Biography
Gabriel Garzón-Montano functions as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose music often leans progressive, frequently breezy, and lightly psychedelic. Soul and funk supply the core of his style, yet hip-hop, cumbia, nueva canción, and reggaeton have each shaped his path. The recordings he has issued comprise Bishouné: Alma del Huila (2014), Jardín (2017), and Agüita (2020).
A native of Brooklyn, he absorbed music early from his mother, a musician who belonged to the Philip Glass Ensemble in the 1990s. Violin served as his initial instrument, after which guitar and drums followed. During his early teens he began composing songs. While enrolled at the State University of New York at Purchase he performed in the funk group Mokaad. In the same year the band issued its independent EP Booty, Garzón-Montano tracked solo material with longtime associate Henry Hirsch. Dissatisfied at first, he withheld the songs for months before posting them on SoundCloud. Styles Upon Styles, struck by the tracks, compiled them for official release across formats as Bishouné: Alma del Huila in February 2014.
Momentum built rapidly afterward. Mayer Hawthorne encountered the EP by chance in a record store, after which the two artists shared management. Garzón-Montano opened for Lenny Kravitz across Europe; friend and former classmate Zoë Kravitz, whose father is the veteran performer, had first played the music for Drake. Drake’s “Jungle,” produced by Noah Shebib, drew a sample from the EP track “6 8.” After festival appearances and additional touring that included support dates for Hawthorne, Garzón-Montano completed Jardín with Hirsch. “Sour Mango” and “The Game” appeared as previews late in 2016, and Stones Throw released the album in January 2017. He resurfaced in mid-2020 with “Someone,” the first single issued under a joint arrangement with Jagjaguwar and Stones Throw. The expansive parent album Agüita arrived that October.
A native of Brooklyn, he absorbed music early from his mother, a musician who belonged to the Philip Glass Ensemble in the 1990s. Violin served as his initial instrument, after which guitar and drums followed. During his early teens he began composing songs. While enrolled at the State University of New York at Purchase he performed in the funk group Mokaad. In the same year the band issued its independent EP Booty, Garzón-Montano tracked solo material with longtime associate Henry Hirsch. Dissatisfied at first, he withheld the songs for months before posting them on SoundCloud. Styles Upon Styles, struck by the tracks, compiled them for official release across formats as Bishouné: Alma del Huila in February 2014.
Momentum built rapidly afterward. Mayer Hawthorne encountered the EP by chance in a record store, after which the two artists shared management. Garzón-Montano opened for Lenny Kravitz across Europe; friend and former classmate Zoë Kravitz, whose father is the veteran performer, had first played the music for Drake. Drake’s “Jungle,” produced by Noah Shebib, drew a sample from the EP track “6 8.” After festival appearances and additional touring that included support dates for Hawthorne, Garzón-Montano completed Jardín with Hirsch. “Sour Mango” and “The Game” appeared as previews late in 2016, and Stones Throw released the album in January 2017. He resurfaced in mid-2020 with “Someone,” the first single issued under a joint arrangement with Jagjaguwar and Stones Throw. The expansive parent album Agüita arrived that October.
Albums
Agüita: Remixes
2022
Agüita
2020
Bishouné: Alma del Huila Instrumentals
2020
Jardín (Instrumentals)
2017
Crawl (Karriem Riggins Remix)
2017
Jardín
2017
Bishouné: Alma del Huila
2014
Singles
