First Listen: Maya Azucena and Dreemtime start to "Breathe"

 

(November 9, 2021) It is definitely accurate to describe Klive D’Farley (working as Dreemtime) and his frequent collaborator Maya Azucena as citizens of the world. D’Farley was born in Hong Kong, is a British national and now lives in New York. When he isn’t making his unique brand of sophisticated jazz and R&B infused funk that he’s dubbed Lounge Funk, D’Farley can be found making furniture for the high-end hand-crafted furniture company that he works for. Now, that’s a guy with varied interests.

Azucena’s interests are equally varied: her talent as a singer and songwriter and her activism have similarly taken her far from Brooklyn, where she was born. Azucena emerged as a force to be reckoned with in music with her debut album Maya Who? In 2003. Azucena’s has developed a reputation has a powerful and passionate live performer – as I was blessed to see when she performed at the 2007 SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Awards – who uses her four-octave range vocal instrument to deliver anthems of empowerment and self-love that can be sweet and tender like “Junkyard Jewel” or funky and gritty like Afro-Caribbean banger “The Half.”

Now, D’Farley and Azucena come together with a track that is right up both artists’ wheelhouse with “Breathe.” This is not the first time that D’Farley and Azucena have worked together, and the artistic familiarity that the pair shares come through on “Breathe.” Each moves into their own specific lane. D’Farley crafts an arrangement that fuses funk with jazz and is just ultra-smooth. Azucena’s vocals bring her usual intensity to a song that encourages people to relax and find that quiet peaceful place to breathe while also assuring the listener that they have to stuff to meet and overcome any challenge.

Those familiar with Azucena’s mission to use her music to encourage, empower and call people to a higher purpose will nod their heads in agreement – or they will be nodding to the beat. Check it out here.

By Howard Dukes