Nowadays, musicians and DJs aren't sticking to tradition when it comes to producing music, but that doesn't mean Latino traditional rhythms and sounds can't be infused into modern-day electronic dance music (EDM).

A classically trained-instrumentalist-turned electronic DJ , Adam Partridge, also known as "Atropolis" has "created a sound that electronically mashes up nueva cumbia, dubstep, moombahton, Afro-Colombian house, sampled live playing of traditional instruments and kuduro, along with a wide array of exotic global beats," according to Beat Latino.

Partridge, whose Greek roots stem from his grandparents' native island of Cyprus, has always loved diverse music from different regions around the world and felt somewhat constricted from typical genres of music. So he thought, why not mix things up and make a unique concoction of music that would figuratively and literally move people?

"Atropolis represents a sonic city of trans-cultural boom. A native of New York, his blood blends the village heat of Cyprus, the lore of Northern Europe, and the mysticism of the Maori," according to Atropolis' official website. "Stirring with a degree in composition, Atropolis mixes trained expression in classical piano and jazz guitar in a pot of ethnomusicology. His alchemical fusion transcends over dance floors, grounding ears in the rhythms of their global body."

The eclectic producer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist/composer told Beat Latino's Catalina Maria Johnson, that he initially thought he was going to be "a studio guitarist or write orchestral music or film scores," but instead he ventured into uncharted waters and dove headfirst into his diverse tastes of music - something he would have had "a hard time doing as an instrumentalist," Partridge points out.

At the young age of 15, Partridge, started collecting music from Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. He explains that it wasn't a conscious decision, but that he was just drawn to different musical influences and enjoyed the exposure to "different types of melodic rhythms and tones."

"Music is something that you feel," he told Johnson, "so it was more of a feeling that lead me here."

Partridge has formed a three-member DJ collective which includes his cousin Thor (aka Thornato) and Myk 2Melo/Dos Melo. While spinning in Brooklyn, he met a friend from Bogotá, Colombia who introduced him to the DJ/music industry in Colombia where he worked alongside musicians and was able to truly experience the music and culture. 

To further explore the "Cumbia revival," that had been thriving in Europe and Latin America along with other sounds from the world, Partridge started the Cumba Mela collective, which transitioned it into a label.

According to Beat Latino, the first release on the label is Atropolis' sophomore album "Transitions," featuring a collaboration with Colombian-Canadian vocalist/visual artist Lido Pimienta.

Not be be confused with Cumbia, the name is "Cumba Mela" referring to "kumbh mela", the "largest spiritual, peaceful gathering in the world - in India, where millions of Hindus gather to bathe in the sacred river." 

"Change is inevitable, and now that this world is more global than ever, Atropolis strives to provide a foundation for conscious music that maintains a dancing balance between global and local awareness," according to his Cumba Mela website.

Atropolis will be on tour this summer in the US to support "Transitions." Listen to a remix of his electronic global beats: