Vanyfox^PT/FR

Batida, Kuduro, Afrobeat… Vanyfox's music is multi-faceted, cosmopolitan and authentic. Originally from Angola and now evolving between Lisbon, Reims and Paris, the prolific 22-year-old DJ and beatmaker has gained enormous traction all over the world in the past few years.

As a child, the young Paulo Alexandre was soothed by the sweet voice of Congolese singer Koffi Olomidé. At the age of 12, pushed by one of his brothers, he embarked on his musical journey, caught up in the frenzy of composition. His relocation to Reims, France, took him away from Batida’s soil – the Afrodiasporic musical genre created by immigrants of Portugal’s former colonies – but did not affect his passion for the sounds of his former Lisbon stomping grounds. Releasing a slew of polished productions on Soundcloud, inspired by Batida pioneers such as Lycox and Niggafox, things accelerated in 2019 when he caught the attention of Branko, formerly of famed Kuduro band Buraka Som Sistema and Enchufada label head, which propelled him on the Lisbon musical scene. Simultaneously, exchanges with Boukan Records producer Bamao Yendé inserted him in the Parisian afro-underground scene. These days, the artist cultivates privileged links with Canadian-Congolese collective Moonshine, with whom he develops performances and party projects in Montréal, Europe and the rest of the world.

To celebrate his MUTEK debut, Vanyfox will rock the esplanade Tranquille stage with tracks from his latest EP Banzelo, produced and recorded between Portugal and France. His Batida-infused musical selection will also feature unreleased tracks explicitly produced for the occasion.