Hybridism by Nicola Cruz

Nicola Cruz, fresh off his sophomore album, returns to Multi Culti with HYBRIDISM, an expansive EP that sees the Ecuadorian producer present a modern exotica of North African rhythms, ethereal Persian melodies, and chants from distant and imagined cultures.

‘Aima’, named after the refrain sung by Igbo girls from Nigeria, creates the illusion that you’ve dusted off a lost LP. The aesthetic details recall expertly produced French exotica from the 70s, an overall feeling of warmth and character rarely pulled off with such panache.

‘Naeku,’ in Cruz’s words, is “a sorrowful song in minor tonalities, but with a warrior energy, strength and forward vision: a soul departs, but a new one arrives in the name of Naeku, a maasai child. Not all grief needs to be a suffering; a feeling which I can relate to the place I come from with a Quechua word: Llaquilla – triste, pero feliz (sad, but happy). As always, the 303 adds that heart touching feeling.” If there’s a template for Multi Culti’s ethos, Cruz has synthesized the formula: Masai lamentation filtered through Quechua wisdom with a touch of 303 for the soul.

‘Drom Tradisie’ is a nostalgic vignette that captures the fantasy of a scenic horizon on a lost beach, a portrait done with the FM domain of synths that somehow associates with tropical… more
credits
released February 27, 2020

Music inspired in the vast fertility of our planet.

Written & produced by Nicola Cruz

A1 additional arrangements by Juan Diego Illescas
B1 additional arrangements by Nasiri.
B2 additional arrangements by Andrea Castrogiovanni aka Ayan.