Artist Spotlight: Dunamis
Reminiscing on intense nights playing Towerfall, I quiz Dunamis on his growth as an artist in 2022. London born and Manchester raised, the Colombian rapper reflects as we wandered through Hullard Park.
Having released an astounding single titled, ‘Grateful’ produced by the phenomenal Wudini and music video directed by the unrivalled Ben Wescott. Grateful, an energetic bass blended with an unforgettable guitar loop, partnered with Latin style drums and perfected with a silky saxophone. Contrasted with the province of Dunamis’ Manucian accent, which makes the single all the more impactful in the authenticity of being ‘Grateful’. Further suited by aesthetics of treasured friends playing football, sharing traditional Colombian dish, empanadas with his girlfriend. Biblical imagery of Cathedral Church of St John, relating to his religion and concluding the video with an embrace of friend and producer, Wudini. The rawness of Dunamis never ceases to exist within his music.
No one gets left behind.
Foregoing ‘Grateful’, pertaining to the same dexterous team, Dunamis released ‘AM I ?’. A similar track in terms of candidness, montages of childhood pictures, again repping Renzo Limited and friends dispersed throughout the track. Whilst, Dunamis is spitting a question of ‘AM I?’ in an essence of self reflection.
Speaking to him, I grasp an insight to how Dunamis is an artist who provides equitably incredible vocal, production and visual without fail.
What was 2022 like for you musically ?
Can I answer that in two parts ? Because 2022 was a bit mad.
Go on
I feel like I am more proud of my personal growth as opposed to my musical growth in that sense. And that’s just me being harsh on myself, but I feel like what I have patterned for myself like graduating uni, finishing uni, getting my first professional job and then being able to afford my car, my first car … This all happened in one year. Like being able to go away after three years because of COVID.
What did you graduate in ?
Business management and Spanish, obviously a little cop out there because I am Colombian so I could already speak the language. May as well make the most of it and hone in on it and that is what I got a job doing as well, selling in English and Spanish so I am quite happy with what I am doing.
But yeah that took up a lot of my time, a lot of my energy and I feel like music was hard to be consistent with, if you know what I mean. I would find time to do it but nowhere near where I consistently had been. But what I found was that those sessions were more productive, because I knew that there were few and far between, you get me ? So I made some crazy sh** bro, that I did this year. Apart from ‘Grateful’, that was made and we were like we’re dropping this. Because it felt right. It was the right time.
And the video and everything, shout out you and Ben. Shout out Wudini as well because he’s the engine behind everything as well. I feel like I could have done more musically, but I am proud of myself overall.
How are you coming into 2023 with everything you just told me ?
2023 I am ready to go HAM on music bro, like the plan has already started, the ball is already rolling just from before Christmas time. Because I knew how to get sh** going, I want to drop in February, so if you want to make that happen you got to be working in advance. That’s something I have learnt now that I didn’t do before. I was like I want to drop this but I have to wait five weeks or whatever and it’s not good.
But now I've actually got a plan and I feel like I am able to execute that because I’ve got good people around me. I invest a lot into my music. I don’t even want to put numbers on it but the quality is there, the music speaks for itself, the videos speak for itself. I’ve got a tape coming out, that is my first ever project, the first body of work I have ever worked on. I just want to sort out the final details and have that hopefully dropped by summer. God Willing, of course every time. That’s the plan briefly, I don't want to give too much away. But right now that’s the plan and yeah man I am just excited. I’m pretty sure no ones heard what’s coming.
So what still motivates you to do music now ? Despite challenges of uni, lockdown, what motivates you to still keep going ?
It’s just what you love doing. If you love what you do, it should not feel like a chore and music doesn’t feel like a chore to me. I don’t wanna dedicate drags to it, the last hour of my day when I’m tired … I want to dedicate a whole DAY, a whole WEEK, when I’m focused and I’m in it because if you’re going to create then you don’t have to execute a perfect mindset. Sometimes that’s when the best music gets made. But I feel like if you actually want to create something and execute an idea that you’ve already got, then you really do need to be in a good headscape, you get me ? So I’d rather take the time, work on myself and make sure the quality is good.
What influenced you to do music ?
One hundred percent my parents, mostly my dad, he is the more musical one out of the two, just listening to salsa. Then my brother listening to reggaeton, listening to rap obviously U.K, U.S, hip hop, all of that sh**. Grime, them underground rap battles Skepta, I could be here all day. I have so many influences from that era.
More recently I listen to a lot of Colombian music, I listen to a lot of Latino music as well as my U.K. mix that I can’t get out of my daily fix. But at the same time, I listen to more Spanish and Hispanic music to put it in a sort of bracket. That’s also what my music is starting to be influenced by as well and that is what my sound is becoming now. So I am enjoying that and I just want to zone in on it.
Who would you say those foreign influences are ?
So three right now that I listen to is Benny Jr, Morad and then the last one now who's getting that last spot ? … Noriel ! That’s the main thing right now.
But obviously I listen to my boy’s shit, I listen to Renzniro all the time. I listen to demos, I listen to SoundCloud shit as well as a couple of hits that I like and I still enjoy them pop off mainstream ones. But if I'm honest, I listen to my own sh** a lot. I just try and work on what I'm working on. But yeah, I'm still influenced by people, just not maybe as much, you know what I'm saying? I just took probably what I take from Grime, from Skepta and then take like the Spanish song from the type of musicians that I'm talking about.
What was so significant about ‘Grateful’ that made you want to release it ?
Where we were and how we were feeling when we wrote it and when we produced it. I reckon it was made within an hour or two, just off the cusp. We were thinking of what to do and we were just rolling through something and then he played this little guitar loop and I wrote the whole song with that little loop. As Wudini was looking at the other drums to add and just kept writing it, writing it and writing it. We were both feeling sh** at the time, going through stuff, obviously personal stuff and Im not about to air no business. But it was nice to look above that and it was nice, even though we weren't feeling too great about ourselves at that moment, we were still grateful.
Like what in the video depicted, just like walking my dog, my parents are alive, I can afford a trim … I can get a trim ! I got food, I can eat food, just the little things. All of these things I didn't have last year, like a whip, being able to make that video. It could only happen in one day because we could drive to every single place. Easy. So I’m grateful for that sh**, it’s the little things when you really think about it. That’s how I am feeling this year and that was the standout for me last year, the other the singles I was gassed to drop but Grateful was the one I was gassed to drop. Like yo, I want people to hear this and it is my best performing track so it speaks for itself really innit.
OH YEAH, BIG UP CHLOE FOR THE SAXOPHONES, FOR REAL !
I’m a new fan, which direction are you taking me in
Bro you need to go to my Youtube and peep the visuals first of all, see how clean, see the level ! Shoutout Ben Wescott, it has to be said, it has to be done.