DJ Marfox

DJ Marfox — the stage name of Marlon Silva — is best known for pioneering a new music genre that emerged from the Portuguese capital’s housing estates, referred to as ghetto sound of Lisbon,^[1] "batida" or "batucada",^[2] which incorporates African-influenced dance music such as kuduro, kizomba, funaná and tarraxinha^[3] with house and techno.^[3][4]

His stage name combines the first syllable of Marlon with the name of the character featured in the Nintendo game Star Fox he used to play as a teenager.^[5]

Career

Born on June 1988, in Lisbon, Portugal of São Tomé e Príncipe’s parents,^[6] DJ Marfox started deejaying in 2002.^[7]

In 2005, together with DJ Pausas and DJ Fofuxo he founded DJs Do Guetto^[8] and a year later they released DJs do Ghetto Vol. I a digital compilation made up of 37 tracks onto eMule.^[3] This compilation, which has since been re-issued as a free download by Príncipe Discos,^[3] has been viewed as the foundational release of the ghetto sound of Lisbon.^[4][7]

His first solo album, Eu Sei Quem Sou (I know who I am), released by Príncipe Discos in early 2011^[5] was described by Philip Sherburne as “an atomic field of taut drums and hiccupping yelps and zapping synths and pinprick details."^[9]

In 2014, DJ Marfox released an EP called Lucky Punch on Lit City Trax^[10][11] and went on to perform in the Red Bull Music Academy in New York^[12] as well as in the Warm Up — the live music concerts curated by MoMA PS1.^[13][14] According to Cedar Pasori, DJ Marfox's participation in MoMA PS1’s highly acclaimed experimental electronic music series, which took place on August 30, 2014, “reinforced the accelerating spread of Afro-Portuguese dance music around the world.”^[11] The album Lucky Punch was listed as one of DAZED’s top ten albums for August 2014.^[15] In between the aforementioned performances, the Rolling Stone magazine included him in their list of “10 New Artists You Need to Know”.^[16]

One of the first international collaborations of the Portuguese DJ and producer was a rework of tUnE-yArDs’ song Water Fountain featuring Brazilian band Pearls Negras.^[17][18]

On March, 13, 2015 the British independent record label WARP announced the release on April 7th of a new EP called Cargaa 1 featuring DJ Marfox as the central figure of what MR P describes as the “cream-of-the-crop purveyors of Lisbon’s thrilling electronic dance scene”.^[19]

A compilation of songs crafted in the artist’s bedroom from 2005 to 2008 was launched as a CD as well as free download under the name Revolução 2005-2008 on March 16th, 2015.^[20]

Discography

Albums

• Eu Sei Quem Sou (Príncipe, 2011) — reviewed by Philip Sherburne/Resident Advisor^[6]
• Artist Unknown (Pollinaire, 2012) — reviewed by Philip Sherburne/SPIN ^[21]
• Subliminar (Enchufada, 2013)
• Lucky Punch (Lit City Trax, 2014) — reviewed by Philip Sherburne/SPIN ^[22] as well as Joe Muggs & Seb Wheeler/MixMag ^[23]
• Revolução 2005-2008 (NOS, 2015)

Songs featured in Compilations:

• 'Funk em Kuduro' — DJ’s do Guetto Vol. 1 first released in 2006; re-release in 2013 by Príncipe Discos.

Mixtapes

• Distortion Ass Mix — featured in SPIN 05.07.2012^[9]
• Dazed Digital - DJ Marfox Mix — featured in DAZED DIGITAL 03.2014^[7]
• The Ghetto Sound of Lisbon — featured in Resident Advisor 10.03.2014^[4]
• MOMA PS1 Warm Up Mix — featured in Pitchfork 29.08.2014<^[14]

References

External links

• DJ Marfox on SoundCloud