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.
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, on August 23rd, 2024.
- - - -
“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
