio, do you have any favourite kit or gizmos you want to tell us about?
Sure! I started to use my Korg Electribes, I am very attached to them both (ESX and ASX), but when I felt some limitations, I got the Behringer Model D and the Pioneer Toraiz. I also used some other keyboards for this EP, like the Yamaha CS-1X (always a final touch for melodies), or the Arturia Drumbrute that I used for Luv101. Using the Model D as a filter input or the Waldorf 2pole filter also helps making great character for good recordings. Our studio mixer also does wonders when analog summing for premasters. Sound is very important for Percebes.
Great, it sounds like you have some nice kit to work with. Actually a good friend just gave me an old Electribe to jam with, but I haven’t had time to get down yet. And how about your process, do you tend to work fast or labour over projects?
I tend to work fast and often be almost dismissive of flaws because it can be very stressful to consider how much work still lies ahead. Luckily I work with people who push me to my limit and almost force me to face my short comings and work harder. This is something that a lot of people should do: listen to those who want the best for them. There is no shame in taking time to improve on your work. Nothing of worth ever comes from rushing stuff, anything that comes too fast also perishes too fast in my experience. The ideal is somewhere in between, a quick idea, sure... but a thought out arrangement and careful mix. This record took about 3 years to finish.
That makes a lot of sense to me and sounds like a good approach. As someone who tends to work solo (and get stuck/ lost in ideas too often) I think it’s wonderful that you work with trusted people who push you. And outside of music, what do you do for fun?
I love to eat and try foods from all over the world! Obviously, I love to travel, I would love to meet all cultures, I hope my work may one day allow me to have access to that! I have never been to the far east though, I would love to go to Japan or Malaysia! Also, I love animals, if I find myself well off one day, I would probably make an animal shelter for abandoned dogs… right now I pamper myself buying records and clothes as any girl should!
Haha, well, I hope you can realise that dream. Here at Cosmic Tiger we recently rescued an injured street cat. She's half-wild and a beautiful nightmare! Her name is Kumo (Japanese for cloud) and she is harassing me as we speak.
We understand you're based in Portugal. What can you tell us about the scene there/ in your city?
I’m going to keep it very real: it’s like everywhere else. There are people, and people are diverse. Some are very talented but barely make a living, others get booked all the time… Those who get booked usually either sound too generic and unsurprising, or too shocking to have any deliberate substance. There are some real micro scenes I love and real DJs and artists I support, people I learn from and listen to constantly. I can name a few: Fabrizio, Mr. Mute, Tiago, Pedro Beça, Mighty Caesar. I left out my Percebes peeps and any obvious well known characters for good reason.
Man, I hear that. There’s aren’t too many cities on this planet that fully support really good music, and don’t get me started about less-than-talented ego djs…. Moving on! Was your city locked down due to the Covid-19 outbreak, if so, how did you spend the lockdown?
Yes it was, most bars are still unable to open. Night life is still forbidden, most night time businesses are limited to closing at mid night or one. My time in confinement was spent taking care of Percebes with Ka§par, releasing Daino’s record Crescendo first, then our first LP compilation “Produto Interno Bruto”, then I released a track on Singaporean label Integrity last month (on a Various Artists EP), and then I had to focus on Flagrante Delírio. I took the time to wrap up projects that were postponed for too long and spent more time by the sea and beach.
I’ve played out the Daino record a few times, and I included your Integrity release in a chart from Mixmag Asia recently. Really nice work. So it sounds like a productive use of your lockdown time. After all that, do you have any more releases on the horizon?
I did a track with Ka§par for a Various Artists on a vinyl label called In The Dark Again. It’s a really cool electro / new wave / retro label curated and conceived by Snuffo from Snuff Trax. The track is called “Solidão Tentadora” we actually produced and sing on it, in Portuguese! There might be a little backlash as there’s some prejudice with producers singing in Portuguese over here, but fuck it, we feel it’s edgy and the Germans loved it! I also did a lot more music, it might be too soon to reveal and I haven’t confirmed new signings yet, but I won’t stop now, I feel like it's just starting to get interesting for me. I have so much to show the world I can do!
Thanks so much for a great interview, and good luck with the excellent release.
Sheri Vari ‘Flagrante Delirio‘ is out now, you can buy it here
