Príncipe Discos: how Black DJs from Lisbon’s suburbs made Europe’s most exciting record label

Príncipe Discos: how Black DJs from Lisbon’s suburbs made Europe’s most exciting record label

From near-empty dancefloors to sold-out nights at Lisbon’s biggest club, the imprint has spent 15 years championing Afro-Portuguese beats, reshaping the city’s musical identity in the process It’s just after 11.30pm on a Friday in early March, and the air at Lux Frágil is already thick with excitement. Groups of people are streaming in through the Lisbon club’s staircase, past a giant disco ball, and local DJ and producer Xexa is dazzling the crowd with a live set of vocal-sprinkled synthscap...

By April Clare Welsh