Hugo Santos

He was born in 1981 in Lisbon, but it was in Portimão that he spent his childhood and youth. Since childhood, he acquired a fascination with the physical behavior of sound, largely due to the influence of his father and the hundreds of vinyl records that surrounded him. Despite his strong passion for music, he did not decide to learn any instrument and began his studies, which led him to a fleeting stint at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra.

In 2002, he entered ESAD in Caldas da Rainha in the Sound and Image course, which exposed him to various ideas and forms of expression through sound and music. At this time, turntables and the urban culture of drum and bass were strong influences on his life. He forms varied collaborations with musicians and artists and actively participates in the organization of events and exhibitions while living in Caldas, but the search for higher technical knowledge leads him to complete an Audio course at ETIC Lisbon in 2007.

It is from 2007 that he decides to work in Sound Design, initially in advertising and later in cinema, working at Rosa Filmes in feature films in the period 2008-2011. In 2011, he completed a postgraduate degree in New York at Dubspot, where he specialized in digital mixing and mastering. It was also at this time that his compositions began to gain more prominence in the form of the YLS project. Works in Sound Design and composition of sound pieces are characterized by the use of sounds captured from any sound source that, together with modern audio synthesis techniques, form musical landscapes and harmonies.

In this complex web of processing, new sounds often emerge that are reused as musical instruments, giving originality to the aesthetics created. He currently lives and works in Lisbon, where he has established a sound studio. In addition to personal projects, he works with distinguished bands and artists who require his specialized work in the field of professional audio.

Follows Hugo’s work on Soundcloud and through the project Y.L.S.