DJ Werson is a DJ/producer/artist from Natal, now based in Salvador, co-curator of Mafia do Dendê.
The fusion of rhythms in electronic beats has always been a priority in David Werson’s work as a DJ. Son of singers, born in Natal (RN), raised in the state of Bahia and graduated in Journalism from the University of the State of Bahia, the mix of musical cultures accompanied him from birth, influencing his work.
In 2009, Werson took his first steps as a DJ, participating in events at universities and in private parties in Juazeiro-BA and Petrolina-PE, and was already mixing popular rhythms with electronic beats with the intuition to appeal to an audience still distant from the culture of electronic music. .
In 2012, he joined the rap group P1 Rappers, which invested in a regional style of rap beats and narratives, and over the course of 6 years working as the group’s DJ and beatmaker, he recorded 6 albums, 10 clips, and won prizes at festivals such as Edésio Santos da Canção, in Juazeiro-BA. In 2018, he joined the group Made in Quebrada, mixing, together with Blackyva, Euri Mania and Andrezza Santos, references from Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to trace a striking sound from these regions mixed with electronic music, releasing an EP and two clips. In addition to participating in several other experimental music projects.
Over that time, and in parallel with these projects, the “coisativamente rebolativo” sound – the result of the most varied and unusual mixtures between electronic music and popular rhythms such as arrocha and psytrance, Bahian pagode with trap, funk and dubstep, afoxés, house, sambas, maracatu, reggaeton, among many other experiments – brought Dj Werson closer to BahiaBass, a Bahian electronic music movement, composed of several djs and music producers and characterized mainly by the mixture of electronic bass music beats with the rich rhythmic diversity of Bahian popular music. This approach resulted in several collaborative productions with the also dj and producer Telefunksoul (Salvador-BA), including remixes, singles, compilation albums, a vinyl record, as well as a quote in the book – História da Música Eletrônica Brasileira – Eric Marke – 2017.
In 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he also released his first authorial work in which he debuts as a lyricist and performer. On the EP, Novo Normal, he expresses some of the experiences of social isolation imposed due to the pandemic, in a relaxed and dance-able way. In the same year, he reached the final of the Festival Edésio Santos da Canção with the song Travessia, produced with rapper Killauea, debuting both at the festival and in the art scene of the region.
2021 saw the release of Download Ancestral, a song written in partnership with Camila Yasmine, a singer and songwriter from the São Francisco Valley region, which unites African ancestry with electronic music technology. A fusion that presents a bit of Afrofuturism while dialoguing tradition with modernity. It also has a clip produced and recorded in Petrolina-PE and Juazeiro-BA, through the Aldir Blanc Law, and which has as its narrative premise the same concept of music, also having the special participation of the group Filhos de Zaze, which acts in the city strengthening and preserving the historical presence of religions of African origin in Juazeiro and region.
2021 also featured the debut of Dj Werson at music festivals, broadcast over the internet due to the pandemic, Feira Noise, Festival Quixabeira and Festival Opará and the launch of more collaborative works with Blackyva (RJ), in the single “Foucault (eu não sou culta), Killauea featuring Euri Mania in the single “Olhe por nos”, the remix of Medo no Olho do Macho, music by Lucas Tavlos, and also collaboration on a track from the project “Fêra Beat Vol. 2” at the invitation of producer Lerry, from Feira de Santana – BA.
Inspired by sound system culture, Brazlian popular genres and observing several new talents and sounds emerging in Bahia, together with the DJs and producers Lucio K, and Lord Breu, they came up with the idea of organizing a compilation with talented producers from several Bahian cities who live and follow this scene and its musical evolution such as Telefunksoul, Salamanka, Ubunto, Zamba and Som Peba (Salvador), Don Maths, Bruno Vicci, Lerry and Roça Sound (Feira de Santana), Marve BigHead (Candeias), Rodrigo Freire and Patrick Matos (Vitória da Conquest), ZeH Du Bass (Jequié), and Noize Men (Paulo Afonso), proposing an evolutionary branch of the Bahia Bass movement, with the title “MAFIA DO DENDÊ”, as a mark of appreciation of Bahian culture and a big step away from the old prejudice with that what is Brazilian, regional and popular is bad.
Dj Werson has also worked in the production of soundtracks for audiovisual shows, in partnership with Blackyva for “The Face of Ball”, “Boca do Mundo” and “Pau Feminino”. Also the participation in the soundtrack of the short film “Para não Dança em Segredo”, directed by André Vitor Brandão through the Itaú Cultural project in 2020.