Pedro Anica, better known as TECNICK, aged 23, is a young resident of Luz de Tavira who is celebrating 10 years of career as an electronic music DJ.
Faro, Lisbon, Santarém, Braga, Alentejo, Olhão, Tavira, Figueira da Foz or even Spain: there have been countless places where Pedro Anica spread his childhood passion.
To reach two hands full of years of career, this process had a story behind it.
We arrived at the studio, the place where the Magic happens, and Pedro immediately began to remember the beginning of his personal journey.
«When I was 14 years old, I already had a great taste for electronic music, because I often took trips to Lisbon with my parents to visit my grandmother and I could only hear this type of music in the car», he began.
Between 2012 and 2014, the taste for the musical genre electronic dance music (EDM) hasn’t stopped growing. When Pedro started going to Escola Básica D. Manuel I, in Tavira, he embarked on the school radio project to play songs to his liking, at 15-minute intervals. In conversations with friends and in conjunction with the school project, he decided to give his work a name. Here he began to have his professional name Dj Anick (named after his nickname).
From the radio-school project to the disappointment of not being able to continue love for the futsal competition at the local club, called “Sonâmbulos”, due to the heart problem that prevented him from exercising, Pedro had to decide what he wanted to do in his future.
O pet electronic music continued and, from here, he began to dream of having a dj controller. His father knew about this desire and did not let him down. On May 30th, Pedro’s birthday, he received his first controller.
«At that moment, I jumped with joy, like a child who received a toy that he always wanted to have», he recalls.
Pedro, from the moment he had his first controller, started practicing alone. It was through trial and error, with a lot of practice and determination, that he learned what each button did.
Moving from car trips to live concerts and New Year’s Eve, the DJs he listened to and whose shows he attended gave him the inspiration and enthusiasm to continue. On this musical journey, the parents always made a point of being present, being their main support.
«The person I am today is thanks to my parents. They were the ones who provided me with many of the things that got me here. They have always been my biggest support and I am very grateful», reveals Pedro, smiling.
But not everything went smoothly in Pedro Anica’s childhood and there were people who did not believe in the talent of this young artist. At school, Pedro suffered from bullying by some of his colleagues, who didn’t believe that one day he would become a DJ or even play somewhere. During those times, his only refuge was music.
Above all, even on less good days, he remained focused and never gave up on what he really wanted to achieve.
«When you have a goal or a strong focus on what you want to be, nothing else matters. I often say that you have to give 100% in everything if you want to get somewhere and determination is very important», says Pedro Anica.
The nasty comments didn’t stop Pedro from getting his first dates. Since then, many others have happened, in bars or at parties. At 18, he started working in places like Figueira da Foz, in afters at RFM SOMNII and, in the Algarve, at the Welcome Summer Festival and Bye Bye Summer, in Vale Judeu (Loulé), among many other events.
Between 2014 and 2018, his project focused on the show and artistic musical production. In 2018, at the age of 18, he achieved another career goal: the release of his first song, titled “Iceland”, in collaboration with MadJackers.
According to the artist, from that year onwards, he paid attention to live performance, with «things thought out, worked on, many hours spent in front of the computer, to know what I’m going to do at that moment to present my ideas. skills and to present my work to the public».
Upon entering the Tomás Cabreira Secondary School, in Faro, on the technical course in computer equipment management, Pedro decided to change the name of his project to TECNICK, which remains the same today.
Since then, he has been growing and sharing his career on YouTube and Instagram platforms.
With many performances from North to South of the country, the DJ regrets not seeing many opportunities in the Algarve for new talents to make themselves known and perform.
«The Algarve is one of the areas of the country where there is the most talent, but there is still a lack of support from City Councils and Parish Councils to promote youth and their talents», says Pedro Anica.
Being an electronic music DJ is not easy in Portugal, as musical genres are divided into phases and at the moment funk is on the rise.
Despite this reality, TECNICK continues to make its appeal: «It means not giving up, it means not losing focus. And from now on, the Municipal Councils and Parish Councils will help these talents to go out more on the streets, by organizing parties».
According to Pedro, even with 10 years of career, there is still a long way to go and these steps will be taken based on humility, focus, honesty and sincerity, admitting to fighting to transmit the best that electronic music has and also so that this genre music will not be forgotten.
Coming to the end of the conversation with the South Informationthe artist reveals that he not only has the support of his parents, but also of his closest friends and fans.
«It’s not just friends, it’s not just family, it’s also the people who like my work, as a professional. I am increasingly grateful to these people who never gave up on me».
Pedro Anica, or TECNICK, revealed that he has a lot of news to share soon, including some dates that he cannot yet announce. One of the new features recently revealed is the “Tecnick Sunset Party & Friends”, scheduled for June 1st, at Taberna Mota, in Monte Gordo, to celebrate 10 years of career, with guests yet to be announced.
Fans of the artist and anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest news can follow him on social media, namely Instagram and Youtube.
Photos (mostly) and text: Cátia Rodrigues, who is a finalist for the Master’s in Communication and Digital Media at the University of Algarve and is doing her internship at Sul Informação.
