Mulú is the pseudonym of the DJ and music producer, Antonio Antmaper, one of the artists responsible for revitalizing Brazilian electronic music. He was one of the creators of the sound for singer Pabllo Vittar in 2015, co-producing her first EP, “Open Bar”, blending samba and other Brazilian rhythms with electronic beats in tracks like “Minaj” and “Open Bar”. This work was recognized as a revolution in Brazilian pop music.
His sound caught the attention of music researcher Hermano Vianna and Brazilian artists like DJ Zegon of the duo Tropkillaz, who invited him to the Buuum Trax label. Diplo described Mulú as one of his favorite Brazilian artists and a key person in connecting the Brazilian music scene on his program on BBC radio.
He has released original collaborations with Luedji Luna, Letrux, Mc Tha, Áttooxxà, Gilsons, Rachel Reis, among others, and official remixes for Bomba Estéreo, BaianaSystem, Sofi Tukker, and Amadou & Mariam, earning recognition in The Guardian, which described his remix of Elza Soares’s “The End of the World Woman” as “a gloriously audible salivation”. In 2021, he received a platinum single for 16 million streams of his song “Meu Jeito de Amar” in collaboration with the singer from Pernambuco, Duda Beat.
Mulú has posted on Instagram some background details to his recent work MTG Chihiro, which features an unauthorized of the recent Billie Eilish release.
This was followed by a new post:
On June 12, Mr. Brandon De Oliveira from the group “The Nations,” owners of the Trap Nation channel which gained fame by promoting unofficial remixes on YouTube, contacted me offering the opportunity to officially release “MTG CHIHIRO” as a COVER. This meant re-recording any original content of Billie Eilish, especially the vocals, and releasing it on the platforms. I listened to the proposal, but my interest was to officially license the remix, and I was awaiting a response from the record label regarding my authorization request.
Coincidentally, on the same day, my remix was illegally distributed on digital platforms under the codename “Lewis Hanton” – MTG CHIHIRO (Funk), by the same distributor that acquired Mr. Brandon’s group “The Nations” in June 2022, @createmusic. On June 14, my stolen track entered the Brazil top 50 at position 48. The record label quickly requested its removal, and the next day it was already deleted from Spotify, but not from social networks.
On the same day, I celebrated that the original audio of the MTG CHIHIRO performance became the most played on Instagram, reaching the top 1 on the social network. This is very difficult, as to use the audio, users need to create their reels from my post. It didn’t take long for the track stolen by “Lewis Hanton” to reach the top of the platform, as being an officially distributed song, it is easy to find it in social network searches.
The crucial point is that, upon hearing the “Lewis Hanton” audio on the 18th, I realized that my version had been replaced by a COVER of extremely high technical quality, mimicking MTG CHIHIRO in every detail and leveraging all the numbers generated by the stolen version. This suggests we are dealing with a professional scheme that takes advantage of viral content on social networks to profit illegally. What they might not have expected is that I registered my original part, which I believe significantly contributed to the success of MTG. This makes MTG CHIHIRO a mashup of my original music with Billie Eilish’s music, preventing the arrangement and melody I created from being used by another track without my authorization.
The term “MTG” originated in Rio de Janeiro. It was used by funk DJs from Rio to describe a more ‘sampled’ style of funk, where they would take a piece of a song and repeat it over a beat, especially the ‘voltmix’ beat. MTG, or “montagem,” is essentially a type of remix that combines different songs into one track with effects and alterations made by the producer and DJ.
While DJ Mulú attempts to release a legal version of Billie Eilish’s hit, other producers are profiting significantly from unofficial MTGs. This format has sparked debates over copyright and is seen as a new form of digital piracy. Producers mix segments of popular songs, particularly their choruses, with beats and viral funk snippets. This method is well-received by audiences but poses challenges for legal departments of record labels and publishers.
The remix of Chihiro, a track from Billie Eilish’s album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” has gained significant traction on social media, especially TikTok, where remixes of well-known songs with funk beats are trending. On Spotify, at least three MTG tracks are among the top 15 most played, with “MTG Quem Não Quer Sou Eu” by DJ Topo topping the Brazil Top 50 playlist and garnering over 8.3 million views on YouTube.
Other artists from various genres, including Seu Jorge, Sidney Magal, Kid Abelha, Pitty, Rita Lee, Mart’nália, Tribalistas, and Luiz Gonzaga, have also had their hits remixed into MTGs.
Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram play a crucial role in spreading music quickly. Mulú views MTG as a revolution in bringing back song-based parties and allowing audiences to enjoy funk with less explicit lyrics. He highlights the success of DJ Topo’s MTG with Seu Jorge’s voice, which topped charts without sexualization, showing that funk can diversify its themes.
brasilcalling.wordpress.com 