XRS
Michael Nicassio — known professionally as Xerxes de Oliveira, XRS and XRS Land — is a producer and DJ from São Paulo, Brazil. Within drum and bass he is best aligned with liquid and jazz-inflected strands of the sound, regularly folding Brazilian rhythms and harmonies into drum and bass frameworks.
Nicassio emerged in the 1990s and co‑founded the Innerground label. He has released music on the Brazilian imprint Sambaloco and on the UK label V Recordings. He performs and produces under multiple names, including XRS, XRS Land, Friendtronik and Kapitel 06, and has performed extensively across Brazil and internationally.
He is widely known for collaborations with DJ Marky; the pair’s 2002 single "LK (Carolina Carol Bela)" — credited to DJ Marky & XRS and featuring Stamina MC — is a landmark crossover release associated with both artists. That collaboration remains a concrete example of XRS’s approach: Brazilian melodic material and vocal hooks arranged over straight-ahead drum and bass programming.
As a producer XRS blends bossa nova and jazz elements with drum and bass. In his tracks you’ll hear chordal voicings and melodic lines derived from Brazilian song forms layered on programmed break patterns and percussion. He commonly places live‑sounding Brazilian percussion and guitar motifs against rolling, sub‑focused basslines and clean, crisp break editing — a combination that leans toward liquid and melodic DnB rather than the harsher neuro side. Atmosphere is often created by warm keys and sparse horn or guitar phrases rather than dense, effect‑heavy pads.
On the production side his signatures include: clear drum programming that preserves the groove of samba and Brazilian rhythms while operating at DnB tempos; bass design that favors rounded low‑end and musical movement over aggressive distortion; and the use of jazz harmonies and acoustic timbres inside electronic arrangements. These choices recur across his releases on Sambaloco and in collaborations issued on V Recordings.
Besides studio work, XRS has a track record of live performance and DJ sets across Brazil and abroad, bringing the same hybrid of Brazilian melody and drum and bass rhythm to clubs and festivals. His recorded output and partnerships with DJ Marky are the most-cited examples of his role in exporting a São Paulo‑flavoured take on drum and bass to international ears.
Publicly available biographical details are concise: Michael Nicassio (Xerxes de Oliveira / XRS / XRS Land) — São Paulo producer and DJ, active since the 1990s, co‑founder of Innerground, with releases on Sambaloco and V Recordings, notable collaboration with DJ Marky on the 2002 single "LK (Carolina Carol Bela)" featuring Stamina MC, and additional releases and performances under aliases Friendtronik and Kapitel 06.
