For decades, Miami, Florida, has been a juggernaut in the realms of pop, reggaeton and electronic music. On the latest episode of Comment Check, presented by Toyota Corolla, the rising Miami sensation Nick León explores his SoundCloud page unpacking the exuberant fan reaction to his recent collaboration with Erika Da Casier, on “Bikini.” Talking “floaty beats” and sun-kissed beaches, the prolific DJ and producer epitomizes South Florida’s Latin-inflected club music renaissance.
Though he was born in the Bay Area, Nick León has lived in Florida since he was three years old. He grew up in Fort Lauderdale, soaking up musical influences from his Colombian mother’s salsa and vallenato collection, experimenting with his father’s and grandmother’s arsenal of instruments, and dancing through the reggaeton boom of the early 2000s. While in high school, he became enamoured with Southern rap and Miami jook, eventually taking the leap into beat production, moving out to the 305 and working up to credits on popular tracks by Robb Bank$ and Denzel Curry.
Eventually, León decided to make his own artistic statement, weaving dystopian post-club, ambient field recordings and Latin American percussion on his sprawling 2016 debut album, ‘Profecía.’ He also became a hotly demanded DJ, architecting the post-EDM and Miami bass era alongside influential deck wizards Nicholas G. Padilla, Coffintexts and INVT, and subsequently touring the world with festival performances at Dekmantel, Primavera Sound Porto and Sónar.
A wellspring of edits and original, experimental compositions led to numerous underground pop collaborations with the likes of MJ Nebreda, Isabella Lovestory, Empress Of, Esty, Oklou and Meth Math. He released EPs on Mexico City label NAAFI and Medellín imprint TraTraTrax, and his crossover with Venezuelan raptor house pioneer DJ Babatr on “Xtais” was lauded across the Latin electronic music world and beyond. But perhaps León’s first taste of mainstream success came with his co-production on “Diablo,” off Spanish pop superstar Rosalía’s landmark album, ‘Motomami.’
In summer 2024, León made headlines again after teaming up with the Danish chanteuse Erika De Casier, melding his house and dembow sensibilities with her alt-R&B sultriness on the beach banger, “Bikini.”
“I’d been a fan for a long time and I ended up doing a bootleg that got sent to her...We met through the power of music.”
Despite his global renown, Nick León’s music remains a celebration of Miami’s unique cultural DNA. Over the years, he’s performed and curated stages at the city’s beloved III Points Festival, and in 2023, he launched the label Impacto alongside longtime collaborator Jonny From Space in order to continue fostering local talent. He is also committed to exulting and protecting Florida’s rich eco-diversity, teaming up with Coral Morphologic for an aquatic-inspired multimedia experience titled “Projections of a Coral City,” and most recently scoring the film ‘The Python Hunt,’ which is set in the Everglades. Answering a cheeky comment from a fan, he says, “Come to Miami,” an open invitation that encapsulates his mission as an artist and proud Floridian.
Get to know more about Nick León on this installment of Comment Check, presented by Toyota Corolla, and dive into his SoundCloud to discover a lush universe of sound.
HEAR HOW NICK FINDS HIS HUSTLE ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
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