"Julián is a great singer and songwriter working to advance the musical lineage of his homeland. His music uses song form, harmony, melody, and perhaps most importantly, rhythm, in the way that jazz uses it — to advance a story and to speak from the heart through music. Julián's music is an extraordinary blend of style and idea, and it was a great pleasure to work with him on this production."

— Dave Douglas

Described by musicologist Esteban Buch (EHESS, Paris) as “one of the most promising Argentine musicians of his generation,” Julián Muro presents APFUS, a two-volume opus co-produced with legendary trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas. This ambitious project, backed by New Music USA’s Creator Development Fund, brings together an exceptional string quintet featuring the Bergamot String Quartet and Ethan Cohn (double bass). It also features collaborations from Pauline Roberts (vibraphone), Rintaro Mikami (percussion), Kulusé Souriant (drums), and Alex Baiz Perry (keyboards). APFUS, VOL. 1 is a joint global release between labels ears&eyes Records (US/World) and Segell Microscopi (Europe).

APFUS, VOL. 1 (2026) dwells in the subtle intersection of contemporary chamber music, improvisation, and South American roots music. Driven by what he describes as a “tension between his untamed nature and his artistic calling,” Muro left his home in the Argentine Patagonia in 2018 to embark on an itinerant life. After years of European nomadism—where he funded his first recordings by working in mountain refuges in the Alps—his artistic compass led him to the asphalt of New York, earning a full scholarship for the then-brand-new Performer-Composer Master of Music at The New School.

The seed for his most ambitious recording project, APFUS, had been planted years earlier during a residency at the Banff Centre (Canada), where he first collaborated with Dave Douglas. Reunited in New York, and moved by the urgency to transform his life's journey into a tangible sonic testament, Muro presented him with his sketches. Douglas immediately assumed the role of mentor and co-producer.

APFUS, VOL. 1 (2026) presents a chamber ecosystem, while the second installment, slated for 2027, will feature a jazz ensemble with Dave Douglas as a guest artist. Recorded “the old-fashioned way” by engineer Geoff Countryman—live in a single room in New York without acoustic isolation between the instruments—the record achieves an organic and genuine sonority, becoming a triumph of imagination over a scarcity of resources. The meticulous arrangement work, which successfully amalgamates contemporary music with jazz and folklore, received guidance from figures such as Jacob Garchik, one of the primary arrangers for the Kronos Quartet, and Emilio Solla, a Latin Grammy winner known for his unique treatment of tango and jazz in a Big Band format.

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