As much as we hate clichés, Ftampa leave us no option. With bombastic tracks like “Slap” and “Strike It Up,” he’s a perfect example of a Brazilian firecracker. No wonder Ftampa’s thunderesque producing skills attracted attention of EDM gods Hardwell and Tiesto, both of whom Ftampa calls idols, friends and mentors. With the huge Tomorrowland Brazil gig behind and a busy summer ahead of him, the 28-year-old producer/DJ splits his time between Brazil and LA and hardly has any time to rest. But he still managed to chat with us about vodka, naked girls, fake DJs and never getting enough sleep.

How are you, where are you and what are you up to right now?

I’m in Brazil. Just settling in this new apartment, it’s taking me a lot of work and time.

Do you also work at home? Is there a home studio already?

Yes. I’m living in LA, but I always come to Brazil. And when I used to come here, I didn’t feel at home. So I decided to get this new apartment. Now I feel right at home.

Will there be a crazy house party once you’ve done unpacking?

Maybe. It’s a good idea!

Well considering you’re a DJ you’re obligated to have a loud welcoming party.  But let’s go back to the beginning. What’s your story?

I started DJing five years ago, in 2011. Before that I was playing in bands since I was 13. I tried to be a rockstar.

Did you sing or play guitar?

The first thing I learned was playing the piano. Then I started playing drums because it was always one of the things that I really wanted to do. When the last band I was with decided to stop I started looking for a new job, “a good job,” to follow the normal life. But I had a cousin who told me about producing and DJing and told me I should start producing my own music and maybe I could be touring the world very soon because people may get into my music. And that’s what I did. It’s funny to see that after 4-5 years I’m playing everywhere. It’s cool!

So now you feel like a rockstar standing behind the decks, right?

Yeah. I always wanted to be the frontman, but I don’t sing well. I don’t have a good singing voice. But now I am the frontman.

And you don’t even have to sing. Nice trick!

Yes, I can ask people to sing my songs and just sing along to them on stage.

Did you ever think about recording your own voice for a track? Dance music is much more forgiving when it comes to auto-tuning the vocals.

Actually the shouting before all my drops is my own voice. Like in “Slap.” I’m not good with singing, but I’m great at screaming. “Put your fucking hands up” and all that.

You just played Tomorrowland Brazil. How was it?

Man, I will be honest. Last year I made my biggest dream come true: to play a big festival and only play my own music. It was amazing. And this year I decided to do it differently. I never expected it to be better. But it was. I took a lot of time working on my Tomorrowland set. I’ve spent the last three months in the studio making music. I’m not thinking about labels and contracts, with me it’s all about the music.

You’ve released music on Hardwell and Tiesto’s labels. Are there any good advices these guys gave you?

Hardwell was like my father. He helped me a lot. Not just with making music, but with life in general. He’s a very good friend. I’ll always owe it to him. And Tiesto, I remember people were going to the stadiums to see him, he’s such a legend. Working with him was truly amazing. He gave me tips on how to improve “Strike It Up,” and I used all of them. And the track worked so well.

So what life advice did Hardwell give you exactly?

When you start to get famous, you may get lost. You may have good music, but may think it’s not enough. You’re thinking, Oh, I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing. I talked about that with Hardwell, and it helped me a lot. He understood what I wanted to do. I started doing dubstep and heavy electro, and after that I moved to big room and now I’m at this musician thing, it’s more organic. I use all the tips these guys gave me.

How does your work process look like? Do you wake up in the morning, get a cup of coffee, open your laptop, etc?

My studio is in my house. My girlfriend always says I’m only ever in two places in my house: my bedroom and my studio.

But at least it’s not the bedroom studio!

Right. I just come to my bedroom to sleep and the rest of the time I’m at the studio.

That’s good—no need to spend a fortune on a huge LA mansion since you only need two rooms.

Yes, true.

One of your recent tweets says, “Respect is just for real artists.” What do you mean by that? Apparently some DJ was stealing tracks from other DJs…

I won’t give you any names, but it’s complicated. There are some DJs taking advantage of marketing. They are not even real musicians. And I really hate it and just don’t get it. It was a thing at Tomorrowland. One of these clown guys got disrespected, and that’s why I tweeted “Respect is for real artists,” not for marketing guys. What I mean by “marketing guys” is the people who are only famous because of huge marketing campaigns.  

So basically the ones who are using ghost producers?

Yeah, the one I talked about also uses ghost producers. It’s not just about that. I’m okay with ghost producing. There are a lot of very good DJs who use them. Some of them hide it, some of them don’t. At the end of the day, if you’re not an artist at all, you’re going to fail at some point. There are some big names who use ghost producers, but they are great DJs, they help people, they’re the real deal. The ones I’ve tweeted about aren’t those ones—they are the ones who just use everyone around them. They promise people that they will help them and ask for the music in return. And then they just release it under their name and kick everyone out. It’s something that’s very common in Brazil. And it makes me very angry. And I will keep fighting it.

Let’s move to the positive stuff. One of your latest releases is a remix of Tritonal’s “Blackout.” What was it like working with these guys?

Dude, it was amazing. I’m a huge Tritonal fan. When they asked me to remix their awesome song I was a bit scared. The track was a little bit trap, so I decided to re-brand it completely. I recorded too many things for the mix, like guitar parts, so I hid some of these things. So when I sent Tritonal the mix they actually told me to turn up all the details. And that’s what I did. I’m so proud and happy.

When was the last time you had a blackout?

I’m trying not to have a blackout right now because I haven’t slept for three weeks because of the new apartment. So I expect it to happen either today or tomorrow.

Please don’t. You also had a single called “Lifetime.” What would you like to achieve in your lifetime?

I made the track with a friend of mine Sex Room. He’s a huge producer from Brazil. He’s not famous yet but he will be. He’s so talented and always working on something new. We used to live in the same city and the track's about our lives and all our DJ friends. It’s not just us two, but also The Fish House, Panic, all these guys. We are always making music and helping each other.

What’s the craziest gig you’ve ever played?

I was playing a show in San Francisco. And this girl comes up to stage, takes her clothes off and screams “Fuck me, I’m a DJ whore.” And then she sat on the CDJ and the music stopped.

So… What did you do?

The security guys were very fast and took her off the stage. I wasn’t expecting this from her. When she came over she offered me a drink and I thought, Oh, cool. And then everything happened so fast.

Perhaps she was attracted to your tattoos. Are there any stories behind them?

Yeah. It’s all about me and my life. I’ve got some protection masks tattooed. Some fish that help me go forward. I’ve got a clock with roses that represent the right time in my family. Now I’m getting a monkey. There’s an expression in Brazil, “When monkey’s thinking.” It means it’s working. So I’m getting this monkey on my arm, too.