FABRICIO SAN is the DJ and music producer responsible for the expansion and popularity of Brazilian tribal house style in Sydney, Australia. The genre of music is one of the aspects of House Music that has become more popular in the Brazilian version and that has gained more and more space outside Brazil.
FABRICIO was born in Brazil and has lived in Australia since 2015, being internationally recognized in the LGBTQIAP+ electronic scene. His career has been gaining momentum on the Sydney scene and has been gaining more space in the country where he lives, especially after recently playing in the 2nd largest city in the country, in Melbourne. SAN has been a resident of well-known labels such as Up Day Club and ARQ Sydney, as well as being part of The Week Australia, representing today, the Dejavu label.
Check out what we talked about with this great artist who has been doing a lot for the scene he loves so much. Find out about the beginning of his career as a DJ, the change in his music, the difficulties and achievements, in addition to what we can expect from FABRICIO SAN in the near future:
You started your career in 2017, but before that, what led you to pursue a life together with music?
During my childhood, I never learned to play any instrument, but I was always very attached to music. As a child, I remember that my biggest dream was to be a famous singer performing for thousands of people and moving them with music. I remember that I always liked rock and pop music since I was little, that most of the time I didn’t know how to sing the lyrics (lol) but I loved the melodies.
Now that we know about your first contacts with music, do we want to know about electronic music and the beginning of the Fabricio San project?
The Fabricio SAN project came about because of my passion for electronic music, and I can even say that it was a passion at first sight (or rather when I heard it for the first time). I remember back when David Guetta and Calvin Harris first came out, my boyfriend and I used to watch Tomorrowland DJ sets on YouTube. And seeing the work of the DJs and the energy they exuded to the public, I started to be fascinated by the profession and soon I decided that I wanted to learn how to do this work. Shortly after, I looked for a DJ school, and that’s when I found Rafael Segredo‘s DJ Pro who taught me how to play and take my first steps. And, right at the beginning, I played in some parties and raves that happened in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, already as DJ Fabricio SAN. But, my references at that time were artists who played in the EDM scene such as Hardwell, Avicii, Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, Armin van Buuren, Eric Prydz, among others.
In your transition from the EDM scene to Tribal House, what were the main difficulties you had and what were the reasons that made you change the route of your profession?
My transition from EDM style to Tribal House was very challenging, made even more so by the fact that it happened here in Sydney where at that time in 2017/2018, there was simply no tribal scene. The parties and DJs here played everything, especially pop songs and mostly original mixes.
And, on one of my visits to Brazil, after I moved here, I had a conversation with one of my best friends, Dennis Claus. I remember he asked me why I didn’t migrate to the “LGBTQIAP+ scene”. And that conversation was essential for my transition, because that’s when I realized that pretty much all my friends liked going to Circuit and Tribal parties a lot more than other types. So, that’s when I realized that it was hard to get their presence at the events I used to play. In fact, almost none of them liked the EDM sound, even so, they agreed to go just to support me and see me.
But, in addition, there was another barrier, Gabriel (my boyfriend) who at that time didn’t really like the idea of the harassment I dealt with, predominantly from the gay public. After a lot of talking, we decided that this transition would be the best for my career. So, as soon as I got back to Sydney, I started researching music in the style and finding out who were the DJs and producers in this scene, to produce my first set.
After that, I started looking for party promoters here. There was a very famous after party that I attended on Sundays, the Up Day Club, and I always planned to ask the owner of the event, Rendel, for an opportunity. But, before doing that, I wanted to make sure that my English would be enough to understand and for me to be understood, especially at the party going on with all that noise. And when I felt ready and confident, I went to the club at 5 am on a Sunday, just to talk to him. I remember I was super nervous, and Rendel was very busy, but I managed to speak quickly and he asked me to send him a set so he could hear the type of music and style I played. And in the same week, he got back to me with a feedback with an extremely positive reaction, saying that he loved my style of sound, and that it had everything to do with his party. This moment, in addition to being one of the happiest, was one of the most important in my career in Australia, definitely the great start.
So, let’s talk about Australia in your life. Tell us what happened for you to play in another country? How important was this for you, looking today at what you have achieved living in that country in recent years?
Coming to live in Australia was a turning point in my life. I left my comfort zone with the aim of learning English and living the experience of an exchange. This decision was made together with Gabriel and I can say that it was the best thing we did. It was very challenging and troubling at first, but extremely rewarding. I was able to evolve a lot as a person and as a professional. It was here that I had the best opportunities of my life, one of which was to kick-start my career as a DJ and producer.
When I arrived here in 2015, I dreamed of playing in the country, but as I said before, I had a great barrier of English. I knew it was essential to learn to speak and understand the language well enough to communicate with people, promoters, everybody. Even more so in a very noisy party environment.
After about 1 year, I decided to take another DJ course here in Sydney to “de-rust”, meet people from the scene and also try to play in the city’s clubs. And, at the end of the course, I got the opportunity to play in one of the biggest nightclubs, Home Nightclub, but I was still playing EDM at that time. Afterwards, I played at other popular houses in the “straight” scene, such as Greenwood Hotel, Candy’s Apartment and Ivy Pool.
You recently played in Australia’s second largest city which is Melbourne. Tell us a little about the experience you had taking tribal music to a city that still didn’t know this electronic rhythm?
When I got the invitation to take my sound to Melbourne, I was ecstatic. Happiness took over me, but I confess that when I was preparing my set, I asked myself a few times if the people there, who are used to a lighter and very different kind of sound, would like the Brazilian Tribal. But soon that doubt dissipated the moment I played my first song, and I felt that wonderful energy from the crowd. So, I could feel how prepared they were for this experience. That night was indescribable. They vibrated with me at every turn and the energy exchange was just amazing.
Are you able to have your own identity today, which is something that many DJs want to have? Talk about the main characteristics of Fabricio San’s identity through your own vision and leave a message on this topic for DJs who are starting out.
Really, having an artistic identity of your own is essential in this industry. Since the beginning of my career, the DJ that inspired me the most to create my identity was Hardwell. I always admired the connection he created with the public and I tried to do the same, using some characteristics of my personality. Another very important point was that, since the beginning of my career, I have always had a very well-defined musical style, which helped me to open many doors, but also closed some. However, even so, I persisted in a unique style, which ended up becoming a great differential here, as the DJs played different musical styles according to the party.
Another point that I always looked for was to create a connection with people through my story, sharing the challenges of my trajectory and always trying to establish a very close relationship with the public, with great humility.
My tip for those who are just starting out is that there are no rules to create an expressive artistic identity, but I think it’s very important to have your own style. To do this, start by doing a lot of research on the successful artists in the scene that you identify with the most. From there, try to create something new and original that for sure will make a big difference.
About the residencies you have had in some of the most important labels for Tribal House, tell us a little about this importance in your professional trajectory.
All the labels I worked with were very important in my professional career and every moment was very important. But, the first one we never forget and this one has a special place in my heart. The “Up Dance Events”, which welcomed me with open arms when nobody knew me yet in the scene here.
Soon after, came “ARQ Sydney” where it was the place that gave me the opportunity to show my work to a larger audience and that made me conquer many loyal fans, who started to accompany me in practically every party I played. There were nights they came to tip me for playing songs they loved (laughs). And it was from ARQ that DJ Fabricio SAN became known in the city. Tribal popularity among Australians exploded, making me a reference in this style and paving the way for other parties and DJs.
Then I got the invitation to play at “The Week Australia” and become the party’s first resident DJ, and that’s when my career took off really fast. I started to receive several invitations to play at various parties, as well as the opportunity to play with big names such as Mauro Mozart, Tommy Love, Las Bibas, Fabio Luigi, Leanh, among other Circuit and Tribal worldly famous people.
Basically, being a resident of serious and committed labels made a lot of difference and opened many doors in my career and, certainly, in any DJ’s.
Which labels haven’t you played yet and really want to play?
White Party Bangkok – I’ve been to Thailand and I’m very fascinated by that place, so this is definitely one of my favorite labels that I still want to play.
Sydney Mardi Gras – This is the biggest LGBTQIAP+ event happening here in Australia, but they don’t play tribal yet, but I really want to make it happen.
Circuit Festival – I think it’s the dream label of any DJ in the scene and mine would be no different.
Now, let’s focus a little on your music producer side. Many end up knowing you more in this way as a producer than as a DJ Set, especially outside Australia. How did music production come into your life?
This phase came about through the need to want to evolve in the career. So, it was in 2017 that I realized the importance of becoming a music producer. Most of the successful DJs I looked up to were producers. Then, I realized that this was one of the ways to become known outside of Australia, while I still couldn’t start an international career.
It was then that I started Felipe Senne’s online course, and threw myself into my studies. I spent the whole year studying hard, around 6 hours per day, every day. It was exhausting in the first few months, mainly because I had never studied music until that moment. But at the end of that year, I managed to reap the fruit of all those hours of study and dedication, it was when my first original song was born, “I Tried” that I managed to release it with Edson Pride’s E-Pride Music Digital label.
There are DJs who are not producers and are successful nowadays, but not many. The biggest names in the scene are DJs who produce. Several opportunities arose when I started producing my own music and it helped me create connections with DJs from other countries who identify with my work. This networking is extremely important to evolve in this industry.
From the remixes of established hits, we can mention remixes by artists such as Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, Britney Spears. Tell us about the importance of these remixes in the career of a DJ in the tribal house scene.
All these remixes were unofficial, meaning I made my own version in order to promote my work. These remixes were fundamental to increase my fan base on all social networks, where I was able to connect with DJs from different countries, helping, like the originals, to consolidate my brand internationally among DJs and producers.
After 1 year as resident DJ at The Week Australia, you were invited to play at The Week’s 2020 Carnival in São Paulo, as an international attraction at the Papa Marathon party alongside Suri and the other residents, which was a milestone in your career. Talk about this great achievement that many DJs would love to live.
After almost 1 year being the only resident of “The Week Australia“, until then, with the support of the brand’s producers, Jesse Lawson and Bruno Lozich, came the opportunity to play at The Week Brazil as an international attraction of the Papa Marathon during the Brazilian Carnival. And, all this came together with the fact that I was spending my vacation in Brazil with my family and friends, after 4 years living abroad. So, it was very special and simply unforgettable. A great milestone in my career without a doubt. I really couldn’t believe I was there playing in one of the most sought after nightclubs in Brazil.
You currently represent Australia’s leading label, DéjàVu. We want to know how the return of events in Australia is going and what have you noticed differently in the “post-pandemic” audience?
Exactly, DéjàVu is delivering the best parties in Australia and I feel very happy and proud to be part of the resident team.
The return of the events in Australia took a long time, but it came in full swing. At first, people were a little afraid to leave, but soon everything went back to normal. Still, in Australia, DejaVu only exists as a Circuit/Tribal party. What is consolidating the party and the brand in the country and around the world. Always bringing news.
What’s the most bizarre story you’ve lived to date as a DJ?
Just before I moved to Sydney, something happened that, today, is very funny to remember, but that night it wasn’t that much (lol). I, with the help of my boyfriend and friends, organized an event in a space of a public library, where my father worked, in order to promote my work as a DJ there in Porto Alegre. When I went to get the key to the salon, he emphasized not to exaggerate the volume of the sound and the number of people and I said “leave it to me” (😂). 10 minutes later I started inviting all my friends and more friends of friends.
On the day of the party, many people attended and the party was packed. I had invited other DJs from the scene to share the line-up with me. Everything was going great, the party was going on, all the DJs were performing, the crowd was having a lot of fun and the event was turning out to be a success. Until it was my turn to play, since I was the last one. The music was already loud before I entered, when I entered, I turned it up a little more (lol) and after 5 minutes of set, the police showed up at the event and ordered us to turn off the sound, otherwise they would arrest everyone. The thing is that they had already asked us to turn down the sound, but nobody paid any attention and thought they wouldn’t come back. The result of that was that I, who organized everything, was the only one who couldn’t play (lol).
Today I enjoy this story, but that night I was very upset, as I planned the party in hopes of showing my work to as many people as possible and, perhaps, have a chance to win my first opportunity to play. at one of the city’s parties.
But that night, after having to turn off the sound without anyone seeing me play, one of the DJs I invited to play at the event, Dida, ended up inviting me to play at the party he was a resident of. And that’s how I got the first opportunity to play at a party at Green Park, which was a very famous rave, which took place every Sunday in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre.
What is your opinion about Brazilian Tribal? And we also want to know if we can already count on Fabricio San in Brazil this year?
I’m suspicious of talking about Brazilian Tribal, because I’m passionate about swing and engaging beats that only this style has. I can’t wait for the Tribal that only plays at LGBTQIAP+ parties to expand into other scenes as well and open more doors for DJs and producers.
And yes, most likely we will have Fabricio SAN in Brazil this year. I’m already planning a trip for the end of the year and I’m very excited, I can’t wait for that to happen. It’s been 3 years since I was last there. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you too many details yet, but I’m already negotiating with promoters for some dates.
About upcoming releases and projects, can you say anything for your fans and Colors DJ readers?
There’s a lot of cool stuff coming out, an official remix coming out of the oven for the label E-Pride Music Digital. There’s also some really cool video material that I’m preparing to use in my live presentations. Also, I’m working on 2 original songs, and soon after I’ll be working on another project with a very talented Brazilian DJ that I really admire.
