Filipe de Melo - Sound Engineer

I was born in Coimbra, Portugal. Moved to Porto in my early twenties to study music technology & production at ESMAE, in 2004.

The curiosity for live sound quickly grew in me during the stay in Porto. Small club shows on 100-200cap venues gave me proper experience on an early stage of live sound engineering on late 2005. During 2006-2008, a lot of investment in an own PA system started paying off, allowing me to drive around the country doing sound with my own setup. From spoken word to hardcore shows, I've built a reputation of easy-going, uncomplicated work live.

Bichus, a live Opera based in Coimbra was my first live job with remarkable reputation, between 2006 and 2007. I worked for MVM TV between April 2008 and June 2009, where I was doing broadcast live sound on shows, editing audio and recording vocals for jingles and promos, with low budget gear and lots of difficulties. Every day was a test.

On 2009 I embraced live sound engineering as my only professional direction. Some improvements on my own gear and an invitation to join the portuguese class act Men Eater along with canadian folk Sights & Sounds on their 6-week european run made this year the gamechanger on my life. Alive, Marés Vivas and Sudoeste Festival with John Is Gone was a remarkable experience as well. Regular work with d3o, a rock/blues power-trio from Coimbra was one of the things I enjoyed the most.

Time between 2010 and 2012 was spent on the road with some of the best live acts in Portugal - Hills Have Eyes, My Cubic Emotion, Devil In Me, For The Glory, Twenty Inch Burial, Born A Lion, The Poppers, Sam Alone. Norwegian black thrash supergroup Aura Noir hired me in September 2011 for their European Tour, and I've been with the band ever since then.

I decided to move to the UK in May 2012 as Portugal wasn't enough for a touring FOH. As a result I've already done sound to bands such as Sylosis, Bleed From Within, Heart Of A Coward, Hacktivist. Expanded worldwide, taking over mixing for overseas bands such as Thy Art Is Murder, Attila, For Today, Fit For An Autopsy, Northlane and Make Them Suffer.

My work ethic is pretty clear: do what you love and always keep a good level of communication. Adjust and adapt. Don't worry too much about things you can't control. Don't fix it if it ain't broken. Work your way to the top and be nice to people. That's the only way you will become a full-time touring sound engineer.

I'm based in London for the time being, and the next couple of years.

Enquiries: durezalive@gmail.com