Studies of the samba, cumbia and rhythms of African, Andean and Hindu origin are combined with Cruz’s characteristically unpredictable, mystical style. On Siku, Nicola Cruz combines instruments with symbolic, spiritual connotations, such as the sitar, the siku, and the balafon with hints of electronica. That duality is reflected on this record in the coming together of sounds, whether electronic or organic, past or present, local or global. It is a representation of duality, an essential element of the indigenous world view, associated with involvement and complementarity, far from the binary thinking typical of western societies. The siku is a wind instrument of Andean origin, highly symbolic in ancestral rituals, made up of two separate, complementary parts, the arca and the ira. A crucial aspect on this journey is his collaboration with other artists from around the world. In Siku, his most recent production, Cruz continues this exploration, expanding his vision towards new stories and other cultures as sources of inspiration.

His first record, Prender el Alma (2015) explored the development of the consciousness and spirituality, and how they connect with music. His creative process involves an attentive, careful search for the living roots and rituals that are part of South American identity-its Andean and African origins in particular-valuing its rhythms, its oral traditions, its instruments and the energy they transmit. An interest in ancestral Latin American cosmology has always run right through the music of Ecuadorian music producer Nicola Cruz.

Nicholas cruz