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Marcus "Ritmo" Figueroa - Origins

Southern California musician Ritmo ‘speaks’ with his guitar through instrumental album ‘Affectivity’

LOS ANGELES, CA – A magical thing happened when Marcus “Ritmo” Figueroa first picked up the guitar. As a child, he was always a fan of music and felt a burning ambition for something more. When he was given a guitar and found a natural ability to make music, it was like he had discovered his purpose in life.

Fast-forward about 15 years and Ritmo is living in Los Angeles, California where he writes and creates music for films and television. Often working as a session guitarist for other artists throughout Southern California – something he loves to do – he spends most of his time using his unique gifts, talents and abilities to meld music with film. Most recently, he had the opportunity to write the score on a forthcoming film called “On His Own” and he’s anxious to find the next big project on which to showcase his skills as a composer.

“My goal is to basically be able to compose for TV and film for the rest of my life,” he said. “Every song I compose, I want people to get a feeling of the emotion when I play my guitar. I really get lost in that, and my goal is to let the audience paint their own pictures to my music.”

Ritmo – which means “rhythm” in Spanish – said he has always loved instrumentalists who could go beyond merely playing the music written on the sheet and into developing a sound that is definitively signature and unique. He points to world-renowned guitarist David Gilmour as inspiration and said the same way Gilmour “speaks with his guitar” is the same way he hopes to use his music to connect with people.

“That’s what I’m trying to accomplish too,” he said. “People can definitely pick my music out from the crowd now, and I hold that dear. I have that one-of-a-kind signature sound which most people would probably say is chill or vibey or ambient.”

That signature sound is put on full display with a new album set to drop April 28. Called “Affectivity,” the album is one that Ritmo intends to elicit an emotional reaction from the listener.

“That’s why I personally make music, to make sure my instrumentals connect with an audience on an extremely emotional level,” he said. “I want to truly connect. I want to have someone have a reaction from it, whether that’s good or bad. I definitely make music that will cater to both extremes of emotions. But mostly, I’m touching the masses with my music and helping them feel how I felt when I was making it. That’s why a lot of people describe what I do as atmospheric or ambient.”

In addition to making music for films and TV and in between serving as a session guitarist for other artists, Ritmo said he loves working with the hip-hop community and hopes that he can collaborate with more artists within that genre going forward. He said he has also opened for a number of bands throughout Southern California and is planning to have some live performances throughout the summer.