Haïti-born DJ and producer Michael Brun is proud to presents the release of his new track which is the wonderful result of an idea he kept close to his heart for years : to give back to the country that has given him so much through the production of a song. 

Michael Brun is another face of the new generation of electronic music talents that has already become an international presence over the past five years with a progressive house hits such as "See You Soon" and "Tongue Tied July." But one particular spot on the globe still holds sway over his heart — his native island Haiti.

In 2014, after visiting the Haiti-focused charitable organization "Artists for Peace and Justice", Michael Brun was impressed by their program and made plans to return to the Audio Institute with collaboration in mind as he stated :

" I worked with Artists for Peace and Justice on something in New York. I was a performer at one of their galas, through that, I got to learn a bit more about the school they were involved with in Jacmel. I thought the concept was really cool, it's a music school that's full scholarship for talented students, people who would eventually be able to get a career in the arts. " - Michael BRUN

Back in 2015, in Haïti, Michael Brun brought along his father, Patrick - which was a onetime member of popular Haitian group Skandal and his cousin, singer/songwriter J. Perry - put out an open call to the students and professors at the Artists Creative' Audio Institute school. About two dozen responded and then the track "Wherever I Go" born.

" In June 2015, I took a trip back with the goal of making a song together with the students in a day. I specifically did not want to bring anything into the project. I wanted to really do something from scratch. We just all jammed, we went through different ideas and concepts. It was fun to hear what each person had in mind. It was my job to parse through and find what the song was behind all that. The energy was amazing — it was the best energy I've ever worked with. " - Michael BRUN

"Wherever I Go" is its first collaboration with the institute, but his commitment to Haiti runs deep. In 2014, he founded record label Kid Coconut, which, in addition to being a home for his own releases, was created with the goal of promoting and developing Haitian artists. Ultimately it's not only about creating opportunities that Haitians might not otherwise have; it's about leveraging his success to amplify Haiti's rich artistic traditions. As he puts it :

" One of the things I'd like to do with my music — what I've always really wanted to do with the label — is to give opportunities to people who would not normally have those same opportunities. Haitians are very creative and hardworking people. The way that they come up with things is sometimes not what you would expect, because it's through hardship. Haiti has gone through a lot of difficult times, in every type of way — financially, politically, the earthquake — and there's a lot of things that have made the Haitian people resilient. I think the art of Haiti shows that." - Michael BRUN

Michael Brun will launch a tour supporting the song February 18. Spotify has signed on as a promotional partner, and all streaming proceeds from the track will go toward supporting the Audio Institute. You can read our article about the track here.

Source : Jesse Richman for Miami New Times