XAUIM (Brazil)

Born in the Cidade Baixa neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, Xauim is a producer and performer whose music bridges Afro-Brazilian percussion and electronic production. His name comes from the Tupi word for marmoset, a small monkey native to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and reflects his artistic identity: like the animal that moves between tree branches and electric wires, he moves between ancestral rhythms and contemporary sounds. His work ranges from sharp social commentary to more personal, tender themes, weaving together contrasts of history, city life, and cultural heritage into a cohesive sound rooted in Salvador’s rich musical landscape.

Featured Song:

“Na Chincha” (Pressed Tight) is an unreleased track driven by the cadences of samba-reggae and ijexá, two of Salvador’s most distinctive Afro-Brazilian rhythmic traditions. The title draws on a Bahian slang term rooted in the image of a lasso pulling someone irresistibly close, and the song uses that sense of magnetic attraction to tell the story of a chance romantic encounter during Carnival. “In the groove, the drumbeat / All I wanted was to see Ilê / But then I saw you / A blazing surprise / So much glitter / So many streamers / At the foot of the hill when the whole world rhymes.”

Artist Website

Featured on:

Click image to learn more