VHOOR is undoubtedly one of the most captivating artists in the groundbreaking, fertile landscape of contemporary Brazilian music. Rising from the baile funk universe, the 26-year-old draws a wide range of sounds and genres rooted in Brazilian music and street culture. From modern takes on traditional music, such as piseiro, to the reggaeton-like
brega-funk, from broken, anti-4×4 rhythms to boosted sub-bass, under VHOOR’s control everything becomes sonic material on the crossroads of Afro-diasporic dance-floors.

It’s not by chance the artist’s best-selling release goes by the title “Baile.” His collaboration with rapper FBC, was one of Brazil’s most successful releases in 2021. With tracks like “Se Tá Solteira” and “De Kenner” rising from the underground into the greater pop sphere, the album went certified Gold and was acclaimed by both the general public and critics alike, offering a contemporary take on the roots of Brazilian funk, i.e. Miami bass and freestyle.

Following the release, VHOOR was afforded the opportunity to DJ at various international festivals and labels such as Primavera Sound Barcelona and Madrid, Sónar and Boiler Room — his set being one of the most-viewed videos amongst all Brazilian artists showcased by the platform. Other notable feats, such as his 2022 nomination for Multishow’s Music Producer of the Year and MTV Brazil’s AOTY, further solidified how far the young producer has gone in just a few years.

His trajectory is also anchored by numbers. VHOOR has amassed over a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Hopping stages around the world at such a young age, he has sold out venues in London, Lisbon, Porto, Vancouver and Paris, and has DJ’d clubs in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, Lyon, Berlin, Brussels and Barcelona – playing on average 100 shows per year.

Music has provided VHOOR with so much, considering his humble beginnings. Born in the landlocked Brazilian state of Minas Geras, VHOOR started producing music in the mid-2010s drawing inspiration from the sounds and vibes of his hometown, Belo Horizonte. As a teenager, VHOOR became immersed in a variety of genres of music: on one hand, baile funk resonated deeply with him, thanks to his mother, who at one point sold bootleg DVDs featuring all of the latest baile funk hits. On the other hand, it was hip hop, an inescapable music he listened to with his friends at school or by the skate parks.

Hailing from ‘the school of SoundCloud’, VHOOR gained momentum in 2015 alongside other like-minded Brazilian producers who were making a sub genre of baile funk, chill baile. This one-shot, ephemeral sub-genre nurtured young Brazilian producers who would eventually become key-names on the national Brazilian music scene. Artists like Deekapz, Carlos do Complexo, JLZ and Mu540 realized at the turn of the 2010s that baile funk was a playground of new sounds, offering a wide range of production possibilities, to not only expand but to disrupt the status quo of Brazilian electronic music.

During this same time, VHOOR drew the attention of the likes of Sango and the California-based label Soulection. With his fellow chill baile compatriots, VHOOR founded the Weird Baile project—a twisted, wicked and yet dance-floor oriented version of the baile funk rhythm.

Today, VHOOR has a unique position in music not only in Brazil but globally: he continues to explore new possibilities in global electronic music while maintaining his Brazilian roots and championing Afro-diasporic expressions. When the rapper FBC shouted out loud the now famous phrase “Fala, VHOOR!”, in “Baile,” we all knew VHOOR would have lots to say through his music.