Marçal dos Campos: The Artist Behind the Music

Marçal dos Campos, whose real name is João Marçal, adopted this artistic pseudonym to create a distinct identity for his musical project. A graduate in painting and with an established career in the Porto art scene, Marçal also ventured into music, going through phases such as punk bands and electronic music projects.

Influences and Style

The influence of Pedro Tudela, his first painting teacher, was crucial for his foray into electronic music. Marçal describes his music as an extension of his artistic work, with a similar subversion structure, but without the same seriousness. He admits that his specialty lies in the visual arts, where he can explore deeper levels of research.

Musical Career

In 2006, Marçal made his editorial debut with the EP “Nova Emoção”, described by the newspaper “Expresso” as a delicious EP with colorful instrumental pop moments, inspired by Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, and Air. Since then, he has tried to define his style with names such as “Pimba Super Sónico”, “Nova Emoção”, or “Pop Sintético Ultra Melódico”.

Creative Process

Marçal explains that his music can be divided into three parts: originals, covers, and semi-originals, which always contain a residue of another known sound. His working process involves humming pop songs mentally and transforming them progressively into originals or semi-originals, depending on the degree of abstraction he can generate.

Discography

Marçal dos Campos’ discography includes:

• “Nova Emoção” (2006)
• “Três Anos de Pop Sintético Ultra Melódico” (2008)
• “Hinos para a Europa dos 27” (2008)
• “On Man One Reason” (2009)
• “Gaia” (2008)
• “25 de Abril em Paris” (2009)
• “Cubo Mágico” (with remixes by Ghuna X, Solo Combo, and Tiago)

Live Activity

Marçal has a regular live activity, with performances at venues such as Passos Manuel, Festival Sincero, Cabaret Maxime, Espaço Campanhã, Berlim, Plano B, Auditório da Casa das Artes de Famalicão, Matéria Prima, and Candelabro.