NUNCA DUERMA – VEN AHORA

Chicago-based artist Nunca Duerma has done nothing short of knock it out the park on his debut LP, ‘Ven Ahora’, for Detroit label Young Heavy Souls.  With one of his tracks being recently named as XLR8R’s 2nd most downloaded track of April 2016, you know he must be doing something right.

Born in Detroit and raised in Michigan, Nunca Duerma (meaning “No Sleep” in Spanish) was a multi-instrumentalist from a young age.  Over the years his style and sound have developed, fusing hip-hop, jazz, funk and electronica to create a distinctive and potent output that elicits instant head-bobbing.  Speaking about his musical style, Nunca Duerma describes it as a natural byproduct of his life in the city.

As a whole, ‘Ven Ahora’ is a true musical journey not too dissimilar from one you may have come to expect from the likes of Floating Points, Bonobo or even Jamie XX.  Kicking off the release,“Mini Ramp Kisses” lends a funky chopped up start to the release where “Thoughts” follows hot on it’s tail with a storm of flurried beats and hypnotic atmospheres that lift the LP’s already effervescent energy even higher.

One of the many highlights of the EP, “Acid Jazz” quietly hypnotizes with warm liquid synths, sporadic electronic blips and a tempo that is chopped and changed throughout.  The tone then moves toward a more spacey feel over the next two tracks with driving dub beats that skip & wobble. Closing the LP off, “She Is Gone” is awash in jazzy instrumentals and soulful grooves that would feel right at home in a 60’s cocktail lounge.

We’ve been absolutely blown away by Nunca Duerma’s debut LP and after checking out the full stream below there’s no doubt you will be to.  Available now on Young Heavy Souls, Ven Ahora is the perfect soundtrack for the arrival of summer.

Tracklist:

1. Mini Ramp Kisses
2. Thoughts
3. Black Sea
4. Chicago Brasil (Ft. Radius)
5. Acid Jazz
6. Bliss In BMX
7. Sweat Moves (Plucked)
8. She Is Gone