AB has repeatedly demonstrated its great fondness for the Portuguese label Príncipe in recent years, with exciting performances by Príncipe pioneers like Nídia (present at AB in 2017 under the name Nídia Minaj), DJ Marfox, DJ N***a Fox, DJ Firmeza, DJ Nervoso, DJ Lycox, DJ Danifox and Xexa. In 2026, the label celebrates its fifteenth anniversary. A milestone that AB doesn’t want to let pass unnoticed.

Príncipe says it is still “fully dedicated to releasing 100% real contemporary dance music coming out of Lisbon, its suburbs, projects & slums”. Spin once aptly described Príncipe’s raw sound as “an ultra-vivid hybrid of grime and trance” and FACT Magazine did so as “the sound of Lisbon ghettos”. Their releases are always wonderfully illustrated by graphic designer and co-label boss Márcio Matos.

Pitchfork: “The label specializes in a high-energy amalgam of African dance styles known as batida.” In other words: contemporary techno and house impregnated with Angolan genres like uptempo kuduro (loosely translated as ‘hard ass’) and more sensual styles like kizomba (Angola) and tarraxinha. “This is our grime”, as Príncipe pioneer DJ Marfox – who signed the first Principé release ever for the EP Eu Sei Quem Sou – once summed it up succinctly.

On the (nighttime) roster:

DJ Danifox

DJ Danifox (PT), son of Angolan parents, is undoubtedly one of Príncipe’s mainstays. His suffix ‘fox’ is a deliberate nod and tribute to Príncipe pioneer DJ Marfox. Daniel Veiga – his real name – is also a part of Tia Maria Produções (with the likes of DJ Lycox) and the supergroup O Ghettão (together with DJ N***a Fox and DJ Firmeza as Holy Trinity).

Boomkat on his debut Ansiedade (2023): “Ansiedade is another one of those perfect deployments from Príncipe, full of Afro-diasporic, rhythmic psychedelic energies spliced with electronic echoes of Portuguese fado’s melancholic blooz.”

DJ Narciso

DJ Narciso (PT) – member of the batida collective RS Produções – could hardly be accused of laziness in 2025. Príncipe released his LP Diferenciado and the EP Capítulo Experimental. Then renowned Chinese label SVBKVLT also released the excellent EP Dentro de Mim.

The Quietus: “With Dentro De Mim, DJ Narciso has not just conjured up a brilliant mile-a-minute dance record, but one that also shines a light on the breadth and brilliance of batida, Portugal’s most exciting musical export.” There are prestigious festivals like Unsound, Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here, and the famous Nyege Nyege Festival adorning his CV. Please add AB to your résumé!

Helviofox

Youngest Príncipe issue Helviofox (PT) is only 20-years-young and is the little brother of Angolan/Portuguese producers Dadifox and Erycox. Helviofox learned to make beats “before most of us had finished figuring out how to spell Autechre.”

His debut EP Rodeado de Batida (2025) contains “a battery of piquant batida, downtempo kuduro and dubwise experimentation snatched from drill, Afrobeats and Afrohouse. In other words - deadly and deep madness to file somewhere between Carl Craig, Nidia and Lechuga Zafiro”, according to Boomkat.

For a Príncipe deep dive: read more here and here.

This is a Liveurope concert, the first European initiative to support concert venues in the promotion of emerging musical talent from Europe.