10 Years of Dumb Unit: Cesare vs. Disorder's Guide to Sao Paulo

Berlin based producer Cesare vs Disorder (who we’ve interviewed here before) is certainly a man with a plan. Having formidably building his name on the minimal techno and house circuit, Cesare Marchese (a.k.a. Queen AtOm) has a string of impressive EP releases planned for the end of 2010 on a whole host of imprints including his own Mean label. His distinctive blend of dark, deep electronica and uplifting house elements (peppered with influences from his classical musical background and a long-standing love of hip hop and dub) has delighted Sunday fabric fiends in the past and will surely do the same at the 10 Years of Dumb Unit party here in Room Two on Saturday. Ahead of the occasion we’re handing over the blog – at random intervals, naturally – to the Dumb Unit guys who are all providing a guide to a different city they know so well, as well as exclusive content and thought. First up is Cesare vs. Disorder who has chosen to profile Sao Paulo in Brazil. I’ve been asked to give my favourite hot spots somewhere around the world. Writing about Berlin was too much of an obvious choice. London? Although I lived in the city for 9 years and have some great tips to give out, I found it boring for a London based club blog. Milan? I was living there in the 90s, there’s a completely different vibe than now... It is another great city but I don’t think that now I can tell the best trends over there. Having a Brazilian girlfriend and having travelled there for periods of over a month nearly every year for the last 6 years I’ve decided to write about my “third home” Sao Paulo. When my first flight to Sao Paulo was landing, I couldn't help but to be amazed by that immense sea of skyscrapers that made the horizon disappear. So many tall buildings, such an infinite area... it is indeed an impressive view. Straight away you feel the power of the city, the biggest in Latin America and one of the biggest in the world. I couldn't wait to get out of that plane and start exploring. Sao Paulo it is not only the biggest economic centre of Latin America, but it is truly rich when it comes to arts, entertainment, culture and of course gastronomy... As you probably know, Sao Paulo has huge and diverse international community’s including Italians, Japanese, Africans, Lebanese, Portuguese and more. Try to imagine all that gastronomy background with the most tasteful ingredients and a hint of Brazilian creativity... for me its paradise! Last February my girlfriend brought me to this small, old school bohemian bar called ‘Veloso’ in the south area of Sao Paulo. There aren’t so many places to sit, but as the weather usually helps you can just hang around on the side walk with your friends. There you find the creamiest and coldest ‘chopp’, the beautiful opposite of London’s flat warm pint of lager... this is South America, the beer is “gelada!” You can try a huge variety of Caiprinhas with the most eccentric fruits and combinations with real Cachaca. My favourites, if possible to choose, are Carambola (star fruit) with Basil, Tangerine with some Brazilian pepper..... pfff, I loved them all, you just can’t have enough! By this time you are probably more than tipsy... (I was!)... so it’s time for the feast! You can start with carrot croquettes with beef jerky or coxinhas, doughy fried croquettes filled with shredded chicken and some cheese, but there is a huge typical selection to choose from. Then another Capirinha...and then Feijoada! One of the best in town. I wish I was there now… Another gastronomic tip is Pizzeria 1900; the best pizza I ever ate (outside Italy of course!) If you fancy "8 inches tall", homemade burgers the right place to go is Joakin's. You can choose the type of meat, cheese and everything that you want for your mega-hamburger! Open till 6 in the morning it’s perfect after leaving the clubs in the early hours. Lastly I recommend Mori Sushi, a beautiful and modern Japanese restaurant. It has a huge ‘a la carte’ selection but go for the ‘rodizio.’ You pay around £25 and you can eat all sorts of sushi and sashimi plus different side dishes as much as you want. The fish is always super fresh and tasty, and the exotic touch creations make the place special. Throwanother £20 in for some Sake and Caiprinhas and for sure you’ll have a great evening. You can explore the old centre, where the city once started, and then go to the newest areas and see the proof of Sao Paulo’s ambiguous reality. From really poor to extreme luxury constructions, from fancy designers to local shops, from kids living in the streets to people going around in armoured luxury cars... it’s all completely paradoxical but there’s a special beauty about it. In the old centre go to the Banespa Tower; a more than 160m tall building where you can reach the top from the stairway starting on 34th floor; it gives you an amazing view with a 45 km radius. Edificio Copan (Copan Building) is another landmark built in the 50's by the famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer, for the quickly expanding Sao Paulo. With its sinuous shape, Copan has 1.160 flats, 20 lifts, between 6 blocks with more than 2000 people living there. Have a walk on Avenida Paulista, stop at MASP ( Sao Paulo Art Museum), go down to Jardins neighbourhood, Oscar Freire Street, where there are plenty of posh boutiques and fancy restaurants... In the west side of town there is the not to be missed, Vila Madalena - the cosiest neighbourhood in all of town; full up with restaurants and bars, artists and their ateliers, it’s a charming little city inside Sao Paulo with live Brazilian music and cold beer… nothing too fancy, just that friendly quality of timelessness. Sao Paulo is a 24/7 city... everywhere, everyday there is something happening... I’ve been in lots of places in the world… but Sao Paulo in its own way has got them all.