Alan Walker
Liu (real name — Christian Liu de Almeida; born 2 February 1997 in Santana de Parnaíba, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian DJ, music producer and entrepreneur of Chinese descent. He is one of the notable representatives of the generation of Brazilian electronic artists who entered the international scene in the second half of the 2010s.
Liu’s music evolved from future house, deep house and Brazilian bass toward a broader combination of bass house, tech house, progressive house and festival-oriented dance music. At different stages of his career, his releases appeared on Armada Music, Spinnin’ Records, Universal Music Brasil, STMPD RCRDS, Future House Music and his own Chinatown label. In 2023, Liu entered the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs for the first time, and in the 2025 ranking he placed No. 71.
Childhood and first steps in music
Christian Liu de Almeida grew up in a musical family. His mother played piano, while his father played guitar. At around the age of nine, his father taught Christian how to play guitar. The family listened to bossa nova, rock, metal and Brazilian music, so his musical interests were never limited to electronic music.
Liu became interested in electronic music at around the age of eleven. Among the early artists who influenced him, he has named Benny Benassi and Skrillex, while outside EDM he listened to Queen, Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes. He largely taught himself music production, working in FL Studio and studying tutorials online.
Later, Liu enrolled at a university in the state of Santa Catarina, but his growing success in music changed his plans. By the mid-2010s, he had left his studies and focused on his career as a producer and DJ.
Early productions and remixes
Before his first major original releases, Liu experimented with remixes and bootleg versions of well-known tracks. His early catalogue included reworks of music by deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Oliver Heldens, Route 94 and other artists. The Town later specifically highlighted his remixes of Calvin Harris, deadmau5 and Tove Lo as part of his early production history.
This work helped him develop his own production technique before the appearance of his first widely recognised original tracks.
Don’t Look Back and the beginning of his professional career
Liu’s first major breakthrough was Don’t Look Back, created together with Vokker.
The track was already circulating within the electronic scene in 2015, while its official digital release took place on 25 January 2016 via UP Club Records. On streaming services, the release is dated 2016, while the recording rights are listed as ℗ 2015 UP Club Records.
This was the track that attracted the attention of Alok. Liu met him around the time of the first Tomorrowland Brasil and handed the better-known producer some of his own material. Alok’s support became an important accelerator for his career and soon developed into studio collaboration.
Alok, Bolum Back and All I Want
In 2016, Liu and Alok released Bolum Back. Their next major collaboration was All I Want with the Australian project Stonefox.
All I Want was released on 21 September 2016 via Armada Music and became one of Liu’s best-known early tracks. Even almost a decade later, DJ Mag continued to include it among the compositions most closely associated with his name.
The collaboration with Alok placed Liu at the centre of the rapidly developing Brazilian house scene during the period when Brazilian bass was beginning to gain international recognition.
Step Ahead, Temple and Don’t Be Scared
In 2017, Liu’s discography expanded rapidly.
He released Step Ahead featuring vocals by Hola Vano, as well as Temple, Pirate and other tracks. Don’t Be Scared appeared on the release Alok Presents Brazilian Bass Part 1, issued through Spinnin’ Records.
These tracks already clearly demonstrate the formula that would remain characteristic of Liu for several more years: melodic breakdown sections combined with a pronounced bass foundation and energetic house drops.
Coastline
One of the most recognisable releases from Liu’s early discography was Coastline, released in 2017 together with WOAK and featuring Australian project Hollow Coves.
The track differed noticeably from Liu’s heavier club material. Coastline is built around calm vocals, guitar elements and a soft house arrangement. It was released through Source/Spinnin’ Records and gradually became one of the artist’s signature tracks. In 2024–2025, DJ Mag continued to list Coastline among his key works.
Nave Espacial
At the end of 2018, Liu released Nave Espacial with Brazilian singer Samantha Machado.
The track became an important milestone in his domestic career. Its electronic bass production is combined with a complete Portuguese-language pop song structure. Nave Espacial also became Liu’s first major official music video; within a few months of its premiere, the video had accumulated several million views.
Over time, the song became established among the artist’s most popular works on Brazilian streaming and video platforms. In 2026, the Nave Espacial catalogue was expanded with new remix versions.
Lollapalooza and Rock in Rio
By 2019, Liu was already regularly performing outside Brazil. In an interview ahead of Lollapalooza Brasil 2019, he spoke about touring in Europe and Asia, including successful appearances in Lithuania and Thailand.
That same year, the artist performed at Rock in Rio on the New Dance Order stage.
Appearances at Lollapalooza and Rock in Rio became important signs that Liu had moved beyond the specialised club scene and become part of major mainstream-format Brazilian festivals.
Chinatown
In March 2019, Liu released Chinatown — a track directly connected with his Chinese heritage.
The production used samples and timbres referencing Chinese musical culture, combined with Liu’s characteristic bass and house elements. The artist himself linked the concept of the track to his Chinese ancestry.
At the same time, Chinatown became the name of Liu’s own label. The idea behind the project was to release music by new producers and support the development of the electronic scene. The first self-titled release appeared on 22 March 2019.
Universal Music Brasil
In August 2019, Liu signed with Universal Music Brasil. His first release after joining the company was Me Cura — an electronic version of Ana Müller’s song featuring vocals by Clara Valverde.
The collaboration with Universal coincided with a broadening of Liu’s musical range. Alongside club tracks, he began releasing more compositions built around vocals and more traditional song structures.
In 2020, releases included Blue Sky, Children of a Dream and For You.
Jax Jones remix and The Lion
In 2021, Liu was invited by Polydor to create an official remix of Jax Jones — i miss u featuring Au/Ra. Universal Music described it as the first official remix of the track created by a Brazilian artist.
During the same period, Liu joined Dubdogz and Hard Lights for The Lion featuring vocals by Sara Sangfelt, while also continuing his own series of bass and dance releases.
DIAL EP
On 29 October 2021, Liu released DIAL — his first official EP.
Universal Music Brasil presented it specifically as the artist’s debut mini-album. The release contained two tracks — DIAL and BANDIDARA.
The project demonstrated a heavier side of Liu’s sound and placed greater emphasis on club-oriented bass music.
During the same period, he also released Drive (By Your Lie), Burning Up and Be Real.
Ringtone Drop, Close To Me and Be Everyday
In 2022, Ringtone Drop gained notable viral popularity. Universal Music reported tens of millions of views for videos associated with the track even before its full release on digital platforms.
That same year, Liu teamed up with SEVEK for Close To Me. DJ Mag later included the track, together with All I Want, among the works for which Liu was best known when he first entered the Top 100 DJs.
On 9 December 2022, he released his second EP, Be Everyday, consisting of the title track and No Time.
Baila (La Banda) and STMPD RCRDS
On 19 May 2023, Liu and Mojjo released Baila (La Banda) through STMPD RCRDS, the label founded by Martin Garrix.
The release coincided with a new stage in Liu’s international career. In 2023, he toured extensively across Asia and Europe and performed at Ushuaïa Ibiza for the first time as part of Martin Garrix’s summer residency. In 2024, he returned for a second consecutive season.
DJ Mag Top 100 DJs
In 2023, Liu entered the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs for the first time, debuting at No. 98.
At the time, he described his own style as “dance music to make people feel better”, while DJ Mag highlighted Close To Me and All I Want among his key tracks.
In 2024, Liu climbed 19 positions to No. 79. The magazine described his current sound as uplifting, dynamic, flexible and highlighted his extensive touring across Brazil, Asia and Europe.
In the 2025 ranking, Liu placed No. 71, improving by another eight positions. By then, DJ Mag was listing All I Want and Coastline among his defining tracks.
Thus, Liu’s first three DJ Mag Top 100 DJs results were:
- 2023 — No. 98
- 2024 — No. 79
- 2025 — No. 71.
International festivals
In 2024, Liu continued to expand his international festival schedule, performing across Europe, Asia and South America. DJ Mag noted his second season at Ushuaïa Ibiza and what were then the largest touring commitments of his career.
In the autumn, he performed on the Mainstage at Tomorrowland Brasil 2024 alongside Alok, Alesso, Don Diablo, Steve Aoki, Vini Vici and other artists.
In July 2025, Liu took part in a special Brazilian takeover of the RISE stage at Tomorrowland Belgium, appearing alongside Dubdogz, Cat Dealers, Illusionize, Bhaskar and other representatives of the Brazilian electronic scene.
He was also included in the Tomorrowland Brasil 2025 lineup.
Sounds of the Underground
In 2024, Liu teamed up with Schillist and Khouri for Sounds of the Underground, released on Future House Music.
The track became part of the modern club-oriented phase of his discography, in which his future-house roots increasingly mix with harder bass- and tech-oriented sounds.
The Way I Are
One of Liu’s notable releases of 2025 was The Way I Are, created together with Mojjo.
DJ Mag highlighted the track as an example of Liu’s contemporary sound: dense synthesizers and tech-house percussion are combined with the recognisable vocal idea from Timbaland’s classic song.
Liu Around The World
On 2 August 2025, Liu held his own event Liu Around The World in São Paulo.
The project was conceived as an artist-curated event built around his musical history and international touring experience.
The launch of his own event format continued the same model Liu had previously developed through Chinatown: beyond releasing music and touring, the artist has gradually been creating his own musical projects and brands.
The Town
In September 2025, Liu performed at The Town festival in São Paulo.
The festival’s official page presented him as Christian Liu de Almeida and highlighted the combination of his own electronic tracks with a notable remix discography.
2026
In 2026, Liu continued releasing new material. His official catalogue added Deep Voices, Please Don’t Stop the Music (Bass Edit) with AURALIX, and the solo single I Miss You (Malafamah), released on 10 July.
In June, Liu performed at Só Track Boa 2026 in São Paulo. Billboard Brasil highlighted him among Brazilian electronic artists with particularly strong international visibility.
His next major confirmed appearance is Rock in Rio 2026. Liu is scheduled to perform on 6 September on the New Dance Order stage alongside Sofi Tukker and Casa Bonita, with MEDUZA³ closing the stage programme.
Musical style
Liu’s early period was closely associated with future house, deep house and Brazilian bass.
By the mid-2020s, his music had become significantly broader and included:
- bass house
- future house
- tech house
- progressive house
- melodic house
- festival house
- EDM
- vocal dance-pop.
This evolution is also visible in how Liu himself described his sound in DJ Mag: from “dance music to make people feel better” in 2023 to uplifting, dynamic, flexible in 2024 and the broadest possible description, great dance music, in 2025.
At the same time, several elements remain consistent in Liu’s music: a pronounced bass foundation, simple and memorable melodic motifs, vocal hooks and a strong focus on energetic live performance.
Labels
Throughout his career, Liu’s music has appeared on various labels, including:
- UP Club Records
- Armada Music
- Spinnin’ Records / Source
- Universal Music Brasil
- Dharma Music
- STMPD RCRDS
- Future House Music
- Chinatown Records
- other independent and club-oriented labels.
A special place belongs to his own Chinatown, founded in 2019 to release new electronic music and support young producers.
Main EPs
- DIAL — 2021
- Be Everyday — 2022.
Selected tracks
- Don’t Look Back — with Vokker
- Bolum Back — with Alok
- All I Want — with Alok and Stonefox
- Tufak
- Step Ahead
- Temple
- Don’t Be Scared
- Coastline — with WOAK and Hollow Coves
- Nave Espacial — with Samantha Machado
- Chinatown
- Don’t Stop
- Dali
- I Don’t Wanna
- Me Cura
- Blue Sky
- For You
- The Lion
- DIAL
- BANDIDARA
- Be Real
- Ringtone Drop
- Close To Me
- Ai Papi
- Dancing
- Be Everyday
- Baila (La Banda)
- Sounds of the Underground
- The Way I Are
- Deep Voices
- Please Don’t Stop the Music (Bass Edit)
- I Miss You (Malafamah).
Liu emerged during a period when the Brazilian electronic scene was significantly expanding its international influence. His early career was closely connected with the new wave of house and Brazilian bass, but his later development proved much broader than a single genre.
Don’t Look Back provided the first professional momentum, collaboration with Alok led to Bolum Back and All I Want, while Coastline and Nave Espacial demonstrated two different sides of his production — one melodic and international, the other aimed more directly at a Brazilian vocal audience.
Later, Chinatown, the deal with Universal Music Brasil, the DIAL and Be Everyday EPs, a release on STMPD RCRDS and regular touring across Europe and Asia expanded the scale of the project. Three consecutive DJ Mag Top 100 DJs results — No. 98, No. 79 and No. 71 — documented his international growth by the middle of the 2020s.
By 2026, Liu was no longer working as an artist tied to a single Brazilian bass or future-house period. His catalogue combines house, bass, tech-house elements, vocal dance music and festival-oriented production, while his touring activity spans major Brazilian festivals and international venues.
