Know me better

What I do

My name is Hugo and I’m a DJ. Researching, selecting and playing music for the entertainment of an audience is my profession.
I discovered a passion in music and professional audio… and I love sharing it with others.

Studies and Sport

I was born in Coimbra in 1980. Interest in music appears later. Sports activities played a major role until the beginning of adulthood.

Regular swimming lessons gained dimension beyond simple learning, leading me to a competitive course.

As part of the swimming section of the Associação Académica de Coimbra, he grew up as an athlete achieving good performance at regional and national level.

When I entered higher education, in the Psychology degree at the University of Coimbra, I abandoned the competition.

Immediately I started to have more time for social activities. The interest in music gained prominence.

First songs

It was in the late 90s that I took my first steps as a DJ to the sound of electronic music. Likewise, it was also at that moment that I had my first contact with digital audio production tools.

In the meantime, being a student at the Sabor Latino dance school gave rise to a passion for popular Latin American rhythms, with which I had only sporadic contacts in the past. The dance awoke the music.

I quickly transitioned to the salsa world and in March 2002 I accepted Graça Pinto’s invitation to have a session, without commitment, at the newly opened bar El Sonero in Porto. In theory it would be just to put on some music, but the task went on. The experience was very intoxicating and new dates appeared. This was the moment when I took up this activity full time.

DJ as a profession and new studies

The opportunity to work regularly as a resident DJ in a dance club allowed me to adapt the DJ techniques already learned in the electronic music circuit to the complex universe of Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

In Latin music I found a great technical challenge.

This proved to be even more complex because we need to respect the dancers and their social etiquette.

DJs Iyá (Maurício Araújo), Juca (Júlio Carlos Almeida) and Vitor Soares had a great influence at the beginning of my journey. They helped me to define and find my musical tastes.

The continued interest in learning led me to complete studies in the technical areas of audio at the Escola de Música Riff in Aveiro and by the Portuguese Association of Professional Sound Technicians, certified by the Portuguese section of the Audio Engineering Society.

The continuous search to do better and better in each DJ session justifies the technical strength, the creativity of the musical selection and the good management of the dance floor.

DJ residency and new directions

A new chapter started in August 2006 with the invitation of Paula Loureiro and Ricardo Sousa to embrace a new project: Muxima Bar.

An explosion of new paths and musical ideas occurred.

During the first version of this space we experienced truly magical moments. A real madness!

Weekly DJ sessions in the most prestigious clubs and parties in Portugal, meetings, debates, conceptual radio proposals such as Salsa Night and Salsa Lounge, together with DJ training and audio production initiatives, form the basis of the wide recognition of his work, its musical identity and its importance for the dissemination of music and entertainment in the dance community.

Work recognition

With discipline, persistence and experience I received the first invitations to participate in international events. Salsorro (International Salsa Festival of Galicia), Benidorm Summer Festival, Salsa Open Portugal, BurgoSalson, North Latin Congress, World Salsa Congress, Són Latinos Festival, among others, are some of the examples where I had the opportunity to share the DJ booth with some of the biggest international references.

Figures like: Henry Knowles (New York), Pablo Bat (Buenos Aires), Gabriel Amejandi (Paris), Pepe Bassan (Milan), Willy “The Viper” (Paris), Fermin Olaya (Valencia), Miguelón (Valencia), among others.

At the international level, Spain was the first country where I had the opportunity to work. Then Switzerland and France followed. More recently I was honored to be able to share my work in Southeast Asia. I participated in Salsa Bangkok Fiesta (Bangkok, Thailand) as a DJ and also as a trainer in an intensive DJ course.

In 2010, I was distinguished, for the third time, with the “Best Salsa DJ in Portugal” award, given by the Dance Top Awards. Since then, I have maintained a partnership with DJ Pablo Bat in a synergy that produces events and artistic content under the BatLei brand.

Now, when I approach 20 years of DJ, I still want to make people dance with the same enthusiasm as when I started. The music sounds better and better and the flame of passion does not fade.

See you around … on the dance floors!