The History of the DJ in Portugal
This presentation forms part as an output from the article The History of DJing in Portugal for the Thematic History of Music in Portugal and Brazil project, within the CESEM research initiative. The project aims to establish a framework for understanding the development of DJ culture and electronic dance music in Portugal, primarily from the 1960s to the present time. It seeks to explore the different cultural trajectories within Portugal across various periods and regions, with focus on aesthetic, technological, and sociological perspectives.
The communication will draw on a wide range of sources, including academic literature, general and specialized media, audiovisual archives, online forums, amateur blogs, and interviews with key figures in the Portuguese DJ scene, along with cross-references from research in the areas of contemporary portuguese history and sociology. This research serves as an initial attempt to conceptualize the history of DJing in Portugal, shedding light on the broader dynamics of the movement. It will cover major milestones in the development of DJ culture in Portugal, starting with the opening of nightclubs in the 1960s and 1970s, which were initially focused on vinyl-based dance floors playing popular Anglo-Saxon pop and rock hits. The narrative will then move through the evolution of the Portuguese nightlife scene in the 1980s, followed by a period of industrialization in the 1990s, which saw the rise of record labels dedicated to electronic dance music, as well as the growth of raves and music festivals. Finally, the presentation will explore how these trends continued to evolve into the 21st century, culminating in the current landscape of DJ culture and electronic dance music in Portugal.
Keywords: DJ, history, Portugal, electronic dance music
Biography
Luis Mandacaru is a DJ, composer, producer, curator, and PhD candidate in Historical Musicology at the NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH), affiliated with the Center for Music Studies (CESEM). He began studying trumpet at the age of nine and later pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Composition, followed by a Master’s degree in Music Education at the Lisbon School of Music (ESML).
Alongside his academic career, Luis has cultivated an artistic path that bridges experimental music and electronic dance music. He has independently released several works and is a founding member of Markize, a collective dedicated to nurturing Lisbon’s electronic dance music community. The collective supports emerging artists through event production, a regular radio show on Rádio Quântica, and the management of its own record label.
NOVA University of Lisbon / CESEM – a51498@campus.fcsh.unl.pt