Rubico

Who is Rubico?

Actually, my name is Bruno. Friends started calling me Rubico when I was 11 years old because I looked very similar to a character from a Brazilian soap opera, who had this name.  

I’d describe myself as an active person, with many different interests. I’m specialized in Mechanical Engineering, and I have even worked in a shipyard for a few years. I love Maths, mounting stuff, and also the creativity that this field requires of you. Dublin and Cork were my home for almost a year, while I was studying in Ireland. Afterwards, I returned to Brazil and got into music, and what inspired me was my own life experience and path – sometimes I write to learn. 

An opportunity arose and I enrolled in a volunteering program that brought me to Faro, Portugal. I had a friend here and needed a change of scenery so, here I am, still in Faro, two years later.

Currently, I’m focusing on RDV (Rap de Vitrine). One of my friends had this place in Brazil where we used to hang out, listen to music, and connect with other people. This was happening in 2016. I’d define RDV as a movement rather than a music project. We’re focusing on the New. It’s not just about partying. For me, RDV is about producing music and organizing events. We want to offer entertainment – in terms of how the concerts, the decorations, the visuals are. 

RDV had a huge success in Brazil so we thought “Why not do this in Europe as well?”. And this is how we got to organize the first RDV tour in Portugal, in 2019. In Brazil is different, because there are more people, so you can have more people coming to the events. Now, we are also getting exposed in Portugal. Here, in Faro, we organized the event at Casa das Virtudes. It was great because we were able to connect more with people, we had a lounge, where we would spend time and talk about ourselves and the work we’re doing.

What would you like to do when you grow up?

When I was a child, I wanted to become a soccer player (a Pelé fan here). I played until my 20s. Then, I discovered that I like to sing and later, to produce music. I’m happy with what I’m doing right now, although the pandemic put my personal career on pause for some time. For what’s next, I’ll work on growing the RDV movement and also on creating more music. 

What is the first thing on your mind when you think about Faro?

Easy. It’s an easy city. I used to say to my friends that there is gold under this ground. It’s a really nice city to implement your projects. Many people don’t do this, so there is space for new projects. There’s a huge potential here.

What would be the soundtrack of your life story?

Russ – MVP, because I find myself a lot in his story.

What is the place in Faro you are most connected to? Why?

The pier. That’s the place where I used to go after my night shifts, to get some sun.