Hailing from Melbourne’s inner South-East, reggaeton and hip-hop trailblazer Cris Gamble is back with a new single that is truly other-worldly.
En La Nave – the brainchild of Gamble and local music producer Anunnaki – is a testament to Gamble’s incredible ability to effortlessly blend genres and sounds to create something that is truly unique to him.
Gamble found his calling at a young age. His childhood was set against the backdrop of his parents’ hip-hop beats, and he dreamed of becoming an artist.
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“My parents had me when they were only young, maybe around twenty, so they were fresh into hip-hop music. They were also into some metal – like Metallica. Because of our Latin-American heritage, I started to move on to reggaeton music. I began thinking properly about making music when I was 12 years old. My Dad started buying all of this music equipment and bringing it home – so naturally I started messing around with it. Back then, it was more of a dream to write rhymes and record them than a future. But, when I worked out that I could do it myself, and I liked how it sounded, I decided I was going to go for it,” Gamble recollected.
With a career in music in his sights, Gamble embarked on a transformative journey to discover his distinctive sound – a task that has seen him experiment with blending different genres, seamlessly fuse elements of his Anglo-Indian and Chilean heritage, and ultimately cultivate a dedicated and adoring fan base that continues to grow worldwide.
“My sound really started to develop when I was in Chile with my late uncle – he was one of the closest people in my life. Rest In Peace. We were listening to this artist called DJ Tony Touch. He’s known for crossing between English and Spanish language in his music. For me, that was a big influence on mixing the two languages. I’ve also always listened to a lot of Spanish hip-hop and it helps me stay in touch with it,” he said.
“I want to let my heritage and my culture come out in my music. My Spanish roots are a big part of my life. I speak to my kids in Spanish. I don’t want to ever lose it or that part of me”.
En La Nave is the most recent addition to Gamble’s ever evolving and diverse discography. Its themes and sound are difficult to pigeonhole – which seems to be just what Gamble intended.
“En La Nave means in the spaceship. The creation of music and the ideas behind it come naturally to me and Anunnaki and we worked really well together. The song is a subgenre of Reggaeton called Perreo. It’s kind of a galactic style. The track is based around Martians and the darker part of space. And it’s also slightly demonic I guess – but not demonic-demonic,” he joked.
Motivated by an unwavering commitment to himself and his community, Gamble is insanely driven and passionate about his music.
“I always want to be better. For me. For my kids. For my uncle. I’m trying to do all of this for them. It’s also important to me that I bring more attention to the Latin-American movement here in Australia. It’s quite difficult here but I really want to bring it into mainstream audiences. I want to get my own name out there and around the world,” Gamble explained.
Gamble’s music is at the forefront of the modern hip-hop and reggaeton scene. His ability to combine his heritage with a contemporary sound has seen him produce tracks that are distinct to him. With his latest single, En La Nave, Gamble takes listeners on a journey through the cosmos, delivering an unforgettable track that is definitely worth a listen.
Listen to En La Nave here and check out Cris Gamble’s Instagram to follow his journey here.
This article was made in partnership with Cris Gamble.
