Défis is the name of a new record label based in Macau and three other cities around the world. It is French for ‘challenge’ and David Ribeiro, its representative in Asia, says he’s ready for it.
Arrigo Barnabé, Maria Teresa, Jean-Yves Candela and Toninho do Carmo are the first four artists the new record label Défis (Challenge) is releasing. With offices in Paris, Lisbon, Belo Horizonte (Brazil) and Macau, the project aims to introduce quality musicians to new audiences, explains David Ribeiro, the label manager and its representative in Asia.
The first set of four albums, encompassing genres from jazz to world music, was launched in Paris last July. Now they are already for sale on a large number of online music sites including iTunes, and they will soon be available in Macau at the Portuguese Bookshop and a few other locations still to be announced.
“The idea of launching this label here is also because Macau doesn’t have any label of its own. Ok, you have some that released one album and then stopped, but we’re more ambitious than that. We’re already working with artists from the region, and are still in the process of selecting the right ones”, says Ribeiro, who has been connected to the world of DJ music for the last ten years, with his label SideFX Records.
Getting artists from Macau and its neighbouring regions and countries to sign with Défis is one of the company’s long-term goals.
“I’ve been listening to a lot of demos. Macau artists still need to get to a certain level, but there are Macau-based musicians, for example playing in casinos, who have their own songs and some of them are quite appealing”, continues Ribeiro.
For now, Macau’s role will mainly be to serve as a base and a window to promote upcoming artists from different locations. As the label manager sees it, the city can be “fundamental, taking into consideration what’s going on here”.
For Défis, “Macau will be the launching point in Asia and will give a lot of exposure to the artists”, he believes.
Ribeiro and his partners are already planning to bring some of their first four musicians to perform in Macau. Maria Teresa, a French singer and actress with Portuguese roots, may visit the region next year to present her latest album, Woman, a series of inventive covers of iconic songs.
Another artist Défis wants to bring to Asia is Brazilian Arrigo Barnabé, with his album Suites Claras e Crocodilos (Clear Suites and Crocodiles). He is considered “the super-star of this label, with a career of more than 30 years”.
“I would describe his music as experimental and erotic. He has a lot of fans in Japan and has full-house concerts in France, not to mention Brazil”.
French pianist Jean-Yves Candela and Toninho do Carmo, a guitarist from Brazil, are the two other artists signed by Défis so far. Meu Romance (My Romance), by Candela, features solo piano performances “with sophisticated songs and Brazilian influences”.
As for Toninho do Carmo and his album Primavera (Spring), Ribeiro tells the story of Toninho’s “self-made guitar, which took him more than ten years to finish”. Now he uses it to play his own solo melodies, delivering “a golden sound”.
As well as working to get good distribution contracts in Brazil and Japan, Défis is also looking at Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong with interest – every market is reachable, as long as there’s good music to be presented, believes the label manager.
“I think quality music should always be viable, that’s our biggest challenge”, he comments about launching a new record label at a time when the music industry is facing some significant difficulties. “I hope this project can help give a bit more exposure to artists, to the seeds that have been planted and still need some stimulus to grow”.