Raul Nunes is the founder of the DZ7 Club, which will have studios and a Funk School for suburban talent; production company opens this Thursday
that the funky crossed the borders of the suburbs is nothing new: the genre is present not only on the walls of the alleys of the DZ7 dancein Paraisópolis, as well as at university parties in São Paulo and also abroad, from the United States to Ukraine.
This Thursday 17, Club da DZ7 inaugurates its official headquarters in Santo Amaro, consolidates itself as the first producer and record label born from a dance and, according to Raul Nunes, its creator, it will also be a funk school. But, before becoming this cultural centre, the Club was a barbershop.
The story of Raul Nunes and the Club from DZ7
“We founded the music label in 2021 and started doing digital distribution. We started offering originality in funk which, for a long time, was discriminated against,” described Raul who, in 2015, saw dance as a power to undertake.
“I have been an entrepreneur since I was seven years old, because, precisely because we are in the favela, at 30 we have to make do. I always had to look for opportunities, if there was a can thrown on the ground, I saw the money. When people parked their cars, I watched them and I made money. At the ball, I realized that nobody was looking at the talents of the ‘boys’ in the favelas,” he explained.
Raul started working supplying drinks for the DZ7 dance, later selling cushions, cookware and even worked with importing perfumes. So when one of his drinking customers decided to close one of the bars, he decided to buy it and turn it into a barber shop.
“First there was pagoda and then funk. There was a guy who sold caipirinhas and his name had the word seventeen and as funk grew it became DZ7 dance. I opened the barber shop in 2017 and, at night, it was a tobacconist’s. I decided to create a place, because the ball no longer had a point of reference”, he says.
Over time the company has transformed into a simple bar and tobacconist’s. Since Nunes was responsible for setting up the walls (large speakers) for the dances, some young people started looking to him to play their songs at the events and it was from there that he saw a new opportunity. The DZ7 dance brings together thousands of young people from the South Zone and other regions of São Paulo every weekend.
“I saw the lack of people paying attention to art in the communities and started studying the market. I think it’s really a predestination, because funk is a light at the end of the tunnel for all of us. ‘earn bread’ and it changed the lives of many young people in the community that welcomed me,” he said.
Since then, the DZ7 Club has expanded and, today, works with artists such as DJ Noguera, MC Delux, DJ Gabiru, among others. The venue has 6 recording studios, video editing stations and meeting rooms. Although the building is not in the Paraisópolis favela, its location is an advantage: the Club is also close to Heliópolis, a favela where dance has strengthened ties with the manufacturer.
In addition to expanding his business to other communities, Raul also revealed that, this month, he plans to invest in training more talent from the suburbs. The funk school will have singing lessons, music production, clip editing and was supported by Preto Zezé, president of CUFA, at Expo Favela 2023.
The success of funk in Brazil and around the world is an incentive to invest in production. “Favela dance is present in many places, but we were not represented. This is the beginning of a direction that is materializing,” said Raul.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
