Spotlight: Woozy dubstep from Brooklyn and Brazilian-French neoperreo

In a world full of electropop, it’s hard to find an act as distinctive as PPJ. Right now, the Brazilian-French trio are emerging like butterflies from a cocoon, eating up influence from the vibrancy of vocalist Páula’s home city Rio de Janeiro. Baile funk, neoperreo and electropop all meet somewhere in the middle, inspired by carnival, Brazilian music, and “living in the moment”.

Made up of rontwoman Páula and producers Povoa and Jerge, the Paris-based PPJ is a project that crosses multilingual barriers. Singing in Portuguese, French, and English, Páula brings a high-NRG twist to the group’s live performances. “I’m permanently inspired by something: a little flute in a song, a live band show, the blues, missing someone, a love story, my friends, a carnival, a roda de samba in Rio, the Ceara,” she explains.

Following the release of their most recent EP, ‘Bloco Vol 2’, an eclectic and daring five-tracker, the trio have big plans for the year ahead: a live show at Paris’ Rex Club, writing sessions in Barcelona, and the release of new music. Watch this space.

Recommended work: PPJ ‘Neném’

“It’s hard to summarise PPJ in one track because each song is a new experience for us. But I think back to 2021’s ‘Neném’,” says the trio’s Jerge. “It gathers energy without HD sound, danceability without club sounds, and a varied soundboard while the bass and main riff remain the same. In my opinion, Paulá sings with different moods throughout the track, sometimes funny, mischievous, or emotional. Every instrumental track comes from one small and cheap synthesiser. All this means to me is that we can do a lot with very few elements, and I find it interesting to associate it with a philosophy of life.”