ARIMA SOUL is the musical project born in 2020 in Zarautz, created by Mikel Unzurrunzaga Schmitz, known artistically as Makala and/or DJ Makala, and the singer Lidia Insausti. Their proposal mixes styles such as Soul, R&B, Funk y Jazz-Groove. In his repertoire there are mainly his own compositions sung in Basque., but also some versions by artists like Marie “Queenie” Lyons, Gil Scott-Heron, Prince,…
In their first five years they have released an EP, several singles and two studio albums with labels such as Elkar Musika, Enlace Funk Vinyls and Subterfuge Records. The project has had and has the collaboration of numerous renowned musicians from the Basque and national scenes., both on recordings and live.
To date, has offered close to 100 concerts in Euskadi, southern France and different cities in Spain. In 2022 were selected for “Girando por Salas – GPS#13”, being the only Basque group among those chosen, which allowed them to make their first state tour in 2023. Besides, Enlace Funk magazine has nominated them in its Enlace Funk Awards “Los Clinton” on numerous occasions., as "Best New Group" (2020), Lidia Insausti as “Best Singer” (2023) and as "Best Group" (2025). In the spring of 2025 they publish their second album, "night", produced by Lalo López (Tony Manero Foundation). Published within the collection “Música Para Un Guateque Sideral” of the Subterfuge Records label, The album includes notable collaborations with the singer Lide Hernando "Bele", the winds of The Cherry Boppers and several musicians from Nación Funk de Barcelona. Since its launch, the group has been touring the Basque Country, the south of France and several cities on the Iberian Peninsula.
