The Brazilian born beatmaster brings the Sweat to HK next month: producer and DJ Lucas Sakalem!
Thotyssey: Hello DJ Sakalem, thanks for finding the time to chat with us today! You are a world traveling DJ and probably constantly on the move. Where are you now?
Sakalem: Hey! Of course, my pleasure. I’m in my Brooklyn apartment right now; this is my home base, NYC.
Yay! You DJed Renegade Pride here this past summer. How did that go, and in general do you think of yourself as more of a Summer Person?
Renegade is always a great vibe. I loved sharing the stage with other Brazilian DJs (I live here, but I’m from Brazil) for Pride. I debuted as DJ Sakalem with them back in 2024, and it’s great to see how the brand has grown and evolved since.
And weirdly enough, even though I’m from Brazil, I prefer winter to summer, lol!
How might you describe your DJ sound and vibes today? What do you love to play?
I pull from a few different places: house, techno, tribal. I’m hugely inspired by New York City nightlife, and what’s happening on the dance floors here. For me, going out in NYC isn’t just about having fun. It’s also where I go to feel inspired, and discover what’s exciting me musically. And when I’m producing, my goal is always to create something that feels current while still connected to the sounds that made me fall in love with nightlife in the first place.
Being a good DJ means being able to read the room and figure out where to take the music next, and gaining the trust from the dancefloor so that they will go on the ride with you! Is that something that any DJ can learn over time, or is it a very “you got it or you don’t” kind of skill?
You learn it with experience; there’s no better DJ boot camp than playing for a crowd. That said, as a DJ you should always understand that the night isn’t just your night. It’s a mutual experience between the DJ and the dance floor. I think that’s something everyone who wants to DJ should understand, because if you’re only playing for yourself and not paying attention to the crowd, you risk losing that connection throughout your set.
Can you tell us a bit about growing up with music in Brazil, and how you ultimately found yourself DJing and producing here?
My family loves Brazilian music. I went to my first concert when I was very young, and grew up in a very artistic environment. As a teenager, I was always the one making playlists for parties, so I always had this sense of sharing music.
I knew I’d love to DJ one day, but my corporate career left me little time to pursue that. During the pandemic, when there was nothing to do on the weekends, I bought a small DJ controller and taught myself to mix through YouTube. I DJed for a little at the gay bars when things reopened in 2021, but eventually work took over again.
A few years later, I decided to make time for music, and learned how to produce. Once I started seeing DJs from all over the world downloading and playing my tracks, I thought, okay, maybe it’s time to try again! That’s really how I came back as DJ Sakalem (using just my last name), this time focused more on electronic music and playing a lot of my own productions and remixes.
Producing music got me connected with people from all over the globe. That’s how I managed to go from playing in NYC only, not knowing anyone in the scene outside of here, to booking gigs in other parts of the US and other countries.
Have you had an all-time favorite DJ gig or moment? How about a “WTF did I just see” moment, lol?
All-time favorite DJ moment: playing one of my remixes for 2,000 people in Brazil during a carnival set and seeing the whole room just going crazy with the drop.
WTF/ funny moment: I mean, not something I saw… but I once ripped a pair of black vinyl pants open right in the middle while dancing too much onstage, and had to ask people in the crowd if they had extra shorts at coat check that I could change to. Someone did, and saved my night, lol.
What are your thoughts about the state of nightlife and dance today? There’s a lot of cause for gloom and doom since lockdown ended, when observing people’s changing social and spending habits. But the success of music-centric venues nowadays can’t be denied, right?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I mean, the world has become way more expensive than it should these past couple of years. I don’t think it’s just a pandemic effect. We all know how bad things are politically and economically in this country, and that’s definitely harming our industry overall as people are having to make some tough calls about how to spend their money. Going out and live concerts are now a luxury that not all can afford.
But I also think that there is still a sense of hope and community in nightlife. You hear dance music becoming popular again after a period of sad, slow ballads. Classic house anthems are making a return, with a whole new generation falling in love with them.
Madonna just put out one of the best records of her career, and it’s all dance music. One of my favorite parties in NYC, Tiki Disco (which is totally free, by the way), is packed all the time. So I think there’s hope! People go out because they feel like they belong, they feel the freedom to express themselves on the dance floor. No one will ever take that away from us.
NYC event producer Jake Resnicow’s big circuit party M.E.A.T. just turned 10 this month, and his newer spinoff party SWEAT returns on Oct 3rd.–this time at HK Hall. You will be joining DJs Karsten Sollors and Ponyboy in the booth!
I can’t wait! We’re going for house and tech house sexy vibes. I’ll be doing a full house set with some techno sprinkled here and there as well. And I’m releasing a new original track next month, a house track, and will be playing it for the first time in NYC at SWEAT. I’m really excited to be joining both Karsten and Ponyboy onstage for this… y’all won’t wanna miss it!
What else is in store for you?
I’m heading on tour across Latin America this week, with stops in Chile, Brazil, and Peru, And while in São Paulo, I’ll be recording my first-ever digital show for YouTube. Full set coming this October!
OMG, so exciting! Okay, lastly: what’s your best advice for a baby DJ who wants to make it big in NYC?
Okay, two things. First: do it. Learn the equipment. Record a set. Put it out. Send it to people. Post about it on your socials. And then, go to the parties you want to play, meet people, make connections, put yourself out there. Connections are really important. Nothing is ever going to happen if you stay a bedroom DJ forever.
Second: figure out what’s unique about your music. Find the thing that makes people remember you after your set, that makes them want to hear more from you the next time. There are a lot of great DJs out there, but having an identity is what makes you stand out.
Thanks, Lucas!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for DJ Sakalem’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Instagram, TikTok, SoundCloud and LinkTree.
Thotyssey 