Even the most difficult circumstances can be faced with a smile. So say the Selton, a band born in Brazil and adopted by Milan. Here is their postcard.
They began their musical career at the Parc Güell in Barcelona, where they would play Beatles songs sitting on a bench. Today the Selton – Ramiro Levy (guitar, vocals and ukulele), Eduardo Stein Dechtiar (bass and backing vocals) and Daniel Plentz (drums and percussion, guitar and backing vocals) – are rooted in Milan, are working on their sixth album, and over the past decade have graced stages across Italy, winning audiences over with their eclecticism, sunny mood and imaginative lyrics that mix Italian, English and Portuguese.
During the surreal days in which the city lies deserted under the strict containment measures imposed by the coronavirus, we reached Ramiro Levy on Skype. He is spending the period of isolation in the neighbourhood the band has renamed "Loreto Paradiso", much to the surprise of the common perception that makes it sound a little sad and grey. He told us what it means for a group that has made sharing its defining quality to suddenly find itself living through this phase of standstill and solitude – and what positive sparks might be transformed into music and new ideas for tomorrow.
What is the situation like in your city?
Here in Milan the situation is very strange – I think we'll only realise what we're living through further down the line. For instance, the other day I went to the supermarket and for the first time I put on a face mask: even though I'd already seen other people wearing one, when I put it on myself it was an absurd feeling, like the end of the world. We're at least lucky enough to live in a ringhiera building, which allows us to see other people and greet the neighbours.
Lei viene dal nord, lui viene dal sud, cerchi a Loreto il paradiso anche tu. Far away from the sea for the rest of my life, no island is just paradise.Loreto Paradiso, Selton
How are you spending your days?
Actually we're keeping ourselves very busy during this period, because before the decree came into force we were in the studio putting the finishing touches to our new album. Fortunately we were already well along and had already done the most demanding things – like recording the drums and guitars – so we managed to organise ourselves to bring the work into our home studio. Now, from home, we're refining the vocals, tidying up the lyrics, doing some post-production and mixing, and collaborating remotely with the producer. That's another stroke of luck: with the album to finish, we have a lot to do and to plan.
How are you balancing this isolation with your work?
Luckily Daniel and I live in the same building, so we manage to communicate more easily. Dudu (Eduardo, ed.) still lives in Nolo (North of Loreto, ed.) but in a different building, so we're always connected on Skype. We've found our way of keeping things moving. I think it's very important right now to keep planning and doing things, regardless. The situation is already very heavy psychologically: if you don't have goals, it becomes even harder.
What do you see from the window of Casa Selton?
I see a beautiful courtyard, because Casa Selton is in a classic Milanese ringhiera building. For us it's become a tradition to throw a party here for every album release. For Loreto Paradiso we brought in three tonnes of sand to create a beach, complete with palm trees and deck chairs. Just the other day was the anniversary and it was quite striking to look at the same courtyard where two thousand people had been four years ago, and see it empty. So we did our first Instagram Live, spontaneously, without warning anyone. It was really lovely because the neighbours started gradually appearing at their windows, the Live turned into a kind of concert for them, and in the end everyone was out on the walkways. Afterwards we all stayed there talking, each of us standing in front of our own door, as if it were one big living room. We realised just how much people need contact with others.
Do you think that when things return to normal there will be major changes in the way we live?
I really hope so – I hope that for all of us this is the moment we finally become aware of so many things. There are so many lessons that I think can be incorporated into the way we live. Simply put, if every company had its employees work from home at least a couple of times a week, we would reduce emissions enormously. I also think that all this distance and solitude is pushing us to seek out our distant connections even more. These seem like small but very positive things. It's true that human beings tend to forget everything far too easily, but a moment has arrived when we must change our lifestyle. I hope this great slap in the face that nature has given us – because in the end it's nature that's in charge – will at least teach us quite a few things.
What's the first thing you'd like to do when all this is over?
A dinner with friends – that's definitely the first thing! Then I'd really love to go to the sea, run outside, lie in the sun. Fresh air – that's what I miss most.
During this period everyone (artists included) is "forced" to use social media even more. What is your relationship with these platforms?
We belong to a generation that wasn't born with social media – we learned to use them along the way. Of course we enjoy them and try to make the most of them, but we notice a difference compared to other artists who were already using them as teenagers and are "natural influencers". In this respect we're a little shy: we like sharing, but we prefer to be more selective rather than constantly broadcasting our lives, because we like to maintain a minimum of poetry.
Listen to the playlist created by the Selton for LifeGate on Spotify
Travel and the encounter between cultures are central themes in your songs. Is this condition of isolation giving rise to any new reflections that might one day become music?
Yes, actually, yes. Even though the album was already virtually finished, in the last few days we've written a new song because we felt the need to talk about what we're living through right now. We'll see…
You've been playing together for more than ten years, during which you've changed a great deal, yet one thing has always remained constant: a positive, smiling attitude. Is that something that comes naturally to you, or is it a message you want to send to your followers?
It comes to us absolutely naturally. When we arrived in Italy we struggled a bit to communicate it, because our first album in Italian (Selton, 2010) came out during the era of Vasco Brondi, Dente and Afterhours, who were offering a very dark sound. Many people almost took us for fools, but over time we tried to make it understood that a smile doesn't mean being superficial – on the contrary, it takes a great deal of depth to manage to be positive. You look around and see the world falling apart, yet you're still able to ask yourself "What good can I do?" I think this attitude also comes from our Brazilian roots. Italians have something of a tendency to complain, whereas in Brazil there are people who live in the favelas but who, the moment they get the chance, still go out into the street to sing and dance with their friends. It's something you breathe in the air.
You've already mentioned there's an album in the works — should we expect some news in the coming months?
Right now, timing is a mystery for everyone, but we're finishing up our new album and we're very happy with it, because it's truly special and it's also the first one with the new line-up. We chose to make it with different producers, partly in Italy and partly in Brazil. Even though it's a super collective record in which we wrote a great deal together, there's more room for each of our three personalities. Before, everything was a little more watered down; now there's more Daniel, there's more of me, and there's more Dudu, and at the same time we're even more of a group. For us it's been an incredible process of rediscovery — it's as if we were a new band.
Recently you've collaborated with many artists (Dardust, Malika Ayane, Francesca Michielin, etc.). What have you taken away from these experiences? Is it a path you want to continue?
We've always enjoyed collaborating with others. Since we arrived in Italy we've played with Enzo Jannacci, Daniele Silvestri, Dente, and more recently with Marco Mengoni and Francesca Michielin. Since our band is already in itself a blend of many things, the idea of making music with other people appeals to us enormously because it allows us to learn a great deal. The album will also feature some very interesting guest appearances, but I can't reveal anything just yet!