Nicola Cruz^EC

Committed to remodelling the folkloric roots of the past into a contemporary electronic framework, Nicola Cruz’s sun-soaked original productions are matched only by his fluid proficiency as a DJ. Born in Limoges to Ecuadorian parents, Cruz spent his youth between France, Quito and Mexico, where he honed the craft of music production and sound design. A half-decade of mastering production later and fueled by his exhaustive knowledge of various musical genres, Cruz released his debut LP Prender El Alma in 2015, a cohesive body of organic Afro-Latin textures pulsating with effervescent electronic flourishes that complement without overwhelming. A flurry of EPs and extensive travels across the globe eventually laid the foundation for 2019’s Siku, simultaneously a homage to his Ecuadorian heritage and a bridge to other cultures, with Cruz integrating African and Asian rhythms and instrumentation into his ever-growing signature “Andean step” sound.

Synthesizing these vast influences, Cruz’s live sets connect the dots between traditional musical folklore and pioneering music production, forming a groovy, dub-laden conversation between past, present and future. And just as his productions have grown in scope, so has demand for Cruz's always-shifting live shows, performed from a modular setup which stretches and reshapes his source material into ever-shifting improvised permutations.

A veteran of MUTEK and its various satellite festivals, Nicola Cruz will once again grace Montréal with a signature live performance. Merging his newest sonic explorations with field recordings and experimental studio sessions, Cruz will improvise and restructure original material into ephemeral pieces, blending dub, soca and acid influences with his own Andean rhythmic universe.