Moombahton has taken the international dance underground by storm. Only but a year old, the pitched down and bass heavy Dutch house variation rooted in reggaeton and dancehall variations invented by US born, Switch’s Dubsided Records signed, rising party smasher Dave Nada has invited a new crew of inventive producers with heavyweight imaginations to the dance floor. None may be more inventive than Charlotte, North Carolina’s own David Heartbreak.
King Kong(re mastered version) by David Heartbreak
Heartbreak, an ex-New York City rapper with solid production chops came to the forefront with his H & M tandem alongside Rotterdam’s Munchi, the 21 year old heavy bass instant legend who has used his uncanny grasp of 108 BPM basslines and manic panic melodies to rise to the top of the table. Heartbreak, well he’s a bit different. Moombahton’s evolution at every turn has reminded many observers of a number of other underground evolutions, namely Baltimore club and dubstep in its development and sound. Heartbreak’s work smashes that mold in a very unique and individual style. In blending elements of the hardest edges of hip hop, the most soulful edges of rhythm and blues, and even diving headfirst into Bollywood-esque bhangra and UK funky and bashment sounds, he’s entirely unique and a standout producer.
Dance if you like…… by David Heartbreak
His first huge attention grabber was the Denzel Washington in Training Day sampling “King Kong.” It’s dance floor power lies somewhere in between Sidney Samson and The Chronic era Dr. Dre, a trunk rattling, dance ready party monster, it drills you in the chest with never ending streams of percussion and the rawest energy the genre has ever heard. Continuing onward and showing the depth of the man as a producer, his edit of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love,” “Shy Day” invented the genre known as “moombahsoul,” and has added color and depth to the moombahton movement. With each edit, Heartbreak’s works take on an original and evocative flair. 90’s urban pop princess Brandy gets the soul treatment with her “Full Moon” becoming “Dance if you life,” a seductive uiptempo urban ballad. Latest work “The Legend” is a celebration of the musicality of John Legend’s piano driven ballad “Ordinary People,” but when turned into a moombahton track truly becomes a beautiful creation, a dose of the unfamiliar wrapped in a familiar and comforting sound.
Heartbreak’s singular and iconic talents in moombahton have led to him outside of inventor Nada and New York City Latin melody expert producer and selector DJ Sabo being the most well travelled of moombahton producers and DJs, with recent trips to South America (Chile), and a seemingly regular home in Europe with stops most recently in Norway and the UK. Heartbreak is absolutely proof that if you have talent, you will travel.
The Legend by David Heartbreak
As moombahton grows in its international presence, fully expect David Heartbreak to be in the lead, expanding, creating and developing at a pace just a step faster than the sound’s expansion.
