Black Fancy’s, whose real name is Samuele Tranquille, road to Ultra Miami started years before he ever touched an American stage. He was just an artist from rural Italy trying to get the attention of the Martinez Brothers, a DJ duo. Now, all that hard work and patience has paid off.
After becoming the first official artist signed to the Martinez Brothers’ label Cuttin Headz, that long pursuit has led him to a milestone weekend: the release of his debut Cuttin’ Headz EP and his first-ever performance in the United States at Ultra Miami.
The signing marked a major shift for Cuttin’ Headz as it moved more explicitly into artist development.
Black Fancy’s story is not one of overnight discovery. In a conversation at Ultra, he described a process that stretched close to a decade. He followed the Martinez Brothers across Europe, sent them music for years, and kept going through the silence and rejection.
Eventually, they began playing some of his tracks. Then came the real-life connection: after partying and getting closer a deeper sense of trust emerged. By early 2025, that persistence finally turned into something concrete when they reached out with the idea of bringing him into the Cuttin’ Headz fold.
When you think about what Cuttin’ Headz means in this scene, his signing is huge. The label has always felt like a direct reflection of the Martinez Brothers — rooted in New York, grounded in house and techno, but never boxed in by just one lane of dance music.
So for Black Fancy to become the first artist they officially sign says a lot. It feels like the label is moving into a new phase now. Not just dropping records here and there, but actually putting time and belief into artists and helping them grow.
And the way they brought him in made that pretty clear. He did not come across like just another name on the roster. He felt like someone they genuinely wanted to back.
That made Ultra feel like more than just another booking. It felt like the visible payoff of a much longer process. His March 29 set at 2 p.m. was his first chance to introduce himself to an American crowd at scale.
Although the time slot did not fully show him the might of the U.S. audience he may eventually reach, he still felt the difference right away.
What he noticed most was the energy. Even with an early set time, he described the American crowd as intense, excited and fully willing to dance.
His background also matters to the music itself. Black Fancy’s Italian and African descent are essential to his sound. He traced that connection back to his childhood where there was music in the house and all throughout family life.
That mix of raw percussion and soulful movement is part of what drew the Martinez Brothers to him in the first place. Recent coverage around his signing has described him as part of a newer generation of artists on the rise, even noting his earlier recognition as a “Future of Dance” artist by 1001Tracklists.
For Black Fancy, though, it’s about how he never stopped pushing. He kept sending music. He kept showing up. And now the same artists he spent years chasing are helping shape what comes next.
His biggest dream, he said, is still ahead of him: a back-to-back with the Martinez Brothers themselves. After Ultra, that no longer feels impossible. It just feels like the next step.