Balam Santos a.k.a. Kin Balam is from the Indigenous lands of Cuxkatan, Nekepio, El Salvador. He was born in the heart of a people’s revolution, raised in the Northern lands of Turtle Island. Burying his heart in pain and urban warfare as a youth, with a soul hungry for meaning and connection, Kin Balam learned years later to die to a lifestyle that has shattered the foundation of his community and country with blood and fire. Kin in Lenca Poton and Balam in Maya, translates to “The path of the jaguar,” is an artist who, in having the courage to live based off what the elders call the ‘Nahual’ or destiny, has also come to originate a new style of music. 
 
Flamenco, Latin American, Indigenous Mesoamerican, Afro Latin Jazz, and Hip Hop are all the elements that makeup the powerful fabric of this new yet ancient rooted musical style. Fusing the hardcore rap delivery usually associated to gangster rap, Kin Balam has decided to utilize that same vein of art to feed the streets medicine, hope, healing, and r/evolutionary guidance. The Mesoamerican Indigenous instruments integrated into bis musical landscape are of Pre-Colombian colonial origin, and therefore bear with them the unique identity of Central American Indigenous culture and spirituality. The Afro Latin rhythms deepen the meaning with the connection and bridging of African culture and struggles in the earth and flesh of America’s terrible and savage colonial history. The virtuoso Flamenco guitar is the sword that ties all of these elements as one diverse family. All of it together speaks as one heart, one voice, in one language - the language of our humanity.
 
Kin Balam studied under the renowned Flamenco guitar master Jeronimo Maya in Madrid, Spain at the age of 22. He has been producing Hip Hop music since the age of 11, playing guitar since the age of 8, and has focused on Afro Cuban percussion since the age of 2 years. Among his peers in any genre of music at the professional level, Kin Balam is held with deep respect and appreciation for not only his level of musicianship, but also the originality and quality of his music and soul.

Kevin is a Co-Founder and Partner at Sessionwire Communications Inc. https://sessionwire.com/ as well as Co-Founder at Nimbus School of Recording and Media located in Vancouver Canada. https://nimbusrecording.com/

Kevin combines the worlds of music and education. With over 30 years experience as producer, engineer, studio musician, studio owner, indie label owner and music publisher, Kevin also has an impressive 20 years experience at the post-secondary level as an Instructor, Dept Head and Supervisor of Curriculum Development for numerable large Institutions. 

In 1994 Kevin incorporated Hot Sole Music Inc. and founded his own college and curriculum. Since then it has become arguably the most complete and respected Recording Arts teaching model in the industry and is the foundation for the Nimbus Curriculum. 

In 2000 the AEP Program was the first Recording Arts program to become locally accredited by PPSEC. In 2004, Kevin was appointed to the PCTIA Board by the Min of Advanced Education Ida Chong. Later in 2007, Kevin was elected Chairman of the PCTIA board and just recently stepped down in April of 2011.

Specialties: Record Production & Audio Engineering. Post-Secondary/College Senior Administration and Curriculum Development.

Life is one grand poem. So what would it be without the poet?

Heiltsuk/Haisla Nation, East Vancouver Canada.  Visual artist & I freestyle rhyme and write bars. Getting old now. near a hundred and I still rap. K well I'm actually young and my skills just took a major leap from practicing almost daily. got mad love for Hip Hop and all of most music

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