It was an early night at the Roxy and to my surprise the headliner would start shortly. I had heard the music of Nicola Cruz for months and was looking forward to his very unique blend of Andean sounds with sprinkles of otherworldly electronic music. Although not packed, the crowd was enough to set a warm tone and flow with the sounds of the night.
From Ecuador, producer Nicola Cruz is on tour bringing his self proclaimed “Andes Step“ to the world. Cruz’s music embodies lush soundscapes from his homeland. From the mountains and jungles, to melodic Champeta and multi cultural bass, Cruz fuses a variety of sounds to make for an incredible global gumbo.
Once submerged in the incredible energy of music coming from the stage, it was easy to get loose when the tracks had elevated to a danceable intensity. Cruz’s recent album Prender el Alma (Ignite The Soul) released by the innovating ZZK Records, is heavily instrumental and deeply universal. The album speaks to new forms of exploring traditional sounds very worthy of your attention. To top it all off, Cruz’s extraordinary album was also remixed by amazing producers. You can listen to it here.
Photography and Words: Farah Sosa
