As a DJ, Rafaela Andrade AKA Badsista channels her childhood, culture and history into no-holds-barred sets that blur the lines between Chicago house, techno, hip-hop, pop and baile funk. At this year's edition of Nuits Sonores, the São Paulo creative jumped from Rihanna to acid, incorporating a medley of styles she grew up with. "I'm a result of my time," she tells Resident Advisor at the Lyon festival. Growing up, Andrade says she was constantly exposed to music from family members, street parties and friends. Those influences, reflected in her mixes and performances, add a degree of intentionality and meaning to her craft, she explains.
Baile funk is a recurring sound in her sets and productions. Speaking to Lula about the genre, Andrade discusses similarities with punk rock and how the genre varies around Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, for instance, it's percussive and faster while in Belo Horizonte, it's slower and more vocal-heavy, she describes. Baile funk is also deeply intertwined with local politics, she points out. Federal programs under former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva provided computers to working-class neighborhoods, enabling more people to access music-making software. Under the current government, however, equipment has become expensive, which is weighing on the creative economy, she warns.
When Andrade isn't DJing, she focuses on education and club nights. As co-founder of collective BANDIDA, she helps to throw parties in São Paulo that showcase women artists in addition to teaching women of marginalised backgrounds how to DJ and produce using affordable hardware. For more details on her community-oriented approach to nightlife, listen to the full conversation.