The day finally arrived and we got ready to head for an industrial estate in the north-east of Berlin. The words matched perfectly. We were about to pick up a LP record (TDR023) from the east side (zona leste) of São Paulo in the east side of Berlin. It was a hot day for a hot assignment. But the sweat was well worth it. Driving with the sound of ambulance sirens and the fire brigade in the air the traffic jam was full of anxious and frustrated Germans. After a barely legal manoeuvre with the van we could finally continue our way with any further complication as we got deeper in the outskirts of the district of Pankow, the east side.

The excitement got bigger as we caught sight of the driveway of the industrial estate, so that we missed several times the right drive. We parked and went into the media company that manufactured our much anticipated LP, Renato Gama’s “Olhos Negros Vivo” and the bonus 7-inch single “Ogunhê” of Nhocuné Soul. Two extraordinary pieces of the newest Brazilian musical avant-garde. Music full of emotions and content.

Two pallets with boxes full of vinyls were already waiting for us, as well as the head of the media company happy to hand over a well accomplished and fine job. We loaded up our van taking care of our precious treasure and without any delay we took the road back to our Tropical Diaspora’s office, the soul of tropical and diasporic music in Berlin. We parked again and full of hope began to unload the van. At that point we didn’t dare to open any box, so that the LP was still something of a mystery to us, although we already knew it well. But it was the final product in our hands that we were anxiously waiting for. Our van was somehow parked in an unorthodox way; at least unorthodox for the German rational mind. A hot-headed and angry neighbour showed us his ability in the use of foul language. We stayed loose and kept on blocking the lot, he thought, was his property.

Anyway, we took our LPs to the office, opened one box and finally could feel the smooth surface of our latest production, Renato Gama and Nhocuné Soul. We took a deep breath and enjoyed.

Dr.Sócrates & Dj GArRinchA

The real Thing!