Alisson Gothz’ Gay Sao Paulo Slang Dictionary
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Gays and lesbians in Brazil have their own slang repertoire called “pajubá”. Well, actually “pajubá” is a real African dialect from olden times, but it got mixed up with Brazilian Portuguese and became the official second language of queers and gender-benders in this sunny land.
The success of gay slang is so big in Brazil that they have been adopted by straight audiences too – it’s not unusual to hear even small children saying expressions like “arrasa!’ or “aloka!”.
Here’s a quick guide to the most commons phrases and words you’ll hear in a club in Sao Paulo or Rio.
Arrasa!
That’s the most useful gay slang ever. Its literal translation is the verb “to raze”, but it used as to send someone positive vibes, like “kick some ass!”, and “go and get it!”, but also as a simple compliment, as in “awesome!”, “cool!”, “fierce!”. You gonna hear it everywhere and in all kinds of situations. Other meanings can also be “work it, girl!”, “right on!”, “sashay, shantay!” and so on.
“Fazer a egícia” – (“to give an Egyptian face”)
1) it’s like when you say hello to a queen on the dancefloor and she pretends to not see you just to keep her pose intact, so you say “Bitch just gave me an Egyptian face”, like the statue of Nefertiti, got it?
2) You’re talking to someone about something he did last night and he pretends he doesn’t have a clue about what you’re saying, even though everyone else does it, so he’s also “giving an Egyptian face”, an indifferent yet guilty look.
Boy Magia
Oh well, this is self-explanatory. A “magic boy” is that kind of man that makes jaws drop. He puts a spell on you and enchants you with his beauty. That’s why he’s magic.
Bate Cabelo – (“Whipping Hair”)
If you’ve watched a drag show in Brazil, you noticed that they almost always follow the same pattern: she comes to the stage in one outfit, lipsynch for a bit, then starts stripping, takes her head-piece off and last – but not least – starts whipping her hair like a crazy tornado. Seriously, they literally fight amongst themselves for the title of the best “hair whipper” of the clubs. It became a Brazilian trademark and this is called “bate cabelo” in proper Portuguese. Since 99% of these shows are performed under heavy tribal-house beats, this type of music also became known as “bate cabelo”.
See it to believe it:
Alisson Gothz’ Sao Paulo Reports: Mandatory DJ Diplomas For All
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The Brazilian Committee for Education, Culture and Sports has just approved a bill that regulates the activities of DJs and producers. This bill will make it mandatory for a DJ to have a professional certificate in order to perform in public places, clubs and events. To get the certificate, the artist must have concluded a professional course in a DJ school.
With this certificate in hands, DJs and producers will be able to get a professional registry at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. This bill also determines that the work load for a DJ must be six daily hours and/or 30 weekly hours.
This bill, however, doesn’t apply for foreign DJs and producers who come to Brazil to perform – as long as they don’t stay in the country for more than 60 days. Also, every public or private event with international DJs must have at least 70% of their line-up filled with local professionals.
Although sounding extremely beneficial, not all DJs are totally happy with this new law for a number of different reasons. For instance, they complain that DJ courses in Brazil are still very expensive and not available outside big cities like Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Also, it’s not very clear what DJs who have been performing for decades will have to do to get this certificate – should even they get back to school?
At the same time, most people see this as a great opportunity to stop the current wave of “celebrities pretending to be DJs” that is growing fast in the country, taking jobs from real DJs and, most of the times, ruining the image of their profession.
The bill is needs to be voted by the Committee of Social Affairs and the Chamber of Government before it becomes a law. Let’s see what happens!
10 Years of Skrufff: Hans Peter Kuenzler Interviews Jonty Skrufff
Live at the Roxy, Prague, Czech Republic, 2007
As well as writing a bestselling Michael Jackson biography and another book about Michael Jackson fans, Hans Peter Kuenzler is a leading London ‘stringer’ or foreign correspondent/ music journalist, writing about music and the arts for print media and radio in Switzerland, Germany, UK and other countries.
Hans asked Jonty Skrufff a typically imaginative and indeed tough bunch of questions recently for a feature he was doing about dream jobs.
Hans Peter (click for more)
http://www.hanspeterkuenzler.com
Hans Peter Kuenzler: Was being a DJ a dream job for you before you started?
Jonty Skrufff; “Actually, no I’d never considered it and was totally happy being a clubber/ journalist until a sequence of serendipitous events transformed my life in the summer of 2004 (involving, variously, Exit festival, Serbian podium dancing girls, Ibiza, statuesque models, Judge Jules, London’s (then) hipster club du jour Golf Sale, the much missed Alex Silverfish (RIP) and S Express’ Mark Moore.) Not necessarily in that order.”
1st night nerves at London's 333 Club
Hans Peter Kuenzler: Did it become a dream job once you had become one?
Jonty Skrufff; “From the very first moment, yes, I was totally, irrevocably hooked. It was at London’s 333 on a Sunday night, Alex Silverfish was DJing, with a shaking hand I picked up the stylus (in those days DJs still played vinyl) and put it at the beginning Of Justice’s Never Be Alone (still then an obscure Gigolo release). The opening chords rang out, the crowd roared and that was it. I ROCKED it. OH MY GOD!”
Hans Peter Kuenzler: Why did you change from being a journalist to being a DJ?
Jonty Skrufff; “I refer to my last answer; OH MY GOD! Though actually I remain a journalist- the two roles have a fantastic synergy.”
Live at Buddah Club, Mauritius (February 2011)
The State of Sao Paulo Night-life; Is Pop Killing the Club Scene?
Magal, Renato Cohen, Camilo Rocha, Benjamin Ferreira, Alisson Gothz, Eduardo Corelli
D-edge's Main dance floor
“While our generation took ten years to be able to distinguish house from techno, the next generation that is starting to go out at night has a completely pop background. And today’s pop music is just like mainstream electronic music”. Facundo Guerra (Vegas, Volt, Lions).
Speaking to leading Sao Paulo media figure Claudia Assef recently, nightlife entrepreneur Facundo Guerra, 37, sparked a firestorm of debate when he suggested underground club culture- and international DJs – were no longer viable in the city. Rival club promoter Renato Ratier, who months earlier doubled the size of his landmark club D-Edge, disagreed, though Facundo, a partner in seminal underground nightspot Vegas and new pop centred nightspot Lions was firm.
“Today, if you do not play pop on the dance floor people leave,” he insisted.
“At Lions recently I saw a scene that shocked me: Mau Mau, a DJ we all love, started spinning after Roque Castro, who had just played an extremely pop orientated set. Guess what happened? Mau Mau cleared the floor, something I had never seen in my life!”
Mau Mau (one of Brazil’s most popular and critically acclaimed DJs, overseas as well as at home) was understandably furious and denied Facundo’s claim categorically though given that I’ve just arrived in Sao Paulo for what will be my seventh mini-DJ tour, the tale provokes a touch of concern for me. Not least because both my first and last gigs from five take place at Facundo’s newest club: Lions . . .
Bar de Netao revellers (DJ Jeronimo & friend)
