BIOGRAPHY

SELECTED WORKS

Formed in 1995 in São Paulo, Brazil by artists Eliete Mejorado and Bruno Verner & infused with a contemporary Brazilian radicalism that pushes the boundaries of a hybrid vocabulary, Tetine have created a multitude of music & performance works from the spoken word to electronica, including ritualistic performances, films and video.

Their debut album Alexander's Grave was released in 1996 on their own label High School Records, leading to the birth of an homonymous performance integrating atonal electronic music and super-8 films over spoken and sung narratives. In 1998 Tetine released their second album Creme - a soundtrack for the dance group UR=HOR led by Brazilian performance artist Adriana Banana. In 1999 their third album Música de Amor (Love Songs) is released on High School Records.

In January 2000, Tetine established themselves in the UK, firstly as resident artists at Queen Mary University in London where they put out the cd Olha Ela De Novo (Here She‚s Again) their last release with High School. Later in 2001, Tetine is signed by avant-garde electronica artist Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner UK) imprint Sulphur Records and released their 4th album entitled Tetine vs Sophie Calle - Samba de Monalisa - an acclaimed collaborative electronica project with the French artist Sophie Calle. The album was very well received in Europe and made its debut live performance at the Whitechapel Art Gallery within the project Tetine: The Politics Of Self Indulgence - an agitational baroque investigation into self-indulgence through a programme of film, video, & live music co-curated by Tetine with Ian White.

In 2003 Tetine performed Samba de Monalisa as a sound art performance around Europe and collaborated with other artists for distinct live actions. Projects include the original score for Winterspace - a large scale installation by British duo Igloo and performance based collaborations with Brazilian artists Jarbas Lopes and Ducha for Gambiarra, New Art From Brazil curated by Gasworks Gallery and Capacete Entretenimentos. At the same year, Tetine releases their 5th album Men In Uniform on Brazilian independent label Bizarre Music followed by concerts in festivals such as RESFEST and art shows around the country.

In 2004 Tetine performed live at Sonar in São Paulo where they were also invited to take part at SONARAMA - Sonar' series of multimedia sound art installations specially commissioned for the Institute Tomie Otake. For SONARAMA Tetine created Turkish Bath - an immesrsive video/sound installation made up of four large scale projections with 16 men from various backgrounds in bathing situations.

Still in 2004, Tetine released their acclaimed compilation/mixtape Slum Dunk Presents Funk Carioca Mixed by TETINE on UK label Mr Bongo. FUNK CARIOCA was one of the first DJ mix of Baile Funk to appear in Europe, influencing an entire new generation of DJs and beat makers. At the same time, Bizarre Music put out their 8th artist album Bonde do Tetão.

In 2005 Tetine toured Europe, Brazil and made their USA debut playing M3 Summit at The Winter Music Conference in Miami. A few months later Tetine release The Sexual Life of The Savages an acclaimed album of obscure early 80's underground post punk from São Paulo curated by the band and released on Soul Jazz Records.

In 2006 Tetine play a special concert at the opening night of TROPICALIA - A Revolution in Brazilian Culture - at Barbican Centre in London alongside Brazilian multi-artist Assume Vivid Astrofocus. To celebrate and mark the occasion they released a 500 limited edition CD entitled L.I.C.K. MY FAVELA (Slum Dunk Music).

Still in 2006, Tetine take part at Ether 06 festival in a special night in London at the Queen Elizabeth Hall alongside artists such as Chris Cunningham, Candie Hank amongst others. Other actions include live performances for museums, galleries and festivals such as Palais De Tokyo in Paris, The Wire - Adventures In Modern Music festival in Chicago, Museu Serralves in Porto, Liverpool Biennal, Hebbel Am Ufer in Berlin amongst many others. By the end of the year, the Berlin-based label Kute Bash Records re-releases L.I.C.K. MY FAVELA in vinyl only.

In 2007 Soul Jazz Records release A História Da Garça – a mutant electro punk funk 12’ single with two new tracks. A few months later Tetine perform alongside Dizzie Rascal, Deize Tigrona and Buraka Som Sistema at Casa Da Música in Porto, Portugal and begin a series of shows in Europe. Highlights include the first installment of TROPICAL PUNK – an exhibit of radical contemporary Brazilian art and music with live shows and screenings curated by the band at Whitechapel Art Gallery as well as performances for Frankfurter Kunstverein, Casa Da Musica, Vice in Sweden amongst others.

The beginning of 2008 finds TETINE releasing their second single I GO TO THE DOCTOR followed by a full new alum entitled LET YOUR X's BE Y's on Soul Jazz Records. Performances from the album were shown in London, Portugal, Germany, France, Brazil and Italy.

Also in 2008 Tetine exhibited at COVER - an art show curated by Fernando Oliva at MAM - Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo and completed a new sound piece entilted LET'S DO THE DREAM specially produced for the sound art exhibition OIDARADIO at Paço das Artes in São Paulo.

In 2009 Tetine keeps playing from the album Let Your X's be Y's (Soul Jazz) performing it live around Europe in numerous venues - including a one-off night at Casa Da Música with Hercules & Love Affair. In June, Tetine also performed Samba de Monalisa - the electronica project made in collaboration with French artist Sophie Calle as part of Sophie's exhibition Take Care of Yourself curated by Videobrasil in São Paulo. Later in October, Tetine also performed Samba de Monalisa at EVENTO as part of Bourdeaux Bienalle. By the end of 2009 the album Tetine vs Sophie Calle (Samba de Monalisa) - originally released on Sulphur Records in 2002 - is re-released.

In 2010 Tetine begin the decade with the release of the album From A Forest Near You - a collection of luminuous DIY tropical mutant punk funk tunes out on Slum Dunk Music followed by the 12' EP Tropical Punk with four remastered tracks lifted off From A Forest Neat You album.

At the begining of 2011 Tetine releases two new albums. The first one, their 11th artist album named VOODOO DANCE & OTHER STORIES followed by a compilation of unexpected Brazilian artists called UNCORRUPTED TROPICAL WAVE - 1984-2011 curated by Bruno Verner & Eliete Mejorado.

In June Tetine is invited to perform a re-enactment of the tent performance piece DEE GRAÇA made in collaboration with Jarbas Lopes back in 2003 in Firenze as part of the exhibition Tudo É - curated by Andrea Lissoni & Alberto Salvadori.

In August Tetine play at the International Summer Festival in Hamburg, Germany and they leave for Brasil for a series of exhibitions and performances in Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte including a second instalment of Tetine & Jarbas Lopes cashboxx tent as part of the exhibit Caos & Efeito at Itau Cultural in Sao Paulo. Also in Sao Paulo, a few days later Tetine's commision to soundtrack live Rogerio Sganzerla's cinema marginal classic O BANDIDO DA LUZ VERMELHA is presented at Cine Concerto, SESC Vila Mariana with special guest actress Helena Ignez on stage with Tetine.

At the end of October of 2011 takes place the first instalment of COMA - CONEXÕES EXPLORATÓRIAS EM MÚSICA E PERFORMANCE HÍBRIDA - three days of exploratory music, talks, film and workshophs in the city of Belo Horizonte curated by Tetine including artists such as Planningtorock, Carla Buzolich, Paul B. Davis, Dorit Chrysler, Karine Alexandrino, Joana Seguro, Zilch, Andrew Horn, Astronauta Pinguim, Frederico Pessoa amongst others.

In 2012 Tetine is invited to perform at the prestigious Trienalle Di Milano as part Open Arti in Milan - an unusual laboratory programme of music, art & debate curated by Andrea Lissoni and Simone Bertuzzi including artists such as Venus X,, legendary Italo disco DJ Daniele Baldelli, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Chief Boima, Miltos Mannetas amongst others.

Still in 2012, Tetine is commissioned to create a brand new score for Neville D'Almeida Brazilian new wave classic Rio Babilonia. Later in June the concert is presented at the theatre of Sesc Santo Amaro in Sao Paulo as part of a big retrospective of the works of Neville D'Almeida entitled Alem Cinema.

In September Tetine also perform 3 different pieces in Norway - including a brand new work entitled I Hope You Enjoy Your Stay. All the performances happened in Oslo over a weekend respectively at The National Museum Of Contemporary Art, Stenersen Museum & Jaeger club.

In 2013 Tetine releases their latest album IN LOVELAND WITH YOU out on Slum Dunk Music. Still in 2013 Bruno & Eliete start a new radio series entiteld UNHEARD & SPOKEN broadcast on Resonance Fm. In October Tetine also release two full albums of never-released material from 2000-2005. The albums are called Mother Nature & Black Semiotics and are also part of the project Memory Serves released on Wet Dance recordings.Later in the year Tetine, Ricardo Domencek & Cunt Cunt Chanel embark on a mini-tour around Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium.

In 2014 Tetine and Jarbas Lopes present Deegraça at Festival Multiplicidade in Rio De Janeiro and Tetine perform the album In Loveland With You at Sesc Vila Mariana in Sao Paulo. Later in the year Bruno Verner and Eliete mejorado take part in the project Post Punk Then & Now in conversation with Gavin Butt at Goldsmiths University. Still in 2014, Tetine, Jarbas Lopes and others are part of The Music Room In installation by Ivan Navarro at Moma PS1 in New York.

In the begining of 2015, Tetine exhibit 53 Diamantes - A Collection of Black Stories, Crimes, Falsos-Brilhantes and Other Poems at Galleria Jaqueline Martins at Glory Hole space curated by Bruno Mendonça. Still in 2015, the duo premier the film-essay-performance The 4th World - An Animal With The Demand To Make Choices at the Festival ON-OFF at Itau Cultural curated by Lucas Bambozzi. Later on Tetine celebrate 20 years of activity with a huge concert at Sesc Vila Mariana with legendary Brazilian singer Maria Alcina and Para's producer Jaloo. At the end of the year Tetine presents the talk-performanceTropical Mutant Punk Funk as part of The School of The South exhibition by Sol Calleros at Studio Voltaire in London.

In 2016 Bruno Verner and Eliete Mejorado are part of the team of organizers, curators and speakers who brought Sound System Outernatinal I & II - a symposium/conference/workshop + films devoted to sound system culture at Goldsmisths University. Still In May, Tetine's new piece "O Guarani" premiers at TRAN(S)ARAU - Do Pulso a Virilha in Coimbra, Portugal. Still in 2016, Tetine perform Se Vende at South London Gallery at the opening of the exhibition Under The Same Sun in London and release the spoken 2019 Shaft Abre Caminho Palo Santo, SET Dalston, London, UK.

Also in 2016, Tetine are part of book Post Punk Then And Now edited by the late cultural theorist/music critic Mark Fisher with Gavin Butt and Kodwo Eshun with a chapter named 40 Degrees In Black dedicated to the history of Brazilian Post Punk in the 1980s. At the end of the year Tetine also release two different albums: 53 Diamonds - A Collection of Blind Stories, Crimes and Falso-Brillhantes on Wet Dance and put together also a retrospective album entitled Queer & Mutant Funk Cuts (2000/2005) released on Slum Dunk Music.

In 2017 Tetine perform with Funk Carioca star Deize Tigrona at Sesc Belenzinho in Sao Paulo; play a show in Belo Horizonte at Dengue's vogue party & perfom shows with South Londoners post-punkers Meatraffle at the Moth Club in Hackney and take part at the at the celebrations of 20 years of The People's Palace Project at Queen Mary University Of London, UK.

In 2018 Bruno Verner releases a solo album Film Tapes (1991-1995) with instrumental pieces for cello, electronics, flute and assorted percussion produced in the early 1990s when he lived in downtown Sao Paulo. Tetine also release the acclaimed compilation Colt 45 - Underground Post Punk, Tropical Tapes, Lo-Fi Electronics And Other Sounds From Brazil (1983-1993) on Slum Dunk Music; and at the end of the year put out an art project - record/sculpture in the form of a coin-vinyl through São Paulo's 55 Gallery. Also, Bruno Verner and Eliete Mejorado introduce and screen Denise Garcia's classic funk carioca film I'm Ugly But Trendy, at Goldsmiths Universty.

Still in 2018, Tetine produce a film-perfomamnce in homage to the work of Italian filmmaker & poet Pier Paolo Pasolini entitled Tetine vs Pasolini - The Baron, The Bishop, The Judge, The President and The Relative.

In 2019 Tetine participate in the exhibion Terceiro Ato proposed by the Museu do Louvre Pau Brazyl, São Paulo with two new works Black Semiotics - Todas As Mulheres do Mundo (All The Women In The World) and Todas as Manhas do Mundo (All the Mornings In the World). Also Tetine and Anderson Borba put together an exhibition-no-show proposition entitled Shaft Abre Caminho Palo Santo at SET in Dalston presenting new works produced for the exhibition & take part at Antifascismo Tropical - collective exhibition / White Cubicle, Queen Adelaide of Cambridge Heath, London, UK - a collective exhibition proposed by Pablo Leon de La Barra. Still in 2019, Tetine releases two new records: Tetine vs Pasolini - The Baron, The Bishop, The Judge, The President and The Relative (Slum Dunk 2019) and Animal Numeral (Slum Dunk 2019).

At the begining of 2020, Tetine perform from their new album 'Animal Numeral' at For K-Punk 2020 as part of the Third Mark Fisher Memorial at Goldsmiths University. One month later they start a series of acoustic video-recordings of both old and new Tetine repertoire during the next 4 months in lockdown. In June and July Tetine participate of a number live events. This includes the all-night DJ party International Affairs, and the event Sarau Dadalobela, a series of live performances and readings in homage to late poet and musician Marcelo Dolabela, Bruno Verner's friend and collaborator of many songs on the Brazilian post punk band Divergencia Socialista in the 1980s.

In August Tetine & Yoko Afi premier the film-perfomance The Ether: Prelude No.1, a reflective sonic-aphasic dis-rhythmic meditation for cello, dance, waste, air, body, breathing, piano and electronics, created for the online art residency Pink Umbrellas orchestrated by MxM. Still in 2020, in December Tetine's label Slum Dunk Music put out the lost first album by Brazilian post punk/electronic quartet R. Mutt - Konkret Dance 1986-89, featuring a collection of rare post punk tracks recovered from the band's only two cassette tapes.

In 2022 Tetine particpate in the The Art of Fake News - a group show bringing together Latin American and European artists working across visual arts, film, performance and music at The Rich Mix in London, where they showed two pieces: Boneless and This is the Voice. Still in 2022, Tetine's album Let Your X's Be Y's, originally released on Soul Jazz Records in 2008 is fully remastered and reissued by Slum Dunk, and during summer time Tetine starts composing and recording new material for two new releases.

In March 2023 Tetine releases a new12' vinyl entiltled Music For Breathing - a 5 track electronic / post classical affair proceeding the release of their full album After The Future out in early April. Later in August, Tetine, Noporn and Kapp perform at the Moth Club in London.

On another note, Bruno Verner and Eliete Mejorado have run the Slum Dunk radio show on Resonance Fm 104.4 - (www.resonancefm.com) pretty much since the station's inception in London 2002. On Slum Dunk they keep playing all sorts of obscure and unexpected music from Brazil and beyond.

ABOUT US

Here we talk about Tetine and our relationship to sound production, technology, pop culture, performance art, body politics, autobiography and chance.

We have been defining Tetine’s work as being informed by an urgent necessity to translate our life events into personal images, sonic textures, atmospheres and states through the use of body performance, electronic devices, voice recordings and projections.

We have run Tetine as a duo since 1995. We have produced a variety of distinct original combined-media projects ranging from visual spoken-word performances; electronic music shows to video-installations and experimental albums.

Back in São Paulo, Brazil (1995), we were experimenting with Super 8 films and electronic sounds by 'misusing' devices such as digital and analogue synthesisers and samplers in an attempt to discover different ways of creating body and voice tensions alongside dark, dreamy and floating sonic atmospheres.

Tetine's first performances were primarily structured by the combination of aleatoric noises, frequencies and textures, 'out of tune' (?) vocalisations and atonal harmonies that we would get from hours of exhaustive physical work with our bodies, a couple of old synths and a TV monitor plugged into a VCR that we kept set up in a small rehearsal room.

We were particularly interested in searching for the sensorial and organic responses that such operations could offer; therefore, our main point was to distance ourselves as much as we could from traditional ways of working with sonic and body notions to establish distinctive engagements with each one of the media we utilised.

We still do that and call these experiments 'electro psycho-physic improvisations'. The aim is to develop a much closer relationship between our physical involvement, our personal image and the electronic and organic sounds we invent for live or pre-recorded performances.

Bruno Verner & Eliete Mejorado