Jazz-funk band Incognito celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, was recently filmed at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire for a live concert DVD. As usual, the band’s percussionist, Joao Caetano, brought his own selection of DPA Microphones, including four d:vote 4099 instrument mics and a stereo pair of d:dicate 4011A cardioid mics used as overheads.
“Normally I use d:dicate 4011A for studio work and rely on the d:vote 4099 for live performance, but on this occasion we were recording audio for a DVD so I supplemented the line-up with the d:dicate 4011As because I wanted to capture the best sound possible,” says Caetano. “Our front of house engineer, Chris Lewis, was very happy that I had brought them out of the studio for the task. He always insists that I use my DPAs on all our gigs.”
Caetano is a full-fledged member of Incognito having joined Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick’s band in 2010. Originally from Macau, he came to the UK to study Music at Chichester University. Since graduating he has worked as a professional percussionist in the UK, and has also composed and recorded music for television. Alongside his Incognito projects, Caetano has also worked and performed with the likes of Chaka Khan, Leona Lewis, Jessie J, Dionne Bromfield and Mario Biondi.
“Although I am primarily a percussionist, I am also very melodic because I studied violin for 12 years and guitar while I was at university,” he says. “I incorporate an awareness of other instruments into my work and I like to capture the best sound possible, both in the studio and on the live stage. This is the main reason why I invested in my own selection of DPA microphones – in my opinion they are the best microphones in the world. They wipe the floor with everything else.”
Incognito tours every year and 2014 is no exception. The band is currently performing at various venues around Europe and Caetano takes his d:vote mics with him wherever he goes.
“I use the d:vote 4099 on my congas and bongos because they deliver a really crisp, clear sound,” he explains. “They are very reliable and, of course, very portable because they are so small. I love the fact that they are well engineered and that they can be used on a range of instruments thanks to the clips that DPA has designed for them. Everything about them is good – even down to the cables and the case they come in. Compared to other microphones, they are streets ahead and once you have tried them you never go back to anything else.”
Caetano is also working on a solo album project and says this will be recorded with DPA microphones.
“I’m playing guitar on this album and I’m definitely using my d:dicate 4011A microphones to capture that,” he says. “I have also been recommending DPA Microphones to other musicians that I work with and am more than happy to point them in the direction of DPA’s UK distributor Sound Network, who were a great help when I was buying my own microphones.”