In the world of music production, it’s easy to chase perfection, the cleanest take, the catchiest hook, the tightest mix. But for Brazilian producer Janluska, the magic lives somewhere else. If you listen closely, you’ll hear it in the messy parts: a feedback loop that turns into a solo, a jam session that becomes a chart-topping groove, a “weird” sound that makes a record unforgettable.
This article dives deeper into the lessons Janluska shared in his Off the Record episode and shines light on extra insights that didn’t make the final cut. Whether you’re a bedroom producer, a session musician, or just someone who loves to break the mold, let this be your permission slip to get weird, get lost, and trust that something good will come out of the chaos.
Why “Weird” Might Be Your Best Take Yet
Janluska lives by one rule: if someone calls his music “weird,” that’s the biggest compliment you can give him. For him, weird means new. It means you’re pushing past the obvious and landing somewhere nobody’s been before.
“The best thing you can say to me is: ‘Yeah, the music sounds weird.’ Weird is good, weird is new, weird is different.”
This mindset runs through his work with artists like Marina Sena, Anavitória, and Terno Rei, all of whom came to him when they wanted to break free from what they’d done before. In a world where trends reward what’s safe, Janluska’s approach is a quiet rebellion: trust the accidents, keep the edges rough, and remember that imperfection is what makes a song feel real.
Sometimes that weirdness is pure luck. In his Off the Record episode, he talks about working on Anavitória’s Esquinas and chasing a guitar solo that just wouldn’t land. After a break, they came back to find the guitar feeding back into the monitors, picking up radio fuzz, and building a wall of noise. That “mistake” turned into the perfect solo. Imperfection wins every time.
Jam Sessions: Finding Gold in the Mess
One of the biggest threads in Janluska’s process is his love for raw, live energy. He’s all about pulling artists out of the studio and into immersive spaces — like the farmhouse retreat that shaped Marina Sena’s Coisas Naturais. "We did an immersive retreat with her band. Everyone went to this farmhouse, and we just started playing... We flipped all of that on its head — replaced drums with beats, chopped up harmonies."
For Janluska, jam sessions aren’t just warm-ups; they’re the real research. Every stray chord, offbeat percussion hit, or half-finished riff could become the track’s heartbeat. The trick? Don’t control it too early.
He records everything, then digs through the chaos later to find the spark. It’s about trusting your ears to catch what feels alive. For any producer, it’s a reminder: your best ideas might show up when you stop forcing them and just let the room breathe.
How to Find Your Album’s True Sound
If you work with Janluska, get ready to spend time exploring the sound palette; the unique set of textures, timbres, and colors that will define the project. He doesn’t just layer sounds for the sake of it. He asks: What feels true for this artist, at this moment in their journey?
“What I really enjoy is discovering the sound. Doing the research for the album, finding the sonic identity together, figuring out what the sound palette is going to be for that project.”
That mindset keeps him from falling into a one-size-fits-all trap. You can hear it in how he blends organic and electronic elements, taking a trumpet riff from a jam session and twisting it until it sounds like a whole new instrument, or flipping a live drum groove into a beat that feels like it came from another planet.
This level of detail takes time, curiosity, and trust. But it’s what gives every record its own fingerprint, something that couldn’t exist without the people in the room and the imperfections they chose to keep.
Why More Ears Make Better Records
Another thing Janluska swears by: don’t go it alone. He’ll tell you that the best moments in the studio come when ideas bounce around freely, from the artist to the producer to the musicians and back again.
“I love working with other producers, collaborating with multiple hands on a project, hearing everyone’s ideas, and thinking together.”
Collaboration keeps you from getting stuck in your own head. It breaks the cycle of old habits and familiar sounds when everyone feels safe enough to toss out an idea, even the weird ones. That’s when the magic shows up.
Think about the genre-blending, boundary-pushing records shaping Brazilian music today. Many were born from exactly this kind of creative back-and-forth. It’s proof that “your” sound doesn’t have to mean doing it all yourself. Sometimes your best idea is waiting in someone else’s brain.
Trust the Unknown: Improvisation as Curiosity
At the heart of all of this is Janluska’s relationship with improvisation. For him, it’s less about showing off technical skills and more about staying open to whatever shows up.
“Improvisation, for me, is about listening, trust, and freedom. I’m really passionate about the process. I love to experiment. So improvisation has always been a very curious place for me.”
You can hear this mindset in the way he leans into jam sessions, happy accidents, and the “mistakes” that spark something new. For any musician reading this, it’s a reminder: stop trying to perfect every take. Sometimes the messy version has more soul than the polished one.
Final Takeaway: Trust the Weirdness
Janluska’s story reminds us that your best work rarely comes from following the blueprint exactly. Instead, it lives in the moments when you trust your ears, chase the weird, and stay curious about where your mistakes might lead you.
So the next time you find yourself scrapping a rough idea because it sounds “wrong,” pause. Save it. Play it back tomorrow. Bring a bandmate in to listen. And remember: “weird” might be the best thing someone can say about your music.
Catch the rest of Janluska’s conversation in Off the Record, only on the Moises YouTube channel.
