Joel Monteiro, popularly known as Hozho, is an electronic music producer and DJ from Portugal. With over millions of streams across multiple platforms, Hozho achieved what few artists can: capture the world’s attention and build a huge fanbase with his own unique signature – Melodark – that takes anyone who listens to him on an unforgettable journey.
A project that was born in 2015, Melodark goes beyond being just a musical genre. Since its inception, it has become an artistic movement with an emotional, motivational and overcoming message. Hozho describes it as a lifestyle and a philosophy.
Musically speaking, Melodark is characterized by the symbiotic contrast between the beautiful melodies (melo) and the darkness surrounding the synths and basslines (dark), always based on a minimal techno beat.
A self-proclaimed activist against the status quo, Hozho’s personal style of music has helped him test his boundaries and not keep his creativity in a box. That’s why it’s very common to hear in his productions mesmerizing vocals and experiments with the most diverse musical genres such as classical music and dubstep.
Where many electronic producers get lost in the loopiness of lengthier beats, Hozho feels at home there. Each tune is a journey in its own right, courting the listener through the enchanted Melodark forest of the Portuguese producer’s sonic envoy.
Take for example his 2019 album Yin Yang, one of Hozho’s biggest hits so far. Yin Yang invites listeners on an aesthetically sound aural adventure—fusing darker influences, from techno, progressive, electro and even orchestral sound palates for an experience all its own, where most of his songs are longer than 7 minutes.
In addition to the album, Hozho has released several EP’s, singles and remixes over the years. His first single of 2022 – Honey Trap – came to reinforce his unique style, diversifying the Plague Doctor from the pack and disregarding the current dance music meta for something more intrinsically expressive, remebering the mythical quote from Charles Bukowski: “Wherever the crowd goes, run in the other direction.”
Melodark – Music created by a contemporary Plague Doctor.