Born and raised in El Salvador until the age of 14, hip hop artist Edwin Orellana Zuleta, aka Eddy Ciuno, survived a terrible earthquake and the start of civil war and still managed to rebuild his life in Milan. He worked his way through school, spending his free time writing lyrics and hanging out with other freestylers, breakdancers, and graffiti artists. His roots are in the Latin music from Central America, but he also looks to blues and pop rock for inspiration. But it’s probably the hip hop community he grew up with in Milan that's shaped his artistic identity the most. He produced a self-titled debut album in 2005 and is finally working on a follow up, which he’s recording at Bluescore Entertainment in Milan. The album includes the talents of multi-instrumentalists Mark Leo and Sergio Rigamonti, and although it’s not out just yet, you can get a taste of what Eddy has been up to by checking out his Soundcloud. His songs tie together 90’s rhythm with intense modern vocal flow, all under laid by top notch instrumentals. The super funky bass structures the songs while spacey synth gives some of the songs a kind of 80’s noir film vibe. But overall the most outstanding aspect of his work is his vocal flow. “Deludente Tu” shows off his harder side, complimented by rough bass beats, whereas songs like “Cuore Sorvolo” take on a more upbeat tone. And if you want to hear the romantic side of him, check out his video for “Morirei Per Te” (I Would Die for You) on YouTube, shot inside the beautiful Castello Sforzesco in Milan. He put on a memorable show at The Speakeasy in Milan for Emergenza Festival Italia, complete with back up singers and break dancers. Check back in with us at Emergenza.net to see if he'll make it through to the semi finals of the festival.

MC