We Speak Music
Muca & Celeste release ‘Like This Before’ with added Roberto Menescal
Muca’s first collaboration with Menescal was 2021’s ‘Until We Meet Again’ which featured Alice SK on vocals. The track received incredible feedback from the likes of Songwriting Magazine & Songlines Magazine and BBC airplay with an interview with Robert Elms. The song has now reached over 1 million streams worldwide, so it feels like the right time for Muca to follow it up with new Menescal collaboration, ‘Like This Before’.
‘Like This Before’ has a modern and lively approach that pays homage to its Brazilian roots and the Bossa Nova style. The combination of the infamous acoustic guitar style of one of the only remaining living legends and pioneers of Bossa Nova, Roberto Menescal and Celeste Caramanna’s soft and sumptuous vocals is like honey on the ears and the collaboration shows how a sixty-year-old genre is still so special and still resonates with both old & young minds. The groove from Roberto’s guitar work sits beautifully behind the melody, with Muca’s fine skill of fusing the old and new wrapping the track up into quite a unique piece of music.
Muca specifically flew to Rio to record the track with Menescal. Once the recordings were done, Muca handpicked the right singer for the song. The only name that came to mind for this song was Celeste. Making the decision was easy; Muca saw Celeste for the first time on the same night he first met Menescal at Pizza Live Express Live in London. Celeste appeared with Menescal and sang a track with him that night. Both Menescal & Muca agreed that she would be the best vocalist for this track. Celeste then worked on the lyrics and recorded the vocals with Muca in London.
About the song and the experience, Celeste explains, ‘It’s simply amazing, unbelievable… because Roberto Menescal is a reference for everyone, he’s a piece of history… and I feel a lot of respect, admiration and gratefulness for what he’s done… he’s part of something that became very important in my life… it’s incredible for me to think of myself working with him, I couldn’t ever expect that to happen one day’.
Returning to the experience of recording with Menescal and what comes next, Muca says: ‘These couple of tracks I recorded were a game changer for me, and the experience of recording with Menescal was one of the strongest music experiences I’ve ever had. And because of that, I couldn’t stop thinking of inviting him to record an album together, which he not only accepted but said he was really happy to do so. I can’t believe that it is happening.’
Murillo Sguillaro, better known as Muca, is a Brazilian musician and producer living in London. He has built a modest following that looks set to explode once his new musical adventures unfold in the coming months and ‘Like This Before’ is just the beginning. Prepare to be transported somewhere beyond Ipanema Beach and London Fields on a bright sunny day!
London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Waz-u returns with his second album, Preludes: Dusk Psalms, set for release on 16 May 2025 via independent label Biodiversity. The 15-track record further refines the artistic depth of his debut, blending electronic textures and classical compositional techniques in an intricate, immersive listening experience.
Ahead of the album release, Waz-u is dropping an exclusive vocal version of ‘Vermillion: G Major’ from the album, accompanied by its original instrumental version. ‘Vermillion’ with Lilyg will be released on 18 April 2025, evoking intimate indie-folk and pop and follows the release of a vocal version of ‘Lament’ with Tom Norrington. ‘The singles are a way to give a voice to the atmosphere of the record and to lyrically encapsulate some of the themes explored,’ explains Waz-u. ‘Lily and Tom are good friends of mine and have both been listening to early iterations of these preludes – it felt right to involve them directly on this record.’
‘Preludes: Dusk Psalms’ marks a new branch of Waz-u’s emerging sound, guided by the duality of tradition and innovation. Combining his musical roots in early ‘90s dub techno and classical music, the album weaves carefully layered synthesizers and electronics to evoke the ambience of sacred music — from the gentle timbres of a choir or an organ to the quiet, open, and reverberating spaces of a church. Also featured throughout the album is experimental musician G9 LUV, who creates textures and drones by bowing his bass guitar, resulting in cello-like sounds. The release follows Waz-u’s 2024 debut LP, Prayer For Dawn, which merged dub, techno, and electronica in an exploration of the ritualistic traditions associated with both organized religion and dance.
Bringing the album’s themes to life, Waz-u will celebrate the release of Preludes: Dusk Psalms with a special performance at Our Holy Redeemer in Clerkenwell, London on 14 May 2025. Set against the church’s resonant acoustics, the event will feature live performance arrangements, including a choir, with further details to be announced soon.
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