DJ Patife was born and raised in Brasil’s music and clubbing capital, Sao Paulo, and has spent most of his life living and breathing music.

Patife began to get into music in the early 90’s, and his first experience as a DJ was for a local Hip Hop band, ‘Fatos Reais’ (Real Facts). In their own right, ‘Fatos Reais’ had several hits and collaborated with some major players in the US Hip Hop scene.

     However, Patife’s career really began around 1995, when the spread of jungle reached Brasil. At the time, Patife was just beginning his residency at a celebrated Electronic Music Club in Sao Paulo, the Arena Music Hall. At the time, techno was the music of choice in the city; however, Patife took advantage of his new residency to expose the masses to jungle. Although it did not catch on easily at first, Patife, along with close friends DJ Marky, DJ Koloral and others, were determined to make jungle a success and relentlessly pushed it until a scene began to develop.

     By 1997, Patife had come a long way. He and Marky were confident, that not only could they cut it alongside their drum & bass heroes in the UK, but that the scene they had developed in Brasil was exciting, and something that people in the UK should know about. So, in August of that year they travelled to London, and after a chance meeting with the Movement promoters and a few blistering sets at Movement, Bar Rumba Patife had secured a contract to host his own Movement parties and represent the brand in Brasil.

     Patife continued to push the sounds of drum & bass in Brasil and it wasn’t too long before some major players became interested in him. In 1999 he released a mix album for Trama Music, a big Brasilian label, which went on to achieve five-figure sales, which is some feat in South America. The album contained tracks from homegrown talent such as XRS, and really announced to the world that not only did Brasil have fantastic drum & bass DJs, but they were making great music too.

     In 2000, he was touring internationally, in Europe and the Americas; however, it was the release of the Brasil EP on V Recordings in 2001 that really put Patife on the map. His track ‘Sambassim’ with Fernanda Porto, was what really made the EP take off. With DJs from all styles and genres playing it, from Gilles Peterson to Bryan Gee to Laurent Garnier to Andy C, everybody recognised it as a groundbreaking track for Brasil and for Drum & Bass. It was a breath of fresh air for the genre, and helped give it a new direction for which Patife was dually recognised with a nomination for best international producer at the 2001 Knowledge Awards.

     With international recognition came hero status in Brasil. Having hosted some of Brasil’s best dance music radio shows during his career including Nova FM, Metro FM and Energia 97FM, since his international career took off, TV appearances have become regular including a documentary on CNN and opening the MTV Brasil Video Music Awards (not to mention Blue Peter here in the UK!)

     In the following couple of years, two more compilations were released, ‘Cool Steps’, which was released in Brasil only and sold upwards of 25 000 copies. It included a diverse selection of tracks from labels such as Good Looking and Compost Records. He also released a compilation with Suv, of Reprazent fame, on V Recordings called the ‘Drum & Bass Fiesta’, which included his track with Full Cycle’s Tali - ‘Inta Outa’.

     In 2003 Patife’s talent and contribution to music in Brasil was recognised when he scooped ‘Best Dance Music Video’ for ‘Sambassim’ at the MTV Video Music Awards. He followed this up with ‘Best Single’ for ‘So Tinha…’ at the Brasil DJ Sounds Magazine Awards.

     2004 has been a relatively quiet year for Patife in terms of public appearances. Despite having headlined the two biggest music festivals in Latin America, Skolbeats 2004 and the Brasilia Music Festival 2004, as well as headlining the prestigious Sonar Festival in Barcelona amongst other big shows, he has devoted most of his time to the studio. By the end of 2004 he will be fully re-emerging with a release on Movement Records, “Made in Bahia”, as part of the “Rumba Sessions Vol. II” EP. His as-yet untitled debut artist album will follow in Spring. In true Patife fashion, this LP promises to cross borders and boundaries, blur the lines of genre and provoke opinion from the music world and the public. This will be unmissable – watch out!!

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