Vintage Culture only truly feels alive when he's speaking to people through his music. "When I am playing my own tracks, and people smile at me, that is life," says the Brazilian. And so far, his life has been a nonstop adventure. What started in 2008 as tinkering in a bedroom in a tiny Brazilian city in the middle of nowhere has now led him to play to sold-out crowds of 25,000 people at his own So Track Boa Festival, touring the United States, gracing the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and going multi-platinum with more than 1.5 billion global online streams.
For Lukas Ruiz, Vintage Culture is a 24-hour responsibility — a passion project that aims to unite people through music. He is constantly eating away at traditional genre boundaries as he makes music that works both in the club and at home. Inspired by the work of groundbreaking artists like Pink Floyd, Pet Shop Boys, and Kraftwerk, Vintage Culture produces soundtracks to people's lives. Music with emotion, narrative and melodic hooks, and infectious grooves.
During the pandemic, he didn't slow down. He put out "It Is What It Is," featuring Elise LeGrow's stunning vocal, beautiful piano chords, and an effortless baseline. He also released "Coffee" with Tiësto, "Party On My Own" with his countryman Alok, and Volume 4 of his own Vintage Culture & Friends compilation. This year's "Cali Dreams" with Fancy Inc featuring The Beach is already a massive smash with its lush, rousing synths and passionate vocals.
All this comes after impressive remixes of the likes of Meduza, Moby, and David Guetta and collaborations with artists including Jorja Smith, Moby, and Sia. Many Vintage Culture releases have been certified Platinum. He has topped the Billboard Hot Dance, Spotify Dance, and Beatport Main Overall Charts multiple times for his releases on Spinnin' Records, Defected, and his own Só Track Boa label. Ruiz is the creative force and owner of the label and is also responsible for the fast-growing international festival and fashion of the same name. All this has established him as one of his generation's most influential and creative talents in Brazil and beyond.
As a DJ, Vintage Culture can connect with each dancer, whether playing to hundreds in a club or thousands on a festival main stage. He prefers to go long so he can really dig deep into his collection and loves sunset or sundown sets to create those extra special, spine-tingling moments of absolute musical magic. "I'm a vibe connector," he says with a smile.
Although the difficult pandemic year saw canceled gigs at Coachella, EDC Vegas, Lollapalooza Chicago, Tomorrowland, Creamfields, Ushuaia Ibiza, Pacha Ibiza, Parookaville, Ruiz spent the time raising $100,000 for a COVID-19 relief fund in Brazil. Now, after a year of cooking up over 100 new tracks, Vintage Culture is ready to hit the road and once again spread his unique brand of musical positivity with the world.