I play around with different tempos , swing or straight , and do my best to switch up the chord progressions so everything sounds rich . I don ’ t ever want people to hear one of our songs and say that it sounds like the rest . That ’ s not easy when you record two to three albums a year . A lot of my time is spent on shaping and fine tuning these sounds / tones .
[ WM ] Being a training magazine ourselves , we like that you teach others how to play reggae rhythm guitar as well as lead guitar and bass . You have recorded free Master classes at
ascendmasterclasses . com . Where does this joy in teaching others come from ?
[ Renato ] I started teaching music when I was 16 years old . I began doing it in order to help with household expenses . That ’ s when I found pleasure in teaching . Ascend Masterclasses was a big challenge for me due to the language barrier . At that time , I didn ’ t know many words in English , but I did it even with the language limitations . I ’ m still learning , but today after two years my vocabulary has significantly improved . In addition to producing and directing music , I still teach music to the band members , and we do workshops for local musicians in some of the countries we visit as well .
That is wild ! Mark says you are an introvert type person and that is how you express yourself – through music and producing . Where do you start when you receive a voice memo like that ?
[ Renato ] I am eternally grateful to Mark . He usually says that I am a genius , but he is the genius . He ’ s a guy with incredible talents . The main gift of the many he has , is the talent to make things happen , we work very well together , our different personalities complete us .
He usually sends me all the crazy ideas he has for one song in one single long voice memo . I turn that into a complete song that just needs vocals , production , and mixing . Sometimes that process takes a few hours and other times it takes a few days . I have my studio in São Paulo , Brazil , we have another workstation in Los Angeles , and we always travel with recording equipment so we can produce songs in whatever hotel , AirBnB or house we are in on tour . We try to track as soon as possible when the inspiration is at its greatest .
One of my primary jobs is to make each song sound completely different from the others , so
[ WM ] On stage , you use a lot of showmanship whether it ’ s playing guitar with your teeth or behind your head . All of course with dreads flying around . It sure sounds like fun . You use a Talk Box too . I ’ ve heard that you will also fill in from time to time if other musicians are out sick in the band . Being the producer , you have insights to each players role in the band .
Tell us what the special ministry of Christafari means to you ?
[ Renato ] All of this is to win over the crowds and open the door for the band ’ s evangelistic heart .
I have a lot of fun on stage . This is where I feel free , where I feel useful , where I feel used by God . Yes , sometimes I need to cover the