Maurino Alarcon’s music has been influenced by many things. The child of Chilean refugees who’d fled Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship, Maurino was born and raised in liberal Amsterdam, an upbringing that married his Latin roots, his parents’ political activism, and the city’s liberal creative freedom.

Such formative experiences shaped Maurino indelibly, and have been poured into a new set of songs coming soon under his own name. “I’m rediscovering myself”, he says. “And it’s so powerful.”

Freed from the constraints of compromise or expectation, Maurino has hit upon a thick, dynamic sound, swirling tropical bass, hip hop, Latin, and reggae into a seductive, swaggering brew. ‘Future Latin’ he calls it, tracks drenched in energy and passion; the same energy he brings to his live shows, and the same passion he’s carried with him during his entire musical career.

That passion, and the energy he brings, is the thread that binds the new material together. He’s been on a quest to define himself as a solo artist, to really find his sound – the real Maurino, raw and unfiltered. Blending a mix of cultures and genres – and his ancestry and home town – he’s found it, that melting pot of influences giving his music its distinctive sound and a broad, electric appeal. “This is me,” he says defiantly, “and I’m proud of that.”

Maurino’s talent has never been in doubt, but striking out on his own has seen him ascend to a whole new level. Latin has a new star, and he’s burning bright right from the start.