Bernardes, Chico
Chico Bernardes
Chico Bernardes is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Sao Paulo, Brazil. In his first and self-titled record, Chico Bernardes has arranged and recorded all the instruments, with the support of Gui Jesus Toledo from Selo Risco and owner of Estúdio Canoa, where the recordings took place. Surrounded by lots of coffee and low lights, Chico recorded part of the songs as if he was singing for nobody, in real time. The other half of the record was filled with drums, bass, electric guitar, percussions and a bunch of keys, from old casio keyboards to an indian harmonium. The songs structured above nylon strings guitar were recorded with a 1968 Di Giorgio Romeo 3, frequently used on the classical Brazilian records from the '70s and beyond, that carry a very popular bossa nova tone, but Chico reworked its approach with the use of alternate tunings, on a closer proximity to artists such as Duncan Browne, Sibylle Baier and Joni Mitchell. For the steel strings, he used a '60s Martin 000, in order to reach the old and warm wooden sound of the record. The lyrics mostly talk about his wandering dreams about different affections with people, the transitional moments of a lifetime and self discoveries, from his essential core to the external world.