WHERE I’M AT
I reside in Sun Prairie, a small suburb right outside of Madison, Wisconsin. I moved back from Peru in May of 2024 with my wife, Emy Castro, who is an incredible world-class Peruvian singer. Little moves—like packing up and coming back—took faith in us, in what we could do together.
I am currently producing Emy’s debut album, Mass Effect, blending pop sounds with traditional Peruvian rhythms. As of April 2025, we’ve released two singles in collaboration with my group, NSFCL. I also perform classic jazz albums with my other group, The Roman Sextet. Each track, each gig—it’s small steps, believing I can mix these worlds, loving the sound I make, and seeing it grow into something real.
MORE THAN MUSIC
But It’s not just about the music.
I studied math and music in college and then I opened a jazz club in Cusco, Peru, where I earned my master’s degree in “life”. Took faith to ditch the safe path—little actions like booking acts, tweaking sound, built confidence that I could live bigger.
I now study Buddhism through texts, training my mind to visualize the many worlds that have led many before me towards enlightenment (I still need to find a mentor, though). I study Coltrane, using the spiritual language he spoke through his horn as a blueprint for mine. I’ll spend weeks learning to play 15 seconds of a solo of his. I study production, mixing and mastering by imitating the techniques of the masters like Jaycen Joshua and Bob Power. I study Photoshop by recreating artwork I find I resonate most with on Pinterest. Small moves—reading a page, nailing a note, tweaking a mix—stack up. I love my hands on these tools, trust they’ll carry me somewhere, and they do.
ALONE WITH A SCREEN
Despite my efforts, I didn’t have those ride-or-die friends—the ones who’d call you up on a summer day, make you feel part of something. I always ended up at my computer, alone. Youtube became my escape—I got obsessed. Looking back, the internet was my sanctuary. I treated that computer like my best friend; I cared for it like I’d care for a friend.
HACKING MY WAY
I watched tutorials— how to add more RAM, more drive space. It was a Dell, but I learned how to install Mac OS on it— we had no cash for the real thing. Every step came from videos and forums. I’d find movies, music, even Mom’s college books. Loved video games, but cracking and modding them beat playing. I Jailbroke my iPod Touch so I could download torrents on it, but I spent more time learning to hack the thing than listening to the stuff I’d have downloaded. I would get bored and find another tutorial.
PROCESS OVER PRIZE
Looking back, I fell in love with the process. At the time, I thought it was about results, but the grind was what really sparked something in me. No one cared when I jailbroke my iPod—no one to show. The buzz was in the doing—double-checking files, renaming, not thinking about friends or loneliness. I wasn’t thinking at all—just lost in it.
GROWING UP, SHIFTING
Of course as I got older, my tastes and interests evolved. I shifted from being a computer hardware nerd to a music lover. I cracked FL Studio and recreated deadmau5 songs. Got a summer job at age 13 and used my money to buy studio equipment. Small steps, messing with beats, led me to believe I could do more than just follow. I had more faith in myself, my tastes and my independence from the “crowd”.
HIGH SCHOOL, FINDING ME
Reaching high school, I gained confidence and developed lasting friendships through my new musical interests. But it was during those first, lonely years that I developed the foundation that would lead me to pick up the saxophone, study jazz, earn a math degree, open a jazz club, mountain bike down the Andes… and many more things that define me today. Each little move—cracking software, buying gear—built belief, then results, then confidence to chase what I wanted.
SMALL ACTIONS, BIG LIFE
Life’s been my teacher, showing me it’s always small actions stacking up. Tinkering with tech got me to sax, little gigs got me to Cusco, every step built faith in myself. Results came—math degree, jazz club—and that confidence pushed me further. That’s my whole deal—start small, believe, watch it grow.
LIMA TO MADISON
I was born in Lima, Peru, and immigrated to the U.S. with my family in December 2006 at 8 years old. We landed in Wisconsin of all places. Lima’s a coastal city—Humboldt current keeps it 60° to 90° all year. Madison’s wild—jet streams swing it from 80° one day to 30° the next (happened last week as I write this).
EVERYTHING SHIFTS
The food, the culture, the people’s charm—it’s all different. I turned into a chameleon, picking up a perfect Midwestern accent to dodge the bullying and stares. I don’t remember learning English—probably blocked it out, a survival instinct too many immigrants use.
TRYING TO BLEND
Those first years, I ditched the Lenny Kravitz and Gorillaz I had listened to in Peru for Lady Gaga, Kanye, Akon. No more Umbro—I wore Aeropostale and Hollister, hiding the fact that they were from Marshalls. I wanted to play hockey, but we couldn’t afford it. Spanish stayed out of school—I got mad when they offered me a “Hispanic” scholarship. I joined the football team for a year, tried every way to blend. It didn’t work.