Cimafunk
Cuban music has a new global ambassador: Cimafunk. With a name and image that pays tribute to the Cimarrons – Cubans of African descent that resisted slavery – and music and showmanship that re-embodies funk legends from the last century, the medical-school student turned funk artist has developed into a musical force crafting the sonic future of the island and a global, cultural phenomenon that unites and celebrates blackness across borders, oceans and languages.
With his unmistakable AfroCuban sounds, no holds barred live show and multiple Grammy-nominations, Cimafunk is redefining what the planet understands as Cuban music. Cimafunk’s debut album “Terapia” (2018), with its groundbreaking #1 single “Me Voy” – followed by his breakout performance at SXSW 2019 and widely praised NPR Tiny Desk Concert, started a movement of converting millions of people to the religion of groove, one live show at a time. The AfroCuban rockstar has moved the spotlight well beyond the Buena Vista Social Club, salsa and reggaeton.
From a local sensation on Havana’s small alternative music scene to global success, Cimafunk’s ascent is as dizzying as an F1 race. Performing with La Tribu (The Tribe), his 9-piece band from Havana, Cimafunk has electrified global audiences on massive stages and worldwide temples of music, making a name for himself as one of the great showmen of today. From New Orleans Jazz Festival and Lollapalooza Chile to becoming the first Cuban-born artist to play Coachella, this undisputed star of Afro-Latin music has earned the adoration of musical icons such as Argentine Fito Páez, who has hailed him as "one of the lights of the continent's future,” the Godfather of Funk George Clinton, who refers to him as “the next one,” and Chucho Valdés, who credits Cimafunk with masterfully and organically blending “AfroCuban with African American, converting this into a new school that until now I haven’t heard done.”
Cimafunk’s distinctive musical fusion continued to grow in its artistry with both the release of his second album "El Alimento” (‘The Nourishment ) -which was met with an abundance of critical praise that included Best Albums of the Year lists of Rolling Stone, NPR and more… as well as an equal volume of glowing reviews for his unrivaled live shows, which quickly made him one of the most in-demand festival performers.
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“Cimafunk’s masterful album is the soundtrack for a euphoric soul train, serving up funkadelic grooves, kinetically punctuated by Cuban rhythms [and] stellar guests… with the joy of being alive in its every note.” – NPR
“a frenetic joy ride of freewheeling blasts of percussive funk intercut with pumped-up classic Cuban riffs… Cimafunk is engaging in a cultural mixing that celebrates a kind of Latin American hybridity … with mind-bending results. ‘El Alimento’ has thoroughly transformed him into an international funk champion” -NY Times
“CIMAFUNK is A Must-See Act… … Cimafunk is Creating The New Sound Of Cuba & Redefining Latin Alternative… with an energetic intensity that has drawn comparisons to James Brown… A funkadelic force to be reckoned with… Cimafunk has exploded on a global scale. The 2x GRAMMY nominee is now a trailblazing creator whose music unites Afro-Cuban rhythms and African American funk”- GRAMMY.com
“Cimafunk [has] one of the most exciting live shows… perpetual showmanship and natural ability to hear music in everything is Cimafunk’s signature… squarely in conversation with American funk, rap, and soul, drawing out a connection that’s always existed between Black art … pulling listeners into Cimafunk’s magnetic orbit… crisscrossing the globe, winning fans over with his electric stage presence” – ROLLING STONE
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Cimafunk has collaborated on records and shared the stage with the likes of Alejandro Sanz, CeeLo Green, ChocQuibTown, Chucho Valdés, Fito Páez, Fonseca, Fred Wesley, Galactic, George Clinton, Jon Batiste, Juanes, Leoni Torres, Lettuce, Lupe Fiasco, Preservation Hall,, Omar Portuondo, Orquesta Aragón, Robert Glasper, String Cheese Incident, The Soul Rebels and Trombone Shorty. Susan Sarandon, Ron Delsner and other personalities have become superfans, often seen side-stage lost in the groove, and the likes of Paul McCartney and more have come out to check out the AfroCuban sensation.
After the success of "El Alimento,” Cimafunk delves even further into his exploration of the intersections between funk and the sounds of the continent and gives us " Pa' tu cuerpa" (Mala Cabeza Records), his most polished and mature production to date.
"Pa' tu cuerpa," or “for your body,” is not only the title of his new album; It is a mantra, an invocation born on the stages of the world. In Japan, Cuba, Europe, the U.S., Colombia, and Brazil, once the public receives a download of Cimafunk and La Tribu’s groove, it transforms into a single entity. Without culture or preference, just bodies enjoying themselves with their souls on the surface.
Cimafunk uses “cuerpa” instead of “cuerpo,” the traditional masculine form of saying “body” in Spanish, a provocative variation born on stage, perfectly encapsulating his philosophy. For Cimafunk, it's all about enjoying the present, moving "the flesh," moving "the body."
"It's that state where you become alienated," he explains, "where you are simply a piece of something that is alive and enjoying the present. And I like saying cuerpa instead of cuerpo, it’s more democratic and funky, I like changing the rules with rhythms and beats and also with the gender of words.”
Pa' tu cuerpa is made up of 11 tracks, songs born in the heat of the tours, a product of feedback from the public and their desire for collaborations. For this occasion, Cimafunk has summoned a constellation of extraordinary artists and musicians. "Collaboration is something I really enjoy," he confesses. "This album has artists that I had always wanted to work with, of whom I am a fan and of whom I have a lot of influence from them." From the legendary touch of funk master George Clinton, who also appeared on Cimafunk’s last album, to the jazz mastery of top AfroCuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, through the vibe of Colombian rockstars Monsieur Periné, to the Caribbean rhythms and melodies of Haitian producer Michael Brun, and the youthfulness from Havana’s urban street scene of Cuban newcomer Wampi, each guest works like a piece of clockwork in this masterpiece.
“Cuchi Cuchi” is the track that immediately takes you to the Cimafunk of 2024. Catchy, danceable and super funky, “Cuchi Cuchi,” which is a playful way to say “hooking up,” is a Cuba meets New Orleans mashup ready to explode when performed live. “It’s really funky and you can envision me on stage with my band and feel the way I dress, dance and live life just by playing the track,” says Cimafunk. “My musical director Dr. Zapa is the producer and he’s been with me since the beginning. ‘Cuchi Cuchi’ is Cimafunk & La Tribu after a few years of exploring the world thru festivals, venues, dressing rooms and parties.”
New Orleans – Cimafunk’s new home – jumps out track-after-track on “Pa’ tu cuerpa.” The explosive flow of New Orleans bounce-icon Big Freedia on “Pretty” and the unreplicated, powerful horns of Trombone Shorty on “I don’t care” highlight Cimafunk’s affinity with and full-on embrace of New Orleans music and culture. He’s now a regular performer at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and leads an annual New Orleans – Cuba festival and cultural exchange program, Getting Funky in Havana, that has brought New Orleans top artists and musicians to Cuba to perform for the Cuban people and do work in the schools.
The result is a sonic experience as innovative as it is impossible to label; Caribbean but borderless, rooted in Havana but with echoes of Detroit funk and New Orleans bass, horns and street-corner vibes. 2024 but also 1970 and 2050. It is 37 minutes of pure enjoyment that range from the irresistible invitation to dance of songs like "Pretty" and "I don't care", which seem specially designed for the dance floor, to the slow tempo sensuality of "Playa Noche," “Dime" and "A tu merced,” to the relocate-to-the-Caribbean vibes of “Catalina.”
"Pa' tu cuerpa" is more than an album; It is a transformative experience born on stages all over the planet. "It was the conscious discovery of what it provoked in people when I went on stage," reflects Cimafunk, "seeing it in a bunch of Japanese people who didn't understand the text but were feeling it, was crazy." This is the most recent stop on that train that came from the future to drop us here with the new avant-garde of the AfroCuban musical diaspora. In 2024, this album not only seeks to define the sound of parties, but also the relationship of the listener with the music.