Behind PHORIAN

My name is Luiz, creator of the PHORIAN project.

I was born in Recife, the capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, a city widely known for its rich culture, history, architecture, music, gastronomy, and for hosting one of the largest carnivals in the world.

Looking back, I realize that I was surrounded by art from an early age. Through both my family environment and the culture of the city where I grew up, music, philosophy, and a strong sense of curiosity were always present. Those influences quietly shaped the way I see the world and, over time, the way I create music.

Like many children, I dreamed of becoming a rockstar.

Around the age of eleven, I discovered the world of rock music and became fascinated by bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Linkin Park, and The Offspring. A year later, I started taking guitar lessons, an experience that gave me my first real understanding of music theory and performance. Over the following years, I studied with different teachers, played small shows, and participated in musical projects.

Towards the end of my teenage years, I discovered electronic music, more specifically psytrance. At a time when I was gradually losing interest in pursuing the traditional path of a rock musician, an entirely new horizon opened before me. I immersed myself in artists such as Astrix, Mandragora, Vini Vici, and Liquid Soul, and decided that I wanted to become a DJ and music producer.

After years of producing psytrance, my interests gradually shifted toward techno. Little by little, I found myself lowering the BPM and becoming increasingly fascinated by its sense of movement, minimalism, and atmosphere. Even today, I feel that psytrance and techno share something fundamental beneath the surface. In the same way, I have always sensed a connection between the music I loved as a teenager and the electronic music that eventually became my artistic language.

But music has never been my only source of inspiration.

I am deeply passionate about literature, philosophy, meditation, psychology, visual arts, and languages, as well as activities such as skateboarding, surfing, running, and strength training. Over the years, I have realized that all of these interests constantly nourish one another. Many of the ideas that shape my music are born far away from the studio: while reading a book, observing nature, practicing sports, or simply paying attention to everyday life.

Looking back, PHORIAN feels less like something I invented and more like something I discovered.

I have never struggled to define its philosophy or artistic direction because, in many ways, it had already been taking shape long before the project itself existed.

To me, PHORIAN is simply the most honest way I have found to express who I am through music.