Here's some Juninho as a Break
Alright well let's get straight back into this..
If you ever wondered what the secret Belo Horizonte Illuminati meetings were like, well leave it to three of, if not, THE THREE (debatable though) most important producers when it comes to development and evolution of Funk BH: DJs ANDERSON DO PARAÍSO, LUCAS DO TAQUARIL, and WS DA IGREJINHA. Like these dudes have been there since the start of this scene flourishing, so it's only right for them to serve as a ringleaders to whatever fucking ritual that is going on here. The low, almost-inaudible bass being hit with violins that are moving like Mr. Crocker thinking about those damn fairies and the most cursed cowbell that has ever been hit serves as a backdrop to this secret meeting of BH elite in the middle of the forest where everyone's enshrouded in robes of mystery. Instead of sacrificing humans though, they're probably putting a Red Bull can on the altar and cutting it in half around a ring of fire, but that still doesn't discredit any of the hair-raising spookiness this tune has. Especially with producers of this nature, all unique in their own rights, you know you are about to experience something second-to-none.
Staying on that Mr. Bones's Wild Ride type vibe here with DJ WN DE CARIACICA, someone who I really don't have much confirmation of where they're exactly from, however gauging off of this ridiculous tune here, it either has to be Rio or cursed-Rio aka Espírito Santo, because those demonic drums are the real star here. The tempo here is much more livelier compared to most tunes, so it gives the literal bone-rattling beat a great ferocity, like it's this 4-legged creature running after you. Add in that weirdly-familiar loop of horns and strings, and next thing you know you have a funkiero river dancing right in front of you at the edge of the universe. Insane groove here too.
As we've seen with folks like Yure 22 and our good ol' friend Ramon Sucesso, you could make the most insane beat with just about any ridiculous noise you can get ahold of, and Rio's DJ FORTIN O UNICO proves that theory right immediately by taking this weller-known tune from Lukinhas, and throws on some King of Fighters characters and I want to say the 20th Century Fox Intro horns as well, and it's really as ridiculous as it sounds. Somehow though, it just works so damn well because it gives this lowkey jam a much-needed demented facelift - Kind of a novelty but too good for it to be a joke lol.
A quick little São Paulo ditty here from the always great Yuri Redicopa where this has the vibe of an 80s freestyle love ballad, but if it was infected with a brain parasite that's actually a fly with a mini-megaphone taped to its buzzing thingies (no entomology degree here). Yuri builds the song with his verses laying softly on top of a guitar loop that belongs on a 2014 Corbin song, but none of that really matters when the 3-headed producing monster of DJs Phell, Marquesa, and JM Beat brings in that high-pitched noise like a laserbeam coming from Godzilla themself. It's so jarring at first, but after a while, you just get used to it (or it's probably that you started losing your hearing halfway through).
More Rio madness and this time we have Baile Da Terrinha's DJ JOHN MELLO and DJ DOISGÊ giving us something that I can only describe as "hardcore funk." I say that because when those drums come, with the bass just destroying your ears all I see is a buncha scrawny folk crabwalking and crowd killing from every direction. Just pure madness here.
When talking about important BH producers a few spots ago, it's really hard to have that conversation and NOT mention one of the OGs, Gui Marques, as they are one of those vital producers where Funk BH has lived and evolved through over the past almost-decade now. This one is pretty simple, as this track breathes and dies by this large ancient flute that's being looped over and over again driving you absolutely mad. Another really simple tune from BH but no matter how simple these are, it never fails to give you the heebie jeebies.
With a lot of funk songs sampling more popular Brazilian tunes, it's like a buffet of MTGs sometimes because you'll get producers from every city giving unique interpretations of the same song, however when it gets into the hands of a producer from Juiz de Fora, I'm sure the first instinct would be to run the fuck away as far as you can before demons start to grab you from underground because what the hell is this!?!? There's barely any drums here - Just the voices of the damned trying to escape the Soundcloud waveform on the screen. You then have this random voice going "GOD. GOD. BLESS." on top of everything else and it's just so damn unsettling while you have these little kids singing their heart out on top of the madness. Just a jumbled mess of evil that I can't get enough of.
If you've been really locked in on this list, then you've seen São Paulo's DJ Rafinha DZ7's name quite a few times already and that's because he's seriously one of the most ambitious purveyors of funk bruxaria, which is a tall order when all of the music in this subgenre already has a minimum amount of ridiculousness to kill a Victorian-era adult, but it's just the way Rafinha just wants to blow out your eardrums with some of the most corrosive forms of audio ever created. You have this clown laughing crazily in the background, while this bass monster is grabbing you by the legs and flinging you around in every possible direction until you look like pen scribbles on a piece of paper. It's just so unnecessary but absolutely needed at the same time, so stay safe listening to this one!
More JF uneasiness and now we have another notable great in the city, DJ CL DA RATOLANDIA takes a sad Brazilian boy classic and conjures up a beat made out of a dude scooting a chair back and forth on the floor to turn this emotional tune into a full-on nervous breakdown - I believe the beat itself is derived from a JF staple - Beat Fino, but is just manipulated so weirdly here. And there's no lapses either with that beat - That dude is making a hole in the ground with that chair. Just another look at the surrealism of Juiz de Fora and how they take these normal motifs and infect it with whatever dark magic that they got over there.
While we've touched on Espiríto Santo state very briefly so far, funk there is pretty tightly knit in terms of distance, as Vila Velha and capital Vitória are just a 30 minute drive from each other. The next city from ES that really makes a name for themself is easily Serrá, which is instead around an hour drive north from the capital, but still pretty close to the hubs - The city boasts some of the best producers in the scene (more later) however one of my favorite things from all of ES from 2023 is this 6 minute mix from DJ 2P DO SD that has some of the craziest drum patterns you will see on this entire list. As discussed earlier, ES's style is a conglomerate of different styles, and this mix in particular is almost a perfect sample when trying distinguish itself from other cities and forms. The drums still hold that cursed, hide-under-the-covers feeling that MG is known for but ES invokes that feeling with more direct, less disjointed sequencing which is hard-hitting as it is catshit crazy. It's a style that you just have to hear yourself and after a while, it'll become trivial and you can start distinguishing the differences because it's really intricate, but still doable for the average gringo reading this. Within that strict timeframe, 2P is throwing out so many differing beats here too so you get almost a thesis statement's worth of background once you're done with this one. Beware though, it's a doozy.
Since I was a kid and saw Edgar Davids wear them glasses, a nice ass pair of Oakleys has always been a big wish of mine (until I realized I looked like my dad with that shit on). Now that I'm an adult, of course the Brazilians are wanting me to get back to this pursuit to looking like a dumbass, and one of the biggest forms of fashion peer pressure has come from one of São Paulo's most notable mandelão producers DJ MAVICC - I mean look at the fucking fit in the video for christ's sake lmao. But we're here for the music aren't we? MAVICC is one of the best at the automotivo style and this 8 minute set proves it, as each new synth line being introduced feels like an unknown alien species that speaks some inter-dimensional language that we can't even fathom. See how there's no crazy bass death monster trying to eat you? It's almost like a controlled demolition being done here - Still crazy as hell but you're not going to get hit in the head with a huge cinderblock. That being said, these tuin-heavy, high/mid end drops are no joke and will fuck your shit up if you aren't ready, so put the volume to where it warns you about hearing loss and start moving like Speed.
Skrillex you cool, but Frederick Again, I hope you're reading this you talentless hack piece of shit because you will never ever make something as cool as this. São Paulo alchemist DJ Devião takes the Grammy-award winning monster and flips it upside its head to where it's almost unrecognizable if you aren't attentively listening. The rumbling is almost malfunctioning while Devião is adding on these guttural drum sounds that feel like they're coming from oozing sewer pipes; it's just so nasty the way he flips this. Honestly better than the original.
Next up we have SC funk supergroup, AMATERAZU, a collection of producers scattered across the country who all revolve that internet realm of funk - They don't necessarily learn towards a particular style; They pick and choose throughout the different scenes and create these jumbled messes of ideas that are really fresh. This group boasts some of the best #realonesknow producers too, like Bahía's xanx and Brasília's rensgo, both who extend and bend the limits of funk all at the comfort of their computer. This tune here pays homage to the JPOP classic from Perfume and turns it into this futuristic spaceship enshrouded in the Brazilian flag. It still keeps that original electropop feel, but these 4 morph it into this funk transformer frantically moving its robotic limbs around as it mechanically drives the tambor-standard rhythm in such a way that it's incomparable to anything on this entire list. There are breaks here to calm you down from the insanity, where it goes to straight-up 4-on-the-floor house and literal breaks are being played, however it's never enough because of how ridiculously mammoth these folks make this climax sound - More folks really need to get in the know with these producers; Like I'm serious...
Alright, so we've finally made it to where I gotta address this "phonk" fuckery - Yes it's real; It's kind of almost its own thing where gringos have adopted that funk sound and sprinkled in a bit of that bastardization of the Memphis sound, heralded by racist Europeans and weird coworkers alike to where its a soundtrack to droves of teenaged aspiring gym bros on every social media site in the world. Ask any Brazilian about this shit, and you'll get a multitude of answers - A majority of them will be probably negative however there are still some producers in the country who have embraced that particular sound and made some cool things out of it. The one that I associate this whole phonk shit surprisingly enough is from Argentina (I didn't know this until I start writing lmao), so this might be our only non-Brazilian on the list, however DJ ZK3 is the real fucking deal. The kid has bajillions of plays through Spotify, Tiktok, and Youtube, mostly due to his magnum opus AUTOMOTIVO ANGELICAL series, which has been this continuous saga of bass-thumping etherealness, to where he's almost getting carried away with it, as we are now on 7 volumes just within a year. Surprisingly enough, they all have their positives, however the one that has stuck with me and many others the most has been Volume 4 - The way this one is so freeing and adrenaline-pumping, I feel like I'm going to turn into Terry Crews in White Girls where he's blowing the whistle on the dancefloor. Seriously, this is barely even funk, however from this comment
I can really see how the bombastic synthiness of funk automotivo gets thrown into this weird mix with house and sigilkore (I guess with how it's mixed all bitcrushy and shit). However all in all, this just shows how ridiculous you can stretch the parameters of funk and still consider it as 'funk', even though it's so far and beyond anything else on the list.
It's only right to keep the unorthodox train going by heading back to good ol' JF where we can finally get a glimpse at one of my favorite producers in ALL of Brazil - TR SILVA, someone who feels like a posterchild of this whole Juiz de Fora sound; The Doom-weapon-wheel of cursed beats that TR uses could get anyone take over the world on Nightmare Mode - Like from the start, you get a beat that sounds like there's some evil druid minions trying to read from a spell-book and then all of a sudden, you get hit by 2013 nostalgia for some random reason while you're still pale as a ghost due to all of shit TR is terrifying you with. Later on, there's some more standard beats, like Rugal from KoF and some bubbly slippy bullshit, however you can get a glimpse how different premier producers from Juiz de Fora are, compared to other cities in Brazil.
I feel like I've said this a bunch already but DJ ZL is, once again, another crucial producer to Belo Horizonte's sound and growth, as he's someone who you can get a good chronological evolution of what Funk BH has gone through the past 8+ years. This one here is all about the atmosphere, as the star of the show is this ghostly figure floating around you, as it sounds like it's coming straight from Cashmere Cat's studio (I know the song it kinda sounds like is "Wolves" but I refuse to say that hack's name). However its crooning is being soothed by this deep, prickly barrage of bass that'll flatten you if loud enough. Moody club music shouldn't hit this hard...
Proof that Ramemes can speak English and only fucks with me
Legit hope nothing but the world for Volta Redonda's finest however all I got to say for now is sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo sexo .
Okay, bringing back this "phonk" talk for a quick second because I hate that it's neutered the way we can categorize different funk artists because THERE IS NO WAY THIS MOTHERFUCKER SHOULD BE CALLING THEMSELVES "brazilian phonk." That is just a copout for folks not to consider São Paulo's DJ L7 DA ZN as one of the most original producers out of this entire funk renaissance that has been going on now for the past few years. If you've been in the know for a while, then you already know that L7's name is synonymous with 2022's "ASSOMBRA MATRIX 2," which is in my opinion, one of the greatest and most important songs to have come out of this constantly eternal mutation of funk that has only gotten crazier by the day. In a world where many do sound the same, L7 is just so singular; They sound like how Biblically-accurate angels look - Shocking and jaw-dropping.
Usually with these numbered-entry songs, after the 'big hit,' it's super super rare for them to ever strike that same gold again, however L7 came back with an entry just as good as #2, as they brought moody funk compatriot DJ WILL PS to make ASSOMBRA MATRIX 5 the darkest iteration of the series yet. It's a lot more dramatic and much more EDM-y, as it strays further away from the funk groove like in 2, however all of the same hazy feelings that we love about 2 are there in 5, but just in a newer lens. I think they put out a 6th one and it really wasn't that good, so I bet ASSOMBRA MATRIX 11 is gonna be the best in the series for sure.
The original Oruam song was honestly one of my favorite songs period from last year, however this subtle MTG from Juiz de Fora great WM FÉLIX YTB only elevated my love for this ambient sadboy "You ever just sit in your truck" ballad even more. It's sped and pitched up just slightly however, it's that constant beat WM slaps on top of it that just drives you mad - Like the modifications here are very very minimal but that's the charm of JF; They're the $200 Budget Found Footage Horror Movie Masterpiece if it was a funk subgenre - Everything is so DIY and original, however the same anxiety-ridden, uncomfortable feeling always persists that really sets them apart from the rest of the other scenes in Brazil.
DJ Arana is Sao Paulo's young magician who has turned its funk scene upside its head over the past few years now, as there are not too many people on this planet creating realms of absurdity greater than him. He's one of the top stars in Brazil and even with his popularity rising by the day, it hasn't slowed him down a bit because he's still summoning some of the strangest strains of demented club music out of anyone in the world. His 24 track epic from late 2023, Rock Pesado 2, was an exhibition of Arana's versatility and virtuosity, as this felt like a crowning moment of his very young career - And man, there's some weird ass moments on that album. Case in point, "ANJOS DA SAUDADE," something that feels like a field recording of a rave inside of hell itself, as Arana is hypnotizing a troop of demons in cloaks to dance at his will. Everything is so whispery and cold despite the fiery depths where this is coming from. Plus, Arana is always mutating everything he makes so he's one of those funk artists you really stay on your toes listening to. Just stupid and one of many testaments to the greatness of the teenager.
We've mentioned Yure 22 and Ramon Sucesso briefly with that bombastic DIY sound, however I feel like the next notable figure with that sound would be São Gonçalo's DJ MENOR K - Like this kid is the embodiment of the bass rumbles that plague Sucesso's Sexta Dos Crias videos as this will vaporize your eyebrows within like 15 seconds. This is a bit of a long one though, clocking at around 16 minutes, but you get so many differently strange beats that will seriously break your brain. The mixing here too is like they deep fried the turntables before putting this all altogether, as it's so crisply in your face, it's like getting the shit knocked out of you by 2007 Anderson Silva for 3 rounds straight. From debilitating body shots, front kicks to the dome, and constricting Jiu Jitsu, Menor K is getting the TKO on you whether you like it or not.
10 minutes of BH goodness from two of the city's best, DJ PH DA SERRA and VINICIN DO CONCORDIA, as all I can picture here is these two performing this in a fancy concert hall in the 1700s while the air is infested with pipe smoke. There's this rise and fall with how the two present all of these different beats and they hold this virtuosity like they made this with powdered wigs on. It still has that BH moodiness that holds it altogether to act as a showcase of what this sound is. That being one of the best in the entire planet....
We haven't checked in on Campos dos Goytacazes in a bit, let's see what city stalwart DJ RN DE CAMPOS is up to.....
*first sample plays immediately*
More red alarm madness from BH's DJ YAN DO FLAMENGO, and good lord, this is why is he is one of the best in the city. Each tone here feels like a giant asteroid distantly crashing onto whatever planet Belo Horizonte is on, creating this brightly blinding light of bewilderment that is just like nothing else on this list. Kevin O Chris here sounds like an astronaut on this alien planet looking for whatever mysterious element coming from this song. Just the embodiment of the mind-blown emoji 🤯
Evil ass little song here from SP funk stars DJ Arana, DJ Bnão, and Yuri Redicopa as they somehow make something that would accompany a haunted house created by someone who does nitrous on the daily. It's genuinely baffling, has the same "spooky" novelty of someone wearing vampire teeth, and is still somehow really hard? From weepy moans and cries to these comically flimsy electronic tones coming out of a really bad Genesis game, it has no right to still be this flammable hazard of a tune.
Finally an appearance from Bart Simpson Brasileiro himself, Belo Horizonte's Wesley Gonzaga, someone who has been many gringo's first taste of Funk BH, as the 2020 ear-screechingly loud classic "PRINCESA DA FAVELA" is always folks' go-to when you mention funk on Twitter because "Haha Funny Loud Noises Hurt My Ears." I really wish people took that running joke as an avenue to really get into this dude's music, because there's a reason why he's one of the biggest stars in Belo Horizonte, and it's not because of the fluorescently blue hair nor is it because of the fly ass Sonic chain. Wesley is without-a-doubt one of the main flagship producers for Minas Gerais's most sacred scene going on 7 years now, releasing hit-after-hit like it's some reflex in his body. This one in particular isn't going to shatter you into a million pieces like you expect, as it's a much more subdued interpretation of Gonzaga's signature style, however it holds this anxious tension like you're trying to catch your breath, thanks to this synergy between horns at an octave so low, they're underground and these video-game-menu-noises that tower over everything like a scary shadow you see in the middle of the night. While it's not going to fry your senses to a crisp, you're still going to leave this one absolutely scared of this dude's wrath.
23. DJS JC, AL DE JF, TR SILVA, DS DAS CASINHAS, DAVI FXP, & IG DU 26 - SEQUÊNCIA ESPECIAL DE 3K DO JC
Alright this one is like the midterm exam of the spooky scary places/scenes we've established throughout this list - Juiz de Fora, Campos dos Goytacazes, and Aguas Claras, as this is 20 minutes of the best producers from these cities. I mean from the start, you get Adele yelling at you over this grim and flimsy beat, so that just establishes the tone that there will be no down-the-middle fastballs during your ride here. You could write a short book about the insane moments on here, however I'll spare you the details and let you explore this uniquely supernatural world yourself. Like some of these beats really do feel like they're trying to rip their way out of Soundcloud and grab you by the neck, as these ghastly fogs of sound are some of the most unorthodox and left-field forms of funk you'll see from any hub in the country. It's genuinely unfathomable at times and is one of best examples of how funk goes above and beyond to sound like nothing else on the planet today and going forward.
One of the names from that last entry that'll entrance you from the jump is DJ ALLAN (fka DJ AL DE CAMPOS/ AL DE JF), someone who I believe should be in the conversation as one of the best producers in the country because this is genuinely inhuman shit (too bad he DELETES ALL OF HIS SHIT AND I'M STUPID FOR NOT SAVING IT); I'm not even trying to exaggerating here. ALLAN conjures this beat that I can only describe as the evil little girl from The Ring doing suicides in the aisles of an orchestra hall over this incredibly somber string section, because what in the honest fuck is any of this. Everything is just slathered in this endless nihilistic reverb, as if you're trapped to the hall chair, watching this terror all unfold from afar. The haunting voices trickling down your spine plus the MCs sounding like Satan's customer service training team add on to the eeriness and by the end of it, you're going to be glued to this guy's SoundCloud for an eternity (again, too bad HE DELETES EVERYTHING - will try to salvage some of it soon so I don't look like a dumbass), both mystified and terrified of what is going on there.
Funk mandelão would not be what it is today without São Paulo's DJ Mandrake, someone who's an easy write-in for the Mount Rushmore of their funk scene (Fuck, they don't got no damn Mount Rushmore in Brazil....stupid Americans). I'm just trying to make sure you realize how important this dude is to São Paulo and its current identity, because he is responsible for so many of the best moments of this still, young and budding subgenre that has become something so singular, straying away from traditional funk and becoming a whole monster in itself. It's really hard to pinpoint just one thing from this guy, so I thought it was only right to showcase a set(mix) from him. Clocking in around 15 minutes (35 if you want to count part 2), Mandrake is pulling out every card in the book here to make sure you are withered away to nothing by the end of it - So many different styles, taking from various styles and samples to create something that need a full-on fireworks display to accompany. If I had to choose one part here, it would be when he sends Timbaland to hell and manipulates something from him in such an alien way that gets you moonsaulting off your chair. (Timestamp? We don't got no damn timestamps in here). For such a young producer, he's someone you should consider to be one of the greatest of all time already - 100% Original indeed.
The history of funk really is crazy when you look at the beginnings of it all. I think the MAIN record that really defines that primitive era of funk is DJ Battery Brain's "Volt Mix," a Los Angeles electro classic that changed the history of a city 6300 miles away. The story is that at the time (late 80s), that sound was quite scarce in Rio until the emergence of one of their most important record dealers - DJ Nazz. It was him who had trekked out to the states and Europe to find these particular tracks, and for a time, he was the only DJ in the city who even had the ability to play them. Like folks went to parties just to listen to this sole beat - It was insane. Before you know it, you get dudes rapping and singing freestyle over it, and voilá, funk! "Volt Mix" was really that underground hit that changed the trajectory of Brazilian music for the next 30-something years, as it's opened the floodgates to one of the craziest and most diversified genres in the world today.
Now in 2024, funk can practically be anything at this point - You got shit sounding like nuclear bombs, exploding Sega Genesises, alternate universe haunted house music; it can seriously be overwhelming at times, so it's nice to go back to the classics. Luckily, in 2023 there was a little bit of a Volt Mix renaissance, mostly thanks to Rio's 2L MOTTA, who posted this incredible mix, mixing modern funk and poppy motifs with its 808 roots to make such a beautifully refreshing thing. Out of all of the callbacks, I have to say the Ai Se Eu Te Pego sample got me the most (Trust me Brazilians, I always been about that shit lmao) as that caught me off guard, plus those quick glimpses of Rihanna and Biebs are jarring while 2L is mixing that beat over everything for his life. Got me pulling out a cardboard box to breakdance and everything.
Here's Caratinga's DJ ZH DO S.A. getting mad at me that I didn't mention his town when talking about the spooky scary places a few spots ago because good fucking lord. The thing with all of these places, is that the styles between them all are pretty indistinguishable, as they all rely on this overwhelming shock value as the kicker, either through bass ripping through your innards, deep guttural noises and an assault of drums that just overload your senses, or shit that White Girl Paranormal Youtubers think is actually coming from hell. Everything here is coming at you like a hydraulic press trying to smash you into a pancake - Even the MCs are trying to jump into your ear and beat the shit out of you; It's just so overdriven and infected with so much umph that your PC will start overheating by the time that it's over. Just what the fuck man lmao.
You know those comically big space lazer guns? Something that kinda looks like this:
Yeah, well that's literally this song. Contagem's DJ MARKIN WF is very notorious for using some of the most stupidly loud noises in BH's funk spectrum, however this one feels almost like a parody of all of his previous work (and I mean that in a positive way). That first synth hits, and you are literally a pile of smithereens - Honestly nothing can prepare you for it, other than putting your volume on 1%, however I don't even think that can save you here.
We've gone through so much doom and gloom on this list, I don't want you to think that they're aren't feel-good moments over there - Case in point, one of São Paulo's greatest, DJ Jeeh FDC gives us a look at what funk heaven looks like, as you're floating through the clouds with winged cherubs dressed head-to-toe in Lacoste passing you 5 bottles of lança to sniff. It uses this soul sample (not allowed to say what samples are anymore) to absolute perfection as this flip, mixed with these toyish, almost steel-drum-like tones give you these butterflies like you're feeling true love for the first time - Pretty powerful, despite the ridiculousness of this tune.
Another mystic in Juiz de Fora is easily DJ JOSU, someone who wears this dark and unpredictable sound like a cloak that's covered in bone dust and blood, parading around flames like a witch. This one in particular holds that apprehensive, knot-in-your-throat feeling that you've probably already felt this far into the list, but it's the way he summons these UK Drill-style 808 slides and meshes within this already cursed sound to make this strange juxtaposition between funk and hip hop that just sounds so routine and not out of the ordinary, while it sounds baffling on paper. JOSU just keeps that accursed tone for the rest of the tune, constant berating you with that squeaky Beat Fino until your ears are beat to a fine powder. Convinced that this isn't even a real place anymore.
14. d.silvestre - BATIDAS MÁGICAS
Live POV of being someone born in 1996 who was really on the internet a lot in the early 2010s and now they have really bad tinnitus and can't stop thinking about the good times while their smoke alarm is causing them terror. d.silvestre is one of Brazil's best when it comes to combining funk with more industrially grating sounds to create something that sounds like it's coming from a foundry, rather than a baile on the street.
Did somebody say Ronaldinho?
Our journey through Juiz de Fora really never ends does it? How about remixing super-Fifa-goal-compilation-adjacent COPYRIGHT FREE MUSIC LMAO. No, like I'm serious - This mid 2010s EDM classic is completely legal to remix so no sample police is getting my ass nor is it getting madman DJ JL SUCCESSO. He creates this beat of floating undead heads making erratic noises with their mouths in secession to cast this dark shadow over this upbeat original from Cartoon (I really had to Google this to make sure someone wasn't fucking with me). The EDM chune dies out after a while as you still get that wretched beat still accompanying more madness like more MCs and then you have this little demon skipping around playing the flute at the end that leaves this one on a petrifying note that'll get you to never finish this list.
Getting the worlds of Espírito Santo and Juiz de Fora to collide would probably result in some negative gravity evil dark magic bullshit, and respective statesmen DJ KN DE VILA VELHA and DJ RUANZITO follow up on that expectation and then some, as this is a meeting of the minds of two of the most underappreciated scenes in funk altogether. On the surface, ES and JF hold pretty similar motifs of these dark and moody set-pieces met with more chaotically unorthodox productions techniques, so their other intricacies melding together feels like these 2 really complex puzzle pieces miraculously fitting together - They're the two weird kids in school who ended up marrying each other 15 years later. From the start, this collab emits this dread and terror like an Undertaker gong hit. These voices are like this thick smoke machine, filling every crevice around you until you suffocate, and then next thing, you are hit by "FUDE FUDE FUDE FUDE FUDE" and these relentless drums that move like a pendulum until the end. I never can find any better word to say other than "cursed" to describe the drums from ES because they feel so inconspicuous, but you can just tell that something is up... Lol I hope that can be translated well to you guys when you hear it, however, it ends with probably one of the dumbest random sample flips you will experience this decade across any medium, giving it that extra umph to get these two giants into the top 10.
A producer that is easily in my top 10 in BH, Contagem's DJ PH MPC is one of the best when it comes to that uniquely sinister sound coming of the city that I've been gushing about for a good majority of this list. Seriously, every DJ PH MPC song feels like opening a door in a haunted house where you're met with a pitch black room in purgatory with some old lady in a rocking chair facing the wall - it's so eerie, but you don't want to keep your eyes off of the terror. I believe the best example of DJ PH MPC's prowess is his MEGA DOS ENVOLVIDOS collection, 27 tracks throughout 4 years that perfectly encapsulate the BH sound, which is just this atmospheric sphere of ingenuity. The 24th hymn of this collection is a real highlight - There's much more grandiosity compared to other entires, as the choir here acts as holy specters trying to guide you out of the dark, however PH's evil use of these instruments modularly being emitted like spells is the crutch that leaves you trapped within this hell. Such a flagship artist for a sacred sound.
Here's what an earthquake would sound like in Belo Horizonte, as DJ THALES and DJ BIEL SB somehow put 300 million tons of dynamite under the city to make "FLAUTINHA DO MAL." That unground rumbling is just shaking beneath your feet, as this feels like something more akin to a UK record than anything from BH - Just a dubby monster of destruction here. The two producers just crush you at their will as this constant rise and fall of these aftershocks of bass gets the drywall to start shaking off the ceiling. Then the bass is met with this snake charmer flute and these ploks that sound like the reverberations of a peg-leg pirate walking in empty and desolate hall. So simple, yet so incredibly effective. I really do mean that Hyperdub comparison from earlier as well, because I really do feel like DJ THALES especially is someone that belongs and fits the greatness of a label like that. Insanity.
If DJ Arana has million of fans, I am one of them. If DJ Arana has ten fans, I am one of them. If DJ Arana have only one fan and that is me. If DJ Arana has no fans, that means I am no more on the earth.
You know that really really bright star that you saw one night like 15 years ago and you still think about it from time to time? That's how I view Brasilía native rensgo's music - Compared to everything else that you've endured in this list, their music just feels like this other-dimensional being just blasting through space, leaving this twinkly trail of stardust magic. In a genre where ingenuity and originally are key to standing out, rensgo is this poster child for internet funk - They aren't thriving in many of the established communities that are more boots-on-the-ground, however, they are cultivating these spaces online and with that, you get these new strains seeping into funk, taking influence from both inside and outside Brazil. As a result, you get one-of-a-kind producers like rensgo making these ethereal bangers from another world. This one is highlighted by this beautiful coalition of flutes, like a pied piper is playing them while skipping around in circles, while rensgo brings in more traditional drums to bring it down to earth, however this song is still just skyrocketing into the sky with how truly freeing it feels. One of the best in the world.
4. DJ Ramon Sucesso - Distorcendo a Realidade
Probably the most recognizable name on this list to a lot of y'all, Rio's DJ Ramon Sucesso is one of funk's biggest rising stars to have crossed over onto gringo ears throughout all of 2023 - That was just a matter of time, as Ramon is like a funk superhero. His famous "SEXTA DOS CRIAS" video series has been many folks' first taste of what funk is and it sure is setting huge expectations, as each video he posts is like he's DJ'ing inside of a trench in Verdun back in the 1910's. Ramon is always erratically mixing these mammoth tracks while the bass becomes so overwhelming, it's literally distorting everything around it - It's one of the best running things on the internet and it's resulted in Ramon getting his own LP centered around it, garnering an even larger following. The back half of this LP literally says it all: "Distorcendo a Realidade." This 20 minute ride is like if Ramon took his videos on Twitter and made a high-budget short film out of it; You get to experience all of the bombastic nature that pulled you into his work, but at the comfort of your home. It's relentless, wacky, and all-in-all just fun as hell to listen to. I swear if someone there isn't an idiot doesn't book this man to play in the US this year, you are all stupid and I hate you.
Ever since I really started this never-ending journey of diving into this funk ocean, one of the first names that hooked me from the jump was Belo Horizonte's DJ Anderson Do Paraíso - With what we've seen with BH throughout the list is that it holds this moody constant like a yellow movie filter in a Latin American country, but with Anderson, it's like the entire screen goes black and some red-eyed monster is turning their head in circles just menacingly staring at you. His music has such an occult-like cursed feeling like something we would see from JF or Caratinga, however instead he is still relying and leaning on those BH tendencies, which makes this an entirely different monster that we're dealing with here. "EU VOU ALMOÇAR" sounds like you're chained to the bottom of this grimy medieval dungeon awaiting your fate, as these deep tones tremble your entire body, however it's like there's this rip through reality whenever those UK Drill 808s come in, throwing your head on a swivel. I think I mentioned one song earlier that did those slides but Anderson is like the FIRST dude to incorporate that with funk, so I have to give credit where it's due. But this song is just bone chilling; This is the stuff that would be playing in some ancient vampire tomb where they awaken and you just know you're fucked. Incredible.
However, when I put this list together back in November, I had NO idea that so much would happen with this dude between then and now, because holy shit. Since then, we just had a release on the experimental giant Nyege Nyege tapes with Queridão that really cements him (deservedly so) as one of the main producers in Brazil you need to know as slowly, funk is taking over the world. Yeah, a lot of the tracks on it are old tunes that I already know, but for y'all, the average folk who reads this and wouldn't touch SoundCloud with a stick, I understand. I just hope this results in bigger labels giving folks like Anderson a chance, because for as young as they are, they are already a cemented GOAT in their scene.
Espiríto Santo's shining star for 2023 was easily Serrá's DJ LD DA FAVELINHA, someone who embodies that visceral drum-heavy ES sound, but in a much more majestic and dramatic manner as many of his mixes always have this grand-finale-type feel. Within that seriousness comes some irony because a lot of tunes are centered around Sonic The Hedgehog? Like spend a few minutes and you'll see what I mean, as LD is the general of Tropa do Sonic, resulting in one of my favorite aesthetics in funk. Throughout the numerous iterations of the "Sonic" sound, this quick 5 minute "SONIC GOLD" mix encapsulates everything I love about this here. The "GOLD" part calls back to the highly popular "Serie Gold" beat that was mentioned before, however LD intensifies that crisp beat with those eerie periodic foghorns where they serve as a backdrop to this retrospective of multiple popular tunes that just goes. The intro that borrows from this shitty EDM band might serve as Rufus du Sol's only accomplishment to planet, as that combination is just this endless bliss. It's nothing stupidly complex or anything - LD just knows how to mix all of these varying aspects into this wildly cohesive experience, showing why ES is an area that should not go ignored.
1. WS Da Igrejinha - MTG VEM SE ENVOLVER
When I started looking through 100s and 100s of tracks just trying to put this list together, I didn't even have to think about who was going to be number 1 - It was a gimme in 2022 and somehow, they managed to even top that in 2023, as Belo Horizonte's DJ WS Da Igrejinha is not only the best producer in his city, but also one of the best producers breathing on this planet today. He's one of the main architects to the formation and rise of Funk BH, and today, he's incredibly vital to how and why this regional genre is booming worldwide now. WS has such a signature style too - It's so ghastly and unnerving; That bewailing theremin creeps up on you like it's coming an old school horror B-movie and he manages to paint these foggy scenes where some evil house is in the distance with apparitions zooming past. When Funk BH is in the dictionary in a few years, it better have a picture of this dude.
But why this song? I can't even describe what "MTG VEM SE ENVOLVER" is... Like drone funk? It's just this static loop of that theremin hovering over you while WS calls out these various voices from below to repeatedly recite these short phrases like they're really trying to summon something and this just keeps going, and going, and going, and going, and honestly, I don't think this ever ends. Feels like this really fucked up round that scared all of your 2nd grade music class. However, it's the way WS can create such a lush and rich atmosphere with just so god damn little that makes him one of the best in the world; Barebones might even be an overstatement here, but damn, can you imagine this being blared on some big ass speakers while you're sauced??? And you can find that insanity on pretty much any of his tunes. Someone in their genuine prime who doesn't seem to be stepping from their throne anytime soon. Like what they say, BH é nois.
Well...
