"Drums Go to the Machines”: Valentina Facury on the Soul of Brazilian Funk

Valentina Facury is a Brazilian percussionist from São Paulo, known for her dynamic presence across contemporary instrumental and popular music scenes. Her musical versatility bridges Afro-Brazilian traditions, Latin American rhythms, jazz fusion, pop, and electronic styles. A member of acclaimed groups such as HOROYÁ, BIXIGA 70, SONHOS DE LUNDU, COCO DE OYÁ, and Lucas Gomes Septeto, she has collaborated with renowned artists both nationally and internationally. With performances spanning Brazil, Europe, and Latin America, Valentina brings a deep cultural authenticity and rhythmic vitality to every project she touches.

Interview with Valentina Facury

Splice: In your own words, what is Brazilian Funk?

Valentina Facury: O funk brasileiro é cultura preta de quebrada que conversa com a ancestralidade, com o futuro, com a cidade e com a juventude. O funk utiliza a tecnologia das máquinas mas não só.. a real tecnologia é musical rítmica, a partir dos mantras, beats e timbres que atravessam os corpos e fazem o baile acontecer. Som alto, graves profundos, agudos estridentes, batidas repetitivas são tecnologias que vem dos tambores, somos a diáspora negra, os tambores vão pras máquinas e a cultura funk bebe da fonte dessa magia.

Brazilian Funk is black culture from the “hoods” of Brazil, which connects our ancestry with our future, with our cities and our youth. Funk uses a lot of machine technology, but not only that… the real technology behind it is the rhythm, based on mantras, beats, and timbres that pass through the bodies and make the baile funks happen. Blazing loud sounds, deep low ends, piercing high ends, and repetitive beats are technologies that come from the drums. We’re the black diaspora, and the drums go to the machines and funk culture drinks from the source of that magic.

Splice: How does the city of São Paulo influence your work/Brazilian Funk?

Valentina Facury: A cidade de São Paulo é o olho do furacão cultural do Brasil.. aqui temos a diversidade de culturas do próprio país e também de outros países através de imigrantes, sendo muitos deles artistas também, devo muito a essa cidade porque só acessei diversas musicalidades por conta desse polo cultural. São Paulo é caótica e muito artística, esse paradoxo é o Big Bang da produção cultural. Para mim é o remédio e o veneno, muitos estímulos são positivos quando são filtrados, a busca é essa, usufruir da cidade e manter o equilíbrio pra não ser sugada por ela.

São Paulo is the eye of the cultural hurricane in Brazil. Here, we have the diversity of cultures from within our own country and also from other nations through immigrants, many of whom are also artists. I owe a lot to this city because I was able to access various musical styles because of this cultural hub. São Paulo is chaotic and also very artistic, and this paradox is the Big Bang of cultural production. To me, it’s both poison and medicine. A lot of stimuli are positive when they are filtered, and the goal is to enjoy the city while maintaining balance to avoid being sucked into it.

Splice: What is cringy, feels “off” or stands out as a “red flag” when you hear an interpretation or appropriation of Brazilian Funk that doesn’t feel authentic to you?

Valentina Facury: A cultura do funk envolve um contexto em que o som é alto, as pessoas não estão assistindo e sim dançando e os graves e agudos são intensos. Quando ouço tentativas de higienizar o funk tirando desse contexto me soa como falta de respeito a própria cultura afrodiasporica e africana. Tambores são altos, vibram o chão, as pessoas dançam, os xequerês, ferros, ganzás são instrumentos de alta projeção, tem motivo pra isso, o ritmo gera um transe. A partir do momento que rola uma censurada nesses fatores está descaracterizando a cultura funk e a fonte que ela veio.

Funk’s culture involves a context where the sound is loud, people are not really watching the show, but dancing to it, and the low end and the high end are really intense. When I listen to some attempts to sanitize funk, taking it out of that context, it sounds like a disrespect for the Afro-diasporic and African culture. The drums are loud, vibrating the floor, people dancing, the xequerês, metals, ganzás are high-projection instruments, and there’s a reason for that… the rhythm generates a trance state. The moment these elements are censored, it misrepresents the funk culture and the source it came from.

Valentina Facury’s perspective is a powerful reminder that Brazilian Funk is not just a sound—it’s a living, breathing culture rooted in ancestry, movement, and resistance. Her debut sample pack, Valentina Facury - Baile De Ouro – Brazilian Percussion, is a tribute to that spirit: a collection of raw, resonant percussion sounds crafted with intention, energy, and history. Whether you're building baile beats or experimenting with Afro-diasporic grooves, this pack brings the golden pulse of the streets straight to your session. Download now and make something that moves.