DJ Nigga Fox is one of electronic music’s more enigmatic artists and a linchpin of a thriving Afro-Portuguese music scene with its home in Lisbon, Portugal. Outside of a solitary 12” on Warp Records, all of Nigga Fox’ solo EPs have come through Príncipe, the similarly mysterious entity dedicated to presenting Lisbon’s club sounds to the world. Earlier this month, he also presented “Naruto,” a powerful and stripped-back stepping techno cut, to our XLR8R+ series alongside exclusive tracks from DJ Narciso as RS Produções, BLEID, and Serpente. You can read more about this and download the package here.

Nigga Fox signed to Príncipe in 2013 after DJ Marfox introduced his music to the label. He was still finishing high school at the time and knew Marfox from the schoolyard. Born Rogério Brandão Luís in Luanda, Angola in the early ‘90s, he’d fled to Portugal with his family when he was three years old to escape the horrific civil war. Around 2007, his sibling showed him Fruity Loops, the chosen creative platform behind all Príncipe-affiliated artists due to its simplicity, and he began making his own beats in his bedroom. He grew closer to Marfox and became involved with Lisbon’s ghetto music, before appearing out of nowhere with O Meu Estilo, meaning “my style,” his debut 12” that demonstrated his vast aural palette.

As the EP’s title suggests, there was nothing really like it, even among Lisbon’s bustling collective of evermore creative artists. He’d seemingly combined lessons from the local producers around him and from Luanda, demonstrating a mastery of timbre to create an unnameable hybrid informed by kuduro, afro-house, Angolan deep, tarraxinha, and batida, but distinguishable nonetheless.

Nigga Fox returned to Príncipe in 2015 with Noite e Dia, before Warp Records snapped him up for “LUMI,” which came out on the British label’s Cargaa 1 compilation. The single track set the foundations for Crânio, Nigga Fox’ proper debut on Warp, released in 2018 and featuring six tracks of shapeshifting dancefloor psychedelia. Completing his discography are “15 Barras,” a four-part movement of virulent acid and crowd noise unfolding over a seamless 15-minute arrangement, and Cartas na Manga his much-anticipated debut album, released last year.

Marking his XLR8R+ contribution, Nigga Fox compiled a podcast for our series. At just under an hour in length, it’s entirely his own material, barring a single track from Caiiro, and includes several tracks from his unreleased collection, many heard for the first time. Expect 45 minutes of fast-paced Afro-Portuguese beats in Nigga Fox’ inimitable style.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Tracklisting

01. DJ Nigga Fox “Sasuke” [Unknown]
02. DJ Nigga Fox “Faz A Minha” [Principe]
03. DJ Nigga Fox “Watara” [Unknown]
04. DJ Nigga Fox “Sombra do Leão” [Unknown]
05. DJ Nigga Fox “Sub Zero” [Príncipe]
06. Caiiro “Sissoku” [Unknown]
07. DJ Nigga Fox “Talanzele” [Príncipe]
08. DJ Nigga Fox “Banhadas [Unknown]
09. DJ Nigga Fox x DJ Firmeza “Sanzaleiro” [Unknown]
10. DJ Nigga Fox “Encher Chouriço” [Unknown]
11. DJ Nigga Fox “Edu” [Unknown]
12. DJ Nigga Fox “Vício” [Unknown]
13. DJ Nigga Fox “Pão De Cada Dia” [Príncipe]
14. DJ Nigga Fox “5 Violinos” [Príncipe]

Editor note: there are no questions to accompany this podcast at Nigga Fox’ request.