Saulo Oliveira S.: The Sophomore Album Interview
By Howard Hanson, April 13, 2025.
Talking to Rock Life Today magazine, the Prince of Rock gave more details about the new album “Do Gears Know They are Gears?”, to be released release in November.
What were your main compositional- and production challenges at the beginning of this album and how have they changed over time?
Saulo: The challenge is to overcome laziness open the studio and start fitting everything in its place the way I idealized in my mind. The ideas are there, and the tools too, the path to the result needs to overcome the desire to only sleep during the whole weekend or holidays and do something more productive during the day.
What was your first studio like? How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear for you?
Saulo: I recorded the first songs on the bed in my room. I access the studio app on my phone. If I’m not mistaken in “Wild Horizon” I recorded the vocals of some song even lying under the blanket, right on the cell phone microphone. There’s a song on this new album that I recorded in the bathroom of my apartment. I liked the aesthetics and texture of the echo, it worked with the theme I needed. Then I debug what is needed on the computer.
How do you make use of technology? In terms of the feedback mechanism between technology and creativity, what do humans excel at, and what do machines excel at?
Saulo: Technology is one of the ways to achieve the intended result, but the creativity and message you want to pass are the most important. First of all, music needs to have an essence. Otherwise, not all technology in the world will make it interesting.
Collaboration can take on many forms. What role do they play in your approach and what are your preferred ways of engaging with other creatives through, for example, file sharing, jamming or just talking about ideas?
Saulo: I hardly talk about my ideas with anyone. I’m not keen on collaborations. This could change someday, for today I’m just doing my own stuff.
Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other — do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?
Saulo: My routine is boring. The fact that I sometimes make some music doesn’t change the lack of meaningless in life nor make my days less pointless.
Could you describe your creative process based on a piece or album that’s particularly dear to you, please? Where did the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what did you start with and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art?
Saulo: I’m always learning, so, if I get interested in some subject and I think that could be turned into a song, I start observing that theme more attentively. Creativity is a curious thing. When you have a huge amount of ideas in a week and a little short time to execute any of them, it turns out to vanish in the wind.
Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?
Saulo: When it comes to art the only person I trust today is Philomena Cunk. I don’t trust anyone else’s opinions but hers. That’s all I have to say about it.
How does it feel to be considered by the critics as the Prince of Rock?
Saulo: That’s Kafkaesque. I’m a John Doe. I’m just doing my silly stuff to fulfil the hours of the day.
It is remarkable, in a way, that we have arrived in the 21st century with the basic concept of music still intact. Do you have a vision of music, an idea of what music could be beyond its current form?
Saulo: No, I’m shortsighted. My vision is trashy.
