Planes

SERVIO TULIO – PLANES

I met Servio Tulio in 1988, at the age of 19, as a fan. A little older than me, Servio was one half of the post-everything synthpop duo Saara Saara. With his theatrical vocals and hilarious lyrics, he and childhood friend Raul Rachid topped the Radio Fluminense FM top 10 more than once with their homemade tapes (Fluminense was the only FM radio station 100% dedicated to alternative music in the state of Rio), and their live performances in theaters and dance clubs filled with enthusiastic fans. They even made the cover of the culture section of prestigious O Globo newspaper.

At the time, I, from Rio de Janeiro, lived in Niterói, which was also not Servio's city of origin ― his family came from Bom Jesus do Itabapoana, a city in the interior of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Being Niterói a small city, I inevitably ended up meeting Servio and Raul, and I became close to both of them. From a fan I became a friend.

Servio's creativity was proportional to his modesty. As a bona fide Capricorn, as much as he liked daring in the arts, he did not hide his respect for the classics, and while Saara Saara was on hold, Servio deepened the study and practice of classical music, even recording an album with a chamber music group and another with a repertoire focused on German cabaret music.

In the late 1980s, Servio showed me the demo tape of a song on which he was working. Called "Planes", it would be part of an opera he was composing. The song touched on a very deep personal matter.

When I heard the song for the first time, my ears lit up the way our ears light up when listening to a masterpiece. Servio and I were already brother-type friends, a friendship that would last a lifetime. But it wasn't out of friendship or because I'm a fan of Saara that that song left me perplexed. Especially because "Planes" didn't sound like anything Servio did with the late Raul in Saara Saara.

Servio eventually abandoned the idea of opera, but began to think about making a solo album ― it was the early 1990s. His involvement with classical music and his work as a radio broadcaster, however, were too much in his plate. He did not have the time to properly dedicate himself to a serious project such as a solo album.

Around 2015, the idea of his own album returned, with his own repertoire and electronic programming. Highly organized, Servio equipped himself with software and hardware to create electronic music ― including his powerful vocal, imaginatively enhanced by different filters.

I would often ask for a definitive version of "Planes". And he would often show me a different version, always with that complex but unforgettable melody. When Servio left this planet, a tremendous amount of great original music was lost. Commenting on this with Cecilia, Servio's sister, and América Cupello, another close friend, the idea of digging his computers came up. I guaranteed that the song existed and should have a good version to release. I even hummed a passage of the melody. And, voilà, behold, "Planes" was found. And it needed to be launched.

The cover could only be made by Marcellus Schnell, another great friend of this artist who marked the lives of so many people, author of the covers of the only two Saara albums. And no better label to launch this pearl than Slum Dunk Music, by Eli Mejorado and Bruno Verner, for whom Servio nurtured admiration and affection. I called my partner Daniel Watts to master the original mix, and here is the result.

This single is a labor of love, made by family and close friends to promote and celebrate the talent of Servio Tulio, who made the foolery of leaving us before finishing the album. Or did he finish it? Maybe it's hidden on some hard drive?

Servio, I told you that you had to release "Planes", didn't I? That I needed to listen to this song again. That this song was a masterpiece and that it was a crime to hide it from the world. I'm sure the gods of music agree with me.

Johann Heyss, musician and writer

Montevideo, May 2025