Dance music is in the middle of a major commercial and stylistic revolution right now, and as a result, music consumers are becoming increasingly attuned to regional scenes across the globe. Among these is a club style that’s developed in Lisbon’s Afro-Portuguese community as a fusion of African dance styles like kuduro, kizomba, and semba with house and techno. Pioneered by the Principe Discos label, the genre has no official name yet, and it’s been referred to as “batida,” “the ghetto sound of Lisbon,” or simply “Afro-Portuguese club music.” But it’s compulsively danceable and some of the most interesting electronic music Europe’s producing at the moment. Here are a few of the scene’s essential artists.
DJ Marfox

The undisputed king of Lisbon club music, Marfox is influential enough that some of the scene’s most prominent DJs have taken on “fox” in their name out of respect (DJ Nedwyt Fox, DJ Nigga Fox, DJ Liofox, among others). He’s comparable to Chicago footwork’s DJ Rashad or bounce music’s Big Freedia in his role as international ambassador for a hyper-regional dance style, and he’s a familiar face on festival lineups across Europe.
DJs Do Guetto
The Lisbon club community cites 2006, when a teenage Marfox’s DJs Do Guetto crew released DJs Do Guetto Vol. 1, as “year zero.” Reissued by Principe Discos in 2013, Vol. 1 is the movement’s Holy Bible and arguably its definitive record.
Nidia Minaj

Though 17-year-old Minaj is French rather than Portuguese, she releases her music on Principe Discos and works in a similar style to Marfox and compatriots. Like Marfox, she inserts her own name into her tracks frequently, but cuts it up creatively; on “House Kaliente,” a standout from her phenomenal EP Danger, a voice shouts “Nidia!” repeatedly, egging her on as her fingers fly faster on the drum pad.
DJ Nigga Fox 

Marfox’s protege is at least as skilled as his mentor, and his O Meu Estilo EP is one of the Lisbon scene’s most satisfying and accessible releases. His skill with percussion is practically unreal, and he seasons his drum tracks liberally with bits of synth and voice that swirl around and create an intense sense of momentum.
Piquenos Djs Do Guetto

It speaks to Marfox’s influence that Piquenos Djs Do Guetto would name themselves after the legend’s first collective. Piquenos Djs Do Guetto sound best on the B.N.M./P.D.D.G. mini-album, on which the various members of the collective show off their solo skills alongside members of the group Blacksea Nao Maya.
Tia Maria Produções

This four-man crew is one of Portugal’s most accessible and melodic producers of club music, and it’s likely Tia Maria will end up as the Lisbon scene’s breakout act for this reason. Yet they’re still willing and able to confound their audience; “Moh Cota” is one of the most out-there productions the Lisbon scene’s seen yet.