As Jazzanova you have travelled the globe and played to crowds all around the world, how have the nights you have played at in Lisbon @ Cookin Vinyl compare in relation to past gigs?
Portugal always has a special feeling for us, the portuguese language & the association to brazilian music is always something special. Also the long term relationship established with promoters over here makes it special as well.

Every artist looks at there passion with a different perspective, how do you feel about music and what does it mean to you?
I always try not to get bored of music because I am surrounded by it everyday, with the label, djing, in the studio etc. There are six of us involved with Jazzanova so we have oportunities to talk about it which I think helps a lot if any of us have a problem with any aspect of it. After 10 years I would say I am still encouraged and inspired. Music definately plays a strong role in my life, it fulfills me.

Jazzanova have their own independent record label Sonar Kollektiv, how did this come about and why, has it been a difficult process?
We had up's & down's, we tried a lot of different things which is part of who we are, you have to try out new and exciting sounds, see whats working and whats not. At this point we have reached a good stage, we distribute our records independantly worldwide, we are for an independent label quite well known and we are free to create whatever music we want which is great.

How does Jazzanova go about starting the creative process when making a record, where do you start and when do you know that its ready to be released?
We always start as a team of two. One producer and one dj and they will start and finish the tune. The others will take part in giving ideas and if I can listen to a tune over and over again without getting bored then its ready to release.

What's the best gig you ever played and why?
Recently I played in Algiers with Micatone, I came on after them and the people were so enthusiastic, it was a large room in an old theatre all seated and at one point they all came rushing to the stage as if I was a rock star which was extremely emotional for me. Otherwise our nights in berlin are always memorable, its hard to point out particular nights, I think if the people who invite me know our music and have a crowd its always going to make a great party.

Throughout the years as Jazzanova you have remixed all sorts of fantastic bands and artists giving you worldwide notoriety and respect, which remix marked you the most?
I would say the freedesign mix because we recorded everything by ourselves so we didn't do what we usually do, sampling etc. Instead we invited musicians to play our compositions which was a good experience to see that we can work like this.

What can we expect from Jazzanova in the near future?
We will be finishing our album later this year hopefully releasing it next year and it will contain a live element with musicians, we still want to use computers but also show the combination of live and production which is something we aim to bring on stage as well.

Any advice for up and coming Djs & producers?
This is a difficult question, you have to be really patient. Before we started jazzanova I played a lot of weddings and had some very bad experiences which nearly led me to give up. Its not always an easy ladder to climb. As a dj you are either going to be outstanding technically and be an A list performer or on the other there are the djs who are good at playing music and exceptional producers, I fall into the second category. I play music that we produce and friends of ours produce, one of the most important things is enjoying the music you play.