Brazilian street rhythm DJ NenaHalena heads to London for Valentine’s Day with One Tribe Boss AMEME

EMERGING from the north-west of England successful the mid ’90s, NenaHalena became an influential fig successful the physics euphony country nether a assortment of guises.

With a heavy passionateness for Brazilian thoroughfare rhythms, NenaHalena - existent sanction Neil Barber - has since evolved some arsenic a performer and a shaper implicit the past decade.

He honed his trade and has go renowned arsenic some a percussionist and a DJ alongside an impeccable array of euphony that helium has produced oregon sprinkled his magic connected arsenic an technologist for different artists.

The One Tribe nonmigratory lands successful London adjacent Friday February 14, completing a satellite circuit wherever helium has showcased his Afro-Brazilian physics dependable crossed 4 continents.

The show, alongside One Tribe brag AMÉMÉ, astatine London’s Village Underground promises to bring carnival vibes to the capital.

We caught up with NenaHalena this week for an in-depth chat. He besides recorded an exclusive premix for The Night Bazaar Sessions which you tin perceive to HERE.

You've worked successful the manufacture for implicit 2 decades and masqueraded nether galore aliases earlier arriving successful our consciousness arsenic NenaHalena a fewer years ago. How did each of those experiences assistance you execute the restitution you present person arsenic some arsenic a DJ and producer?

I’ve ever loved making euphony and I've ever loved performing. In the pursuit of this happiness I became truly bully astatine it. Naturally radical past wanted to wage me, some for shows, but besides to assistance nutrient their music.

This became my main root of income allowing maine to absorption solely connected a philharmonic life. Be it learning tons of antithetic instruments, honing my audio engineering skills, and of people DJing and collecting music.

What you are seeing present is simply a earthy culmination of each of these attributes.

Music production, audio engineering, DJing, unrecorded performance.

All a subject successful their ain close - but unneurotic it’s a afloat feedback cycle, which I emotion riding!

For those who person yet to acquisition a DJ acceptable from NenaHalena, tin you picture what they mightiness expect?

I DJ portion I drum. You could notation to it arsenic a Hybrid-Live show. I usage an physics drum pad (Roland HPD-20) which I tin dial-up 100s of antithetic sounds to compliment the euphony which I play.

My euphony benignant is routed successful rhythm. I person a inheritance successful Brazilian thoroughfare rhythms (think Rio Carnival).

When I’m performing, you'll spot maine burning a batch of vigor into the drum which hypes up the vigor successful the space.

It’s specified a elemental concept, yet triggers a immense primal effect connected the creation floor.

I deliberation also, it’s large for radical to spot thing really happening successful the DJ booth - arsenic opposed to idiosyncratic wearing headphones and waving their arms each truthful often.

What person been your basal retired shows arsenic NenaHalena?

Akasha, Ibiza past twelvemonth - The Sound System was the clearest and astir comfy strategy I’ve played connected for a while, successful this situation everything flows.

I’m successful afloat originative power without thought. Just enjoying each moment. This transfers to assemblage vigor astir instantly too.

Another item from past twelvemonth was the One Tribe Records Showcase, connected a moving bid successful Amsterdam tally by the 50Hertz Experience.

During the Amsterdam Dance Event successful October a caller lawsuit bid was launched to instrumentality passengers connected a 4-hour agelong circuit astir Holland.

The bid was afloat installed with dependable and light systems, bars and adjacent a chill retired carriage.

No 1 knew rather what to expect arsenic we stepped onboard.

But from the archetypal bushed until the last, the vigor and vibe was outstanding. We’re excited to bash it again this year.

You person conscionable returned from Mexico, 1 of your favourite places to play, alongside different exotic locations specified arsenic India. What bash you emotion astir playing determination and wherefore has NenaHalena been truthful warmly embraced successful these territories?

What you find successful territories specified arsenic India and Central/South Americas, Africas and the Middle East is their beardown bonds to percussion successful their music, it’s successful their taste heritage.

Percussion successful each of its galore forms is featured forefront, whereas, successful western/European sounds, percussion has traditionally played much of a supportive role.

So erstwhile I’m connected signifier moving my drum, I judge it conscionable taps close into this DNA and flicks connected that primal switch.

Talk america done immoderate of the standout releases you person coming up. We are peculiarly looking guardant to your collaboration with AMÉMÉ and your releases connected Get Physical and Black Book Records.

It tin beryllium hard to support a accordant merchandise pipeline together, particularly erstwhile factoring successful touring positive my Co-Production & Engineering work.

But I’ve been moving tirelessly passim 2024 to deed 2025 with a regular travel of music.

I’m excited to stock it each with the world. First up connected February 21 is simply a collaboration with South Africa’s Stones And Bones, with a way Called Abo Malume.

It’s a almighty tune which is arsenic comfy successful a tightly packed nine country arsenic it is successful a monolithic stadium. Look retired for it connected Ulu Records.

Another collaboration which I’m peculiarly blessed astir is my merchandise connected Get Physical Music.

It’s called Hail From Mali, and is betwixt myself and the Wassolou Benkain.

This is an ensemble from Mali Africa. I recovered them connected YouTube. Their euphony jumped retired astatine maine done the contiguous infectious, funky grooves and beardown vocals.

I contacted the video proprietor Alex Ngoni who is connected a idiosyncratic ngo to shed airy to the musicians of this region.

It’s believed that Mali and surrounding regions are the deepest basal of modern occidental music.

Through improvement of blues, gospel into Rock 'n’ Roll, R 'n' B, Disco and Electronic Dance Music (plus it’s 1000s of sub Genres).

To maine it was paramount that the archetypal musicians got designation and fiscal recompense for their creation arsenic sadly determination is mode excessively overmuch usage of different peoples euphony going connected without the designation and crediting of the archetypal artists.

I’m thankful for the grounds statement and to Alex Ngoni for making this enactment for everyone progressive and I’m looking guardant to doing much projects similar this.

My merchandise connected Black Book Records is besides a peculiar 1 to me. Another collaboration, this clip with a precise talented Brazilian person called Ain The Machine.

He specialises successful creating rhythms retired of mundane objects from kids toys to lampposts!

He tin make a bushed from virtually everything. So my ngo connected this task was to get a bushed retired of him.

All of the drums (and his voice) were recorded astatine his workplace successful Berlin and aboriginal re-sequenced to make Batuki Nation. A hard-hitting way acceptable to ignite successful the Springtime courtesy of Chris Lake’s Black Book Records.

AMÉMÉ is different creator who I’ve developed a peculiar narration with. We collaborate often. We person written loads of large euphony implicit the past fewer years and execute regularly unneurotic astir the
world. Look retired for our next project connected his euphony label, One Tribe Records.

How important is collaboration and besides your experiences engineering different artists work?

Collaboration is an indispensable portion of what I do. Both connected a musically influential level and connected the societal level too. Even though overmuch of my workplace clip tin beryllium alone, the quality transportation and teamwork
which plays retired to get a task from an idea, to a merchandise is intricate and nuanced.

There is simply a changeless feedback loop encouraging decisions and direction. This is important arsenic without this galore artists and producers endure from originative dead-ends and truthful deficiency of productivity.

Collaborations support things caller and moving. It is of people not ever a wholly harmonious process but I would similar a small originative propulsion and propulsion than being a lone wolf!

You are manifesting 2025 and person a beauteous circuit docket already booked in. Talk america done what you person coming up successful the archetypal fractional of the twelvemonth and what you are astir looking guardant to.

February 14 is going to spot my instrumentality to London for Parables astatine Village Underground. I’m excited for a B2B acceptable with Abel and I’ll nary uncertainty leap connected with AMÉMÉ with my Drum arsenic we often do. It always
takes the vigor to the adjacent level.

I’m highly excited to beryllium getting backmost to Brazil for Carnival time. Reconnecting with The  Source. Also Glastonbury Festival is 1 of my favourite places connected the globe. My Ibiza shows are besides taking signifier too, TBA! Plus my accustomed Dubai and India trips are ever a pleasure.