Buy: https://lnk.to/datgarcialasfuerzasalmadas

Dat García in the house

The musician and producer Dat Garcia, is set to release her third record, Las Fuerzas Almadas on April 1st 2022 via ZZK Records.

Recorded in her studio and hotel rooms on tour, these eleven tracks created with charangos, ronrocos, synthesizers and plenty of vocal effects, reflect the beauty of all that is transformed, from monstrosity understood as honesty, desire, authenticity, the heterogeneous versus the hegemonical. “That place of false comfort of local customs compared to the outer edges where the unique things that truly gratify us live.” It’s a cultural alert that brings new meaning to strength and power, reinterpreting them as the life energy of the movement and transformation. 

A constant creator, feeling her way in the dark—she’s also designed costumes, scenographies and scripts for shows—Dat finds meaning in her works as she progresses, “trusting that my process will lead me to a new, unfamiliar place.”

So it is that Las Fuerzas Almadas—a name that came to her in a dream—comes across as a natural but developed consequence of her previous records: the debut Ermitaño Interior (2013) in which she created a work of introspection that led her to discover her “face as a healthy, happy-go-lucky person who covered up everything that was actually destroying me”; and its successor, Maleducada (2017), recorded in hospital during chemotherapy treatment, the result of understanding disease as a symptom of a scarce or zero emotional education: “Awakening a ‘me’ that was very obedient to being told what to do, always trying to please others at the expense of my own existence.”

Las Fuerzas Almadas is another step in the life game of discovering (yourself): “I don’t believe myself when I force myself to be someone else, I’m a slave to my mind. I’ve learned to be again,” she sings on “Todos Tienen Un Plan”. Dat crosses over atmospheres and genres to create catchy, danceable music with some dark edges. She observes reality like a radiant animal that went away to get to know itself and now knows how all its organs and muscles work, the hormones it produces, the neurons that are activated. “You can’t sneeze with your eyes open but I can recognize a perverse cover-up,” she says in “Ser Humano.” She communicates with cats better than with the “billions of people dancing in the dark,” but all the same she wants to take part in the transformation of the world: “Eradicating violent beliefs is this movement’s mission,” in “El Día Fuera del Tiempo.” A love song for the earth, a call to combat psychological apathy, the inertia of digital communication and reconstruct magical bonds with the everyday. 

“I have a four-year-old daughter. While she’s growing up, I’m taking myself apart. One day she replied to me: ‘I don’t do that because I’m calm.’ We diagnosed her as a ‘calm girl,’ she believes it and acts accordingly. That’s how humanity lives. They declare in some way what we must be: poor, rich, mothers, doctors, losers. This syndrome of prefabricated beings affects us intimately. When do we discover and allow ourselves to be who we are? I want to be that monster that lets the chaos in. The chaos makes me peculiar and random and I allow it. I allow myself to be who I am and change as many times as it takes. If we artists are the historians and the faith healers of our time, this album sets out to take back words lost in mental battles and recover the power over us: the forces that have come with the souls in their hands.”

Dat García’s Las Fuerzas Almadas will be released April 1st 2022

Dat Garcia - Las Fuerzas Almadas

Buy: https://lnk.to/zzksoundvol4 

ZZK Records Presents ZZK Sound Vol. 4 

Born out of an underground Buenos Aires party and first launched in 2008, ZZK Records has spent more than a decade at the forefront of Latin American music, carving out space for artists putting a futuristic (and often electronic) spin on classic rhythms and folklore traditions. Along the way, the label spread across the globe and helped launch a few stars—Nicola Cruz, Chancha Vía Circuito, La Yegros and Son Rompe Pera among them—but ZZK’s search for new artists, sounds and perspectives is never complete.

ZZK Sound Vol. 4 brings together a fresh crop of talent from across Latin America, along with a pair of choice selections from veteran acts Maga Bo (Brazil) and Tremor (Argentina). Compiled by ZZK co-founder DJ Nim—the label’s original A&R (and Chancha Vía Circuito’s older brother), he’d actually taken a five-year hiatus from the project prior to 2020—the compilation’s origins can be traced back to the early days of the pandemic. As the world went into lockdown, he put out a call for submissions, and within three months, he’d received more than 1000 tracks. Nim literally listened to them all, whittling the pile down to his 11 favorites, and after hearing his selections, Grant C. Dull—another ZZK co-founder, who runs the label’s day-to-day operations—couldn’t believe his ears. Nim had done it again. There were no notes, and no changes to the tracklist. ZZK Sound Vol. 4 was quickly put into production.

While previous ZZK Sound compilations were primarily focused on the club, Vol. 4 follows a deeper, more introspective path. It’s not an ambient record—no ZZK release would be complete without drums—but the hypnotic rhythms here are far more concerned with the collective unconscious than the dancefloor. 
Opening with spellbinding tracks from Pawkarmayta and QOQEQA—both hailing from Perú—the compilation immediately exudes a sort of ritual magic, calling upon both African and indigenous musical traditions while tapping into modern electronic music and a uniquely Latin sense of mysticism. Sebuky, a native Ecuadorian currently stationed in Barcelona, adds a bit more low-end heft to the proceedings, and that percussive weight continues through the similarly transportive contributions of Mangle (Colombia), Cruzloma (Ecuador) and Selvagia (Perú/Argentina via México).

Elsewhere, Yoyoyo transforms the cueca music of his native Chile, Akilin enlists American rapper Bomani Armah to help him explore Afro-Venezuelan traditions and Maga Bo’s “Cadê Zé”—the first Brazilian track to ever appear on a ZZK release—is a bass-loaded (albeit undeniably spiritual) banger. Galo Vermelho (Argentina) delivers a polyrhythmic lesson in digital folklore, following in the footsteps of Buenos Aires outfit Tremor—one of the first acts ever signed to ZZK—who close out the compilation with a rousing bit of almost Lynchian revelry.

At this point, few music fans need to be sold on the appeal of Latin music, but ZZK, which has been operating in this sphere since long before the genre became the “next big thing,” is dedicated to the idea that the potency of these sounds extends well beyond the pop charts. Hopping between continents and recontextualizing rhythmic lineages that date back centuries, ZZK Sound Vol. 4 is both an arresting snapshot of Latin America’s electronic avant garde and a thrilling preview of its next wave.

ZZK Sound Vol. 4 will be released on May 20th, 2022 on vinyl and streaming platforms.

Artwork by Anabel Uyana AKA @mofractal https://www.instagram.com/mofractal/
Curated by DJ Nim
Mastered by Matias Parisi

ZZK Sound Vol. 4

ZZK Records Presents Uji’s TIMEBEING 

A prehistoric tribe dances around the fire. Young revelers lose themselves on a packed dancefloor. Explorers fly a rocket toward another galaxy.

In the TIMEBEING universe, these things are all connected. From the earliest days of humanity, people have strived to expand their reality beyond the limitations of the here and now—and have used technology to make it happen. Their methods and machines may have changed across the centuries, but the drive remains constant, vibrating through history and occupying a space where time loses all meaning. “The art of making music is the art of manipulating time,” says Uji. “I have had experiences where time shifts dramatically; sometimes it slows down to a halt, while moments seemingly become infinite. This is where the magic happens. This is when the fabric of what we call reality begins to show its seams.”

An Argentintian electronic producer and ethnomusicologist, Uji has been navigating those seams for more than two decades, initially as one half of the pioneering duo Lulacruza, but more recently with his own solo work. TIMEBEING continues that lineage, but also elevates it, taking shape as a interdisciplinary multimedia journey that includes a new album, an accompanying short film, an immersive live show and the birth of a new decentralized community of like-minded artists, creators, seekers, and dreamers.

Mesmerizing and deeply psychedelic, the TIMEBEING LP certainly reflects the rich sound palette of Latin America—and its intersection with various strains of electronic music—but Uji taps into traditions—both musical and spiritual—that can’t be hemmed in by borders and boundaries. Transcendence is the goal, and the album moves through fantastical spaces that may or may not exist: a metallic jungle, a Balkan spaceship, a cloud that morphs into a tumultuous whirlpool. All the while, Uji criss-crosses history, consulting elders and futurists alike as he throws open the doors of perception and pens a new mythology about what it means to be human.

Some of that mythology takes shape in the TIMEBEING film. Written by Uji himself, the eight-part opus has been brought to life by Jazmin Calcarami, who makes her directorial debut following years of working as an experimental make-up artist with the likes of Björk and Cirque de Soleil. On stage, the transportive TIMEBEING live show is set to premiere at the Artlab Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, where it will be debuted as a part of a weekly residency this spring. More than just a concert, it’s a dazzling theatrical experience, complete with dancers, costume changes, arresting visuals and even an on-stage “ship” (shaped like a mollusk) where Uji himself will perform.

Finding connection in the infinite, TIMEBEING exists without limits or restrictions, its virtual offerings just as important as the physical ones. Those offerings—which will include an exclusive NFT series—won’t come from Uji alone, either. He envisions the TIMEBEING community as a decentralized collective in the true sense of the word, its members united in the creation of new myths and stories that expand the possibilities of human consciousness and existence.

“What we see on the surface, is only that—the surface,” says Uji. “There is so much more. Music is the bridge and the possibilities are limitless.”

TIMEBEING will be released on vinyl and all digital platforms on October 21st 2022

Uji - Timebeing

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: https://lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents 'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes'. 

There’s no denying the power of the drum. It’s primal, it cuts across borders and most importantly, it makes you want to move.

Ghetto Kumbé don’t just understand that—they celebrate it, and it’s why the tambor was at the heart of the Bogotá-based trio’s 2020 self-titled debut album. Rooted in mysticism and the Afro-Caribbean rhythms they’d grown up with all their lives, the critically acclaimed LP thrillingly updated the traditional Latin template, folding in elements of modern hip-hop, house and bass music while also delivering a transportive Afro-futurist vision.

On Clubbing Remixes, that vision has been further amplified, as Ghetto Kumbé—who were already one of Colombia’s most prominent alternative acts—have now gone fully global; enlisting an all-star roster of artists from four different continents, they’ve put together a fresh version of their debut album that’s been specifically geared to the world’s diverse slate of dancefloors. 

As the title implies, the new LP is meant for the club, which is why Ghetto Kumbé have turned to Latin music heavyweights like Trooko—a multiple Grammy winner whose resume includes work with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Residente—and Monte (a.k.a. Bomba Estéreo founder Simón Mejía), along with top-shelf DJs like Nickodemus and Uproot Andy, two NYC artists who’ve spent decades championing Afro-Latin rhythms. True to the LP’s global spirit, the record also includes reworks from batida maestro DJ Firmeza, fellow Afro-Portuguese outfit Studio Bros and Parisian house groovers Les Enfants Sauvages, plus genre-blurring remixes from sonically adventurous Colombians Montoya (himself another ZZK artist) and Cero39.

Even the artwork on Clubbing Remixes is a remix, as Ghetto Kumbé have tapped Uganda’s Denzel Muhumuza to transform the cover of their debut album into a new, explicitly Afro-futuristic illustration. Depicting a strong Black face and glowing neon fauna beneath a sparkling moonlit sky, the fantastical image speaks to both the ritual magic and Afro-indebted heritage of Ghetto Kumbé’s music, and thanks to Clubbing Remixes, the group’s passionate, drum-fueled sounds will soon be blasting out of sound systems around the globe.

'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' will be released on all digital platforms on November 9th 2022, with a double vinyl release to follow on March 31st, 2023.

Ghetto Kumbé - Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes

Buy: https://lnk.to/datgarcialasfuerzasalmadas

Dat García in the house

The musician and producer Dat Garcia, is set to release her third record, Las Fuerzas Almadas on April 1st 2022 via ZZK Records.

Recorded in her studio and hotel rooms on tour, these eleven tracks created with charangos, ronrocos, synthesizers and plenty of vocal effects, reflect the beauty of all that is transformed, from monstrosity understood as honesty, desire, authenticity, the heterogeneous versus the hegemonical. “That place of false comfort of local customs compared to the outer edges where the unique things that truly gratify us live.” It’s a cultural alert that brings new meaning to strength and power, reinterpreting them as the life energy of the movement and transformation.

A constant creator, feeling her way in the dark—she’s also designed costumes, scenographies and scripts for shows—Dat finds meaning in her works as she progresses, “trusting that my process will lead me to a new, unfamiliar place.”

So it is that Las Fuerzas Almadas—a name that came to her in a dream—comes across as a natural but developed consequence of her previous records: the debut Ermitaño Interior (2013) in which she created a work of introspection that led her to discover her “face as a healthy, happy-go-lucky person who covered up everything that was actually destroying me”; and its successor, Maleducada (2017), recorded in hospital during chemotherapy treatment, the result of understanding disease as a symptom of a scarce or zero emotional education: “Awakening a ‘me’ that was very obedient to being told what to do, always trying to please others at the expense of my own existence.”

Las Fuerzas Almadas is another step in the life game of discovering (yourself): “I don’t believe myself when I force myself to be someone else, I’m a slave to my mind. I’ve learned to be again,” she sings on “Todos Tienen Un Plan”. Dat crosses over atmospheres and genres to create catchy, danceable music with some dark edges. She observes reality like a radiant animal that went away to get to know itself and now knows how all its organs and muscles work, the hormones it produces, the neurons that are activated. “You can’t sneeze with your eyes open but I can recognize a perverse cover-up,” she says in “Ser Humano.” She communicates with cats better than with the “billions of people dancing in the dark,” but all the same she wants to take part in the transformation of the world: “Eradicating violent beliefs is this movement’s mission,” in “El Día Fuera del Tiempo.” A love song for the earth, a call to combat psychological apathy, the inertia of digital communication and reconstruct magical bonds with the everyday.

“I have a four-year-old daughter. While she’s growing up, I’m taking myself apart. One day she replied to me: ‘I don’t do that because I’m calm.’ We diagnosed her as a ‘calm girl,’ she believes it and acts accordingly. That’s how humanity lives. They declare in some way what we must be: poor, rich, mothers, doctors, losers. This syndrome of prefabricated beings affects us intimately. When do we discover and allow ourselves to be who we are? I want to be that monster that lets the chaos in. The chaos makes me peculiar and random and I allow it. I allow myself to be who I am and change as many times as it takes. If we artists are the historians and the faith healers of our time, this album sets out to take back words lost in mental battles and recover the power over us: the forces that have come with the souls in their hands.”

Dat García’s Las Fuerzas Almadas will be released April 1st 2022

Las Fuerzas Almadas

Dat Garcia - Todos Tienen Un Plan

Buy: https://lnk.to/zzksoundvol4 

ZZK Records Presents ZZK Sound Vol. 4

Born out of an underground Buenos Aires party and first launched in 2008, ZZK Records has spent more than a decade at the forefront of Latin American music, carving out space for artists putting a futuristic (and often electronic) spin on classic rhythms and folklore traditions. Along the way, the label spread across the globe and helped launch a few stars—Nicola Cruz, Chancha Vía Circuito, La Yegros and Son Rompe Pera among them—but ZZK’s search for new artists, sounds and perspectives is never complete.

ZZK Sound Vol. 4 brings together a fresh crop of talent from across Latin America, along with a pair of choice selections from veteran acts Maga Bo (Brazil) and Tremor (Argentina). Compiled by ZZK co-founder DJ Nim—the label’s original A&R (and Chancha Vía Circuito’s older brother), he’d actually taken a five-year hiatus from the project prior to 2020—the compilation’s origins can be traced back to the early days of the pandemic. As the world went into lockdown, he put out a call for submissions, and within three months, he’d received more than 1000 tracks. Nim literally listened to them all, whittling the pile down to his 11 favorites, and after hearing his selections, Grant C. Dull—another ZZK co-founder, who runs the label’s day-to-day operations—couldn’t believe his ears. Nim had done it again. There were no notes, and no changes to the tracklist. ZZK Sound Vol. 4 was quickly put into production.

While previous ZZK Sound compilations were primarily focused on the club, Vol. 4 follows a deeper, more introspective path. It’s not an ambient record—no ZZK release would be complete without drums—but the hypnotic rhythms here are far more concerned with the collective unconscious than the dancefloor.
Opening with spellbinding tracks from Pawkarmayta and QOQEQA—both hailing from Perú—the compilation immediately exudes a sort of ritual magic, calling upon both African and indigenous musical traditions while tapping into modern electronic music and a uniquely Latin sense of mysticism. Sebuky, a native Ecuadorian currently stationed in Barcelona, adds a bit more low-end heft to the proceedings, and that percussive weight continues through the similarly transportive contributions of Mangle (Colombia), Cruzloma (Ecuador) and Selvagia (Perú/Argentina via México).

Elsewhere, Yoyoyo transforms the cueca music of his native Chile, Akilin enlists American rapper Bomani Armah to help him explore Afro-Venezuelan traditions and Maga Bo’s “Cadê Zé”—the first Brazilian track to ever appear on a ZZK release—is a bass-loaded (albeit undeniably spiritual) banger. Galo Vermelho (Argentina) delivers a polyrhythmic lesson in digital folklore, following in the footsteps of Buenos Aires outfit Tremor—one of the first acts ever signed to ZZK—who close out the compilation with a rousing bit of almost Lynchian revelry.

At this point, few music fans need to be sold on the appeal of Latin music, but ZZK, which has been operating in this sphere since long before the genre became the “next big thing,” is dedicated to the idea that the potency of these sounds extends well beyond the pop charts. Hopping between continents and recontextualizing rhythmic lineages that date back centuries, ZZK Sound Vol. 4 is both an arresting snapshot of Latin America’s electronic avant garde and a thrilling preview of its next wave.

ZZK Sound Vol. 4 will be released on May 20th, 2022 on vinyl and streaming platforms.

Artwork by Anabel Uyana AKA @mofractal https://www.instagram.com/mofractal/
Curated by DJ Nim
Mastered by Matias Parisi

Mangle - Cacerola

Sebuky - A Que No Me Lleva El Alcatraz

QAAQ

Pawkarmayta - QAAQ

ZZK Sound Vol.4

Cruzloma - Brisas feat. Humazapas

The sorceress has returned. Dat Garcia presents “Todo es Conectividad”, the first single from her third album Las Fuerzas Almadas, to be released by ZZK Records in April 2022.

With a contagious and minimalist beat, the song gently immerses the listener in a dark and luminous terrain to the rhythm of synthesizers, deep voices softening the journey. The hypnotic melody opens our eyes and transports us to the charm and creative power of the collective, calling out to the ancestral beginnings of connection. 

Poetry of the body and magical realism; humanity is blinded, a passive observer of a dystopian future. A call to reconnect with community, with nature and with the human creative potential that lets us reinvent ourselves.

Dat says "Todo es Conectividad" (“Everything is connectivity”) is a subliminal spell to awaken minds from the dance, letting frustrations fly and reviving the metaphor of the other. Garcia takes over the listener's senses, positioning herself as one of the most innovative musicians of the moment.

Todo es Conectividad will be released worldwide on October 8, 2021.

Todo es Conectividad

Dat Garcia - Todo Es Conectividad

Uji - Kinto

Uji - Oropo

Uji - Mito

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents Ghetto Kumbé’s ‘Intro (Ghetto Kumbé Remix)’, the sixth single off the upcoming remix album 'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes', out on all digital platforms November 9th, 2022. 

The lone rework provided by Ghetto Kumbé themselves, this version of ‘Intro’ was actually put together by Edgardo Garces aka Guajiro, the group’s singer and producer. Inspired by their live shows and taking cues from the soulful stylings of South African DJ/producer Black Coffee, the remix fortifies the original’s otherworldly warble with more drums and a slinky house groove.

'Intro (Ghetto Kumbé Remix)' will be released on August 20th, 2022.

'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' will be released on all digital platforms on November 9th, 2022.

Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes

Intro (Ghetto Kumbé Remix)

Ghetto Kumbé - Intro (Ghetto Kumbé Remix)

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents Ghetto Kumbé’s ‘Sola (Les Enfants Sauvages Remix)’, the fifth single off the upcoming remix album 'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes', out on all digital platforms November 9th, 2022. 

Easily the most straightforward house number on the album, it comes courtesy of Parisian duo Manu Sauvage (a.k.a. Dubwizer) and Philippe Mineur, who go by the name of Les Enfants Sauvages and worship at the altar of French house legend Laurent Garnier. Traces of Ghetto Kumbé’s Latin rhythms still populate the track, but the song’s bubbling bassline wouldn’t be out of place on a terrace in Ibiza.

'Sola (Les Enfants Sauvages Remix)' will be released on July 20th, 2022.

'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' will be released on all digital platforms on November 9th, 2022

Sola (Les Enfants Sauvages Remix)

Ghetto Kumbé - Sola (Les Enfants Sauvages Remix)

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents Ghetto Kumbé’s ‘Vamo a Dale Duro (Uproot Andy Remix)’, the seventh single off the upcoming remix album 'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes', out on all digital platforms November 9th, 2022. 

With Uproot Andy — a native Canadian and longtime New Yorker who’s one of North America’s most trusted purveyors of global bass—at the helm, 'Vamo a Dale Duro' takes on a distinctly African feel, its airy shuffle leaving plenty of room for the song’s baritone raps and mystic woodwinds to take flight.

‘Vamo a Dale Duro (Uproot Andy Remix)’ will be released on on August 31st, 2022.

'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' will be released on November 9th, 2022 on digital platforms.

Vamo a Dale Duro (Uproot Andy Remix)

Ghetto Kumbé - Vamo a Dale Duro (Uproot Andy Remix)

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents Ghetto Kumbé’s ‘Djabe (Monte Remix)’, the 8th single off the upcoming remix album 'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes', out on all digital platforms November 9th, 2022. 

As the founder of Bomba Estéreo, Simón Mejía has spent more than 15 years expanding the boundaries of Latin pop music, and Monte is his more introspective solo moniker, a project devoted to the natural sounds of his native Colombia. His fuzzy rework of ‘Djabe’ isn’t technically an ambient track—there’s still some bump in its low end—but there’s a lot of serenity (and birdsong) in the song’s quietly triumphant trajectory.  

‘Djabe (Monte Remix)’ will be released on on September 21st, 2022.

'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' will be released on November 9th, 2022.

Djabe (Monte Remix)

Ghetto Kumbé - Djabe (Monte Remix)

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents Ghetto Kumbé’s "Pila Pila (Trooko Remix)", the fourth single off the upcoming remix album "Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes" out on all digital platforms November 9th 2022. 

A native Honduran who’s been based in Los Angeles for more than a decade, Trooko is one of "Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes"’ most celebrated contributors, and the multiple Grammy winner has also delivered one of the LP’s most riotously fun tracks. His version of “Pila Pila” joyously connects the dots between Latin music past, present, and future, infusing “Pila Pila” with razor-sharp trap drums and a feverishly walking bass line that sounds like something from an old Fania record, ultimately landing on something that both your abuela and your TikTok-obsessed little cousin can get down to.

"Pila Pila (Trooko Remix)" will be released on June 29th, 2022.

Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes will be released on November 9th, 2022 on all digital platforms.

Pila Pila (Trooko Remix)

Ghetto Kumbé - Pila Pila (Trooko Remix)

Stream / Download / Pre-order Vinyl: lnk.to/ghettokumbeclubbingremixes

ZZK Records Presents Ghetto Kumbé’s ‘Está Pillao (Studio Bros Remix)’, the second single off the upcoming remix album 'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' out on all digital platforms November 9th 2022. 

One of many acts bringing Angolan rhythms to Portuguese shores, Lisbon duo (and Enchufada affiliates) Studio Bros always bring a silky-smooth sensibility to their productions—their song ‘Kapiro’ was a full-blown anthem a few summers back—and now they’ve completely transformed ‘Está Pillao,’ dialing back the drums while allowing a brassy saxophone to run wild atop the song’s stuttering groove.

‘Está Pillao (Studio Bros Remix)’ will be released on on May 18th 2022

'Ghetto Kumbé Clubbing Remixes' will be released on November 9th 2022 on digital platforms, followed by a Double Vinyl Release out in 2023.

Ghetto Kumbé - Está Pillao (Studio Bros Remix)

Chancha Via Circuito is hitting Europe this Fall and decided to drop a little mixtape for the occasion!  Find him in a city near you!  http://tinyurl.com/ldnoa27

1- Black Mandingo - The Next Black Episode
2- Schlachthofbronx - Slowine
3- My Clika - Sonora remix
4- Dembowsky - Orinoco
5- Cumbia Cosmonauts - Colombia
6- Chancha Via Circuito - Rio Arriba
7- Burro Banton - Ghetto Living remix
8- Dengue Dengue Dengue - Simiolo
9- La Yegros - Ya no llores
10- Totó la Momposina - El Pescador (Uproot Andy remix)
11- Chicken Dippaz - D-Queue (Sharps Edit)
12- La Flauta del Arabe

Mezclado por Chancha Via Circuito

Chancha Via Circuito Mixtape Cumbiero European Tour 2013

Dat García releases “Ser Humano,” the third single from her new record “Las Fuerzas Almadas”, to be released by ZZK Records in April 2022. 

This disturbing mantrap of powerful rhythms combines power and flow with lyrics that reflect on infinite human possibilities. Light and darkness are understood as parts of the same entity, hinting at the line, Choice, that separates them.

This is an animal manifesto. We can’t exist without leaving footprints. Human beings are capable of creating and destroying: the weapon is in our hands, we only have to choose how we use it. The key lies in taking responsibility for our own abilities and their consequences. Trash and feeling. 

With the collaboration of Kyosaku on bass and a special guest in the production, science and spirit blend together to create a delicious balance: the libidinal bases that direct human behavior. What makes people believe that they’re above all living beings?

The culture of human supremacy refuses to be brought down to the status of edible flesh and so they wrap their bodies in hard coffins and burial shrouds to hold back the predators. The terror of being eaten leads us to remove ourselves from the biotic community, dodging the sense of cohabitation among living beings in a shared territory. Humans leave behind natural cycles to become the greatest predators in the history of the planet. 

Dat García comes in strong, introducing a tide of strange voices that gently rock us until we come to an ear-splitting, provocative beat, just as in the video that accompanies the single, where the explicit burns and the hunter is mixed up with the prey. 

“Ser Humano” is out on 10 December 2021 on all platforms.

Ser Humano

Dat Garcia - Ser Humano (feat. Kyosaku)

Dat Garcia presents “Fantaseo”, the fourth single from her new album “Las Fuerzas Almadas” to be released on ZZK Records in April 2022.

In a balanced fusion of hip-hop, pop, and electronica, Dat once again departs from any pure genre, embracing groove with poetic and explicit sentiments, reflecting on the potential of desire and fantasy.

For centuries, pleasure was taboo and fantasy was used as a tool to escape reality. Garcia proposes reconnecting desire with action and movement, so that the imagination modifies and creates a more concrete reality. Fantasy is the tool that leads to the creation and materialization of who we are and what we came to Earth to do.

If desire is the engine of change and creation, “Fantaseo” is a reminder that pleasure begins with oneself. Immersing yourself in self-love and becoming conscious of one’s own body can develop new erogeneities and the confidence to create a new reality. The Great Source is self-knowledge.

Fantaseo

Dat Garcia - Fantaseo

Buy: https://lnk.to/zzksoundvol4 

ZZK Records presents QOQEQA's 'Xi', the 1st single from their upcoming various artist compilation ZZK Sound Vol. 4.

Formerly half of the Animal Chuki duo, Daniel Valle-Riestra has now established himself with his solo project QOQEQA. Hailing from Peru, Valle-Riestra successfully condenses this profound and mysterious track from his retreats into the jungle, dripping with the visions and revelations of a psychedelic experience.

The composition is a dance between light and darkness, as playful elements such as wood claves flit through the stereo field, contrasting with the melancholic song of the violins. Under these and the tensed-skin drums we hear the voices of an isolated Amazonian tribe, joyful at the reencounter with family members they believed dead.
 
Xi will be released on March 4th 2022 with accompanying music video.

ZZK Sound Vol. 4 is out on vinyl and all digital platforms May 20th 2022.

Artwork by Anabel Uyana AKA @mofractal https://www.instagram.com/mofractal/
Curated by DJ Nim
Mastered by Matias Parisi

QOQEQA - Xi

ZZK Records  presents “Burka”, the fifth single from Dat Garcia’s new record “Las Fuerzas Almadas”, to be released April 1st 2022.

Fusing music from the Middle East, electronica and hip-hop, “Burka” is a conceptual song in which Dat García plays with raw and direct rap lyrics, expressing a feeling widespread throughout Latin America.

The use of the burka has historically been a political act, from its enforcement to oppress bodies to its use as a symbol to assert rights. Femininities are unleashing the strength built up over centuries of oppression and holding up this symbol as a flag representing the struggle for their freedoms and for the women who are no longer here.

Dat García wants to put a stop to collective apathy, increasingly accentuating the activist side of her musical repertoire. Her songs speak of the violation of human, environmental and political rights, and the discrimination against anything different in general and against women and dissidences in particular.

This single is accompanied by a video in which Dat portrays a woman crucified on a stage, wearing a burka, her whole body covered by the garment except her mouth, with which she tells her story. She takes this main element that Islam uses to hide women as oppressive religious symbolism, with deep respect for those who choose to wear a headscarf, as Simone de Beauvoir did, making it the symbol of their struggle. This work is an exegesis of how religions have been the instruction manual for snuffing out women’s strength and creating patriarchal societies without respect for individual rights, while humanity passively observes, criticizes and comments but does nothing to change it.

“Burka” is out on March 4th 2022 worldwide.

Burka

Dat Garcia - Burka

Karen Y Los Remedios - Tu Felicidad

Uji - Truenatruena

Uji - QuemaQuema (feat. Nyaruach)

Karen Y Los Remedios - Canario(Vinyl Bonus Track)

Karen Y Los Remedios - Presagio (Vinyl Bonus Track)

Energia Natural (feat Dengue Dengue Dengue & Runin Suy)

While creating an original cumbia soundtrack for a boxing documentary, collaborating on new material, and working on his Remolido project with Lido Pimienta, el Remolón has been creating remixes for global dancefloors. This fall El Remolón digs back into Argentina's past to remix the legendary folklore star Mercedes Sosa's version of "Guitarra Dimelo Tú" , interpreting the original song by Atahualpa Yupanqui.
More coming soon...

Mientras prepara lo que es la banda sonora en formato cumbia incidental para un documental de boxeo, acomoda el material que fue realizando con varios colaboradores, ajusta los temas de su proyecto Remolido junto a Lido Pimienta y pule algunos remixes aptos para las pistas de baile globales, el otoño de Buenos Aires pone a El Remolón introspectivo y nos regala un remix de una joyita de la folklorista argentina Mercedes Sosa, fallecida en 2009, interpretando un tema de Atahualpa Yupanqui. Pronto más novedades...

http://zzkrecords.com/artist/El_Remolon


Mercedes Sosa - Guitarra Dimelo Tu (El Remolon Remix)

Go Buy Luzmila Carpio Meets ZZK:
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/luzmilaremixed
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/album/Luzmila_Carpio_Meets_ZZK 
➜ Bandcamp: https://zzkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/luzmila-carpio-meets-zzk
➜ iTunes: hyperurl.co/m6pjum

Watch on YouTube:
➜https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4puoVGx62n4&list=PL97ISVilOoYAtLanUD-vdjDgI82UvDUm3

“…And all of a sudden, as the sun set on a Sunday, I felt the song of a bird, an extraordinary beautiful song.  You can believe me or not.  And it said to me:  Look, listen to Luzmila singing to the mothers, her songs of Bolivia…  We’re all irreplaceable, we’re unique, even though we are alone; the song protects us, it comes from wherever it comes and it rests in the soul, like this time with Luzmila…”  - Mercedes Sosa

Luzmila Carpio Meets ZZK		

Timeless songs meet digital vanguard in a cosmic explosion of LatAm beauty.
At the crossroads of the traditional and the modern, the folkloric and the futuristic, herein lies ZZK Records.
ZZK is incredibly honored and excited to announce the release of the Luzmila Carpio meets ZZK EP. Honored because we’ve had the opportunity to work with the most famous indigenous singer on the South American continent. Excited because the collaboration turned out really beautiful.  
Born in Qala-Qala, Potosi, Bolivia, Luzmila has been singing since the mid 1960’s of her homeland, of the Pachamama, of nature and her people in Quechua, a language thought to be more than 2,000 years old. The power of her stories transcends the boundaries of language; even without understanding the words, the listener can feel its beauty. Sit back and take a trip with Luzmila, remixed by some of the most innovative and creative producers experimenting with the new Latin music genre today.

"... The voice of Luzmila Carpio awakens the supernatural world of the Andes mountains...she is the heiress of an ancestral art…"  - Le Nouveau Quotidien, Switzerland

Almost Musique and Squirrel Thing Recordings are pleased to announce the international release of Luzmila Carpio's "Yuyay Jap'Ina Tapes," the source material behind this ZZK remix EP. 17 original Quechua songs by this singular voice from Bolivia.  Available worldwide on CD and double LP later this year.  It’s available now on digital and CD on Almost Musique. 





Amaotayku Avelino Sinani (El Buho Remix)

ZZK Records Presents Poliphone: Tremor´s new single
Poliphone: A Cosmic Chacarera—If Such a Genre Existed

Tremor returns with its counter-current nomadic spirit and tireless exploration of disparate landscapes. With the addition of Alex Musatov on violin and synthetic arrangements, the Argentine band reinvents itself, delivering a fresh new work to revitalize South America's electronic music scene.

A fusion of harps, theremins, whammy-infused guitars, 8-bit arpeggiators, and metallophones creates a psychedelic soundscape, anchored by Carabajal’s bombo legüero, keeping Poliphone grounded despite its cosmic reach.
Beyond its warmth, the track’s experimentation also lies in its structure. We could say that "content is form." Even the arrangement of its chords is, at times, altered from the traditional 4/4, creating a sense of unpredictability in the first part of the song. This blend of elements results in a chiaroscuro of sensitivity, epic intensity, psychedelia and strangeness, making Poliphone a unique milestone in the exploration of South American folklore.

With Takuy, their new album, Tremor reaffirms its signature sound—one that thrives on fusing supposed opposites. Constantly redefining their vision of mestizaje, they craft a sonic blend of industrial elements, electronica, creole psychedelia and deep explorations of Argentine folklore. They are inhabitants of chaos, masters of creating a hybrid sound that defies classification.

Tremor - Poliphone

Nicola Cruz - Prender el Alma 

Go Buy Prender el Alma:
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/album/Prender_El_Alma 
➜ Bandcamp: https://zzkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/prender-el-alma
➜ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/prender-el-alma 

Watch the Music Video for ‘Colibria’:
➜ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRV90c_uWpQ  
Watch the Live Music Video of 'Colibria':
➜ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRugQvbt2J8   
Watch the album playlist on YouTube:
➜ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg-nB2MqvXA&list=PL97ISVilOoYBg9X0DZDInNe6ZUBvWvbmC


Following his collaboration with Nicolas Jaar's Clown & Sunset label, Cruz has self-produced and self-recorded this landmark album. 

‘Prender el Alma’ is a new strain of Latin American music Cruz calls ‘Andes Step’. Influenced by new digital technology, blended with local influence, Cruz builds his tracks layer by layer, instrument by instrument, drum by drum, exploring local indigenous and Afro-cosmologies in a modern setting. 

From atmospheric opener ‘Sanacion’, the 10-track album journeys through short, sharp acoustic guitar riffs on ‘Puente Roto’ and the percussive ‘La Mirada’, to the electronic ‘Prender el Alma’. Down-beat ‘Equinoccio’ gets a vocal kick from Ecuadorian singer Huaira, ending with the blissful, lo-fi ‘Cocha Runa’ featuring Tanya Sanchez. ‘Prender el Alma’ ebbs and flows through a range of production of local sounds, feeling like a digital awakening.

This digital revolution is spreading through Latin America like wildfire, and nowhere is this more exciting than in the heart of the continent's bustling music scene, where Nicola Cruz is leading the way. 

Led by forward-thinking young producers and musicians, Ecuador is beginning to experience its own digital folklore revolution.  A new crop of producers and musicians are using homeland traditions and rhythms to build on a vibrant history of visual and sonic art, catapulting them into the 21st century.

ZZK are at the forefront of this burgeoning music scene. With artists such as Frikstailers, La Yegros, El Remolon and Chancha Via Circuito, they are defining a new and exciting Latin American music culture.

Tracklisting:
1. Sanacion
2. Puente Roto
3. La Mirada
4. Cumbia Del Olvido
5. Prender El Alma
6. Colibiria
7. La Cosecha
8. Equinoccio feat. Huaira
9. Eclipse
10. Cocha Runa feat. Tanya Sanchez






Nicola Cruz - Colibria

Nicola Cruz - Cumbia Del Olvido

Nicola Cruz - Sanacion

Ch'uwa yaku kawsaypuni (Nicola Cruz Remix)

Tarpuricusum Sarata (Captain Planet Remix)

El Buho goes in deep for the release of Luzmila Carpio Meets ZZK EP.  

Tracklist:
1- Luzmila Carpio - Uqhumanta
2- Luzmila Carpio - Arawi
3- Luzmila Carpio - Amaotayku Avelino Sinani  (El Remolon Remix)
4- Luzmila Carpio - Ch'uwa yaku kawsaypuni (Nicola Cruz Remix)
5- Luzmila Carpio - Amaotayku Avelino Sinani (El Buho Remix)
6- Luzmila Carpio - Tarpuricusum Sarata (King Coya Remix)
7- Luzmila Carpio - Tarpuricusum Sarata (El Buho Unofficial Edit)
8 - Luzmila Carpio - Tarpuricusum Sarata (Captain Planet Remix)
9 - Luzmila Carpio - Warmikuna yupay-chasqapuni kasunchik  (Tremor Remix)
10 - Luzmila Carpio - Qalay qalay
11 - Luzmila Carpio - Amaotayku Avelino Sinani  (Chancha Via Circuito Lullaby Remix)

More about Luzmila Carpio Meets ZZK EP:
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/luzmilaremixed
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/album/Luzmila_Carpio_Meets_ZZK 
Support the EP (Go BUY it!)
➜ Bandcamp: https://zzkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/luzmila-carpio-meets-zzk
➜ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/luzmila-carpio-remixed-luzmila/id963132003 

The EP on YouTube:
➜https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4puoVGx62n4&list=PL97ISVilOoYAtLanUD-vdjDgI82UvDUm3

Listen to the EP on Soundcloud:
➜ https://soundcloud.com/zzkrecords/sets/luzmila-carpio-meets-zzk

ZZK Mixtape Vol 20 - Luzmila Carpio Remixed

ZZK Records Presents Nuevos Ríos: “Sumba Ale”

A journey through the Afro-Colombian Pacific and beyond

From the banks of the Timbiquí River to the dancefloors of the world, Nuevos Ríos emerges as a new force in Latin music. Their debut single, “Sumba Ale,” is a luminous celebration of Afro-descendant rhythms and everyday beauty—an invitation to move, to dream, to connect.

Following in the footsteps of Ondatrópica, Sidestepper, and Quantic, Nuevos Ríos offers a successful reinterpretation of Afro-Colombian music through an innovative, global lens. From the very first notes, “Sumba Ale” transports us to the lush Pacific coast of Colombia, where voices, marimba, guasá, and percussion intertwine with electric guitar, bass, and keyboards. The result is an irresistible groove—ancestral yet futuristic, raw yet refined—that captures the pulse of the river and the soul of its people.

Nuevos Ríos is the meeting of two musical worlds: Canalón de Timbiquí, led by the unmistakable voice of Nidia Góngora (Quantic, Ondatrópica, The Bongo Hop), and the Toulouse-based trio Reco Reco, known for their trance-inducing explorations of South American rhythms. Together, they build a bridge between...  more
lyrics
Vengo de nuevo les voy a contar
Todo lo lindo de mi litoral
Donde la gente sabe sonreir
De noche y de dia y disfruta cantar
Y se ve plateado el horizonte
Cuando veo las olas en el río salpicar
Y batiendo el viento, las hojas de la chonta
El placer me invade y me hace sonrojar (bis)

Coro
Sumba ale ale ale sumba ale mi litoral

Van por el río lancha e pescadores
Que con chinchorros combaten el mar
Suben y bajan potrillos piangueros
Que su faena en estero han de dar
Y se ve que ya cae la tarde
Y las garzas suben adornan el arenal
También veo volar las golondrinas en el cielo
Y a lo lejos ya se oculta el sol lalala

Coro
Ouuuoooo

Ouuuoooo

Hoy lindo litoral ooo
Hay timbiquiiii de mis amores
Ooo ooo oo eee mi litoral
Ale Ale mi litoral


(P) KLAKSON & ZZK RECORDS    
(C) BRUIT ROSE PUBLISHING & ZZK RECORDS

Sumba Ale

Mi Gran Dolor (Jiony Remix)

Te Pido A Ti (Dan Solo Remix)

Tu Felicidad (El Keamo Remix)

Las Muchachas (Tonga Conga Remix)

Lagrimas (V. Orihuela MSS Remix)

Cartas Marinas (Real Suabidad Remix)

Flama Eterna (Estacion Sub Tropico Remix)

Cop this RN https://zzkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/colibria

Watch the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRV90c_uWpQ

Watch the live video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRugQvbt2J8

More Nicola Cruz http://zzkrecords.com/artist/Nicola_Cruz



Ecuadorian producer Nicola Cruz released his debut album ‘Prender el Alma’. Like we do here at ZZK, with each release we put out a corresponding free mixtape. ‘Prender el Alma’ is a new strain of Latin American music Cruz calls ‘Andes Step’. Influenced by new digital technology, exploring local indigenous and Afro-cosmologies in a modern setting, we’re proud to present our 22nd mixtape, a piece of ridiculous hot fire from Nicola Cruz. 

Track List:

	1.	Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto - Maria Sola Dub
	2.	Flako - Twelve O'Clock Shadow
	3.	Praah - Chamada
	4.	UFe - Cumbiamor
	5.	Dubagroova - Phantom Drone (Pata de Perro Rmx)
	6.	Stephen Marley, Capleton & Sizzla   - Rock Stone
	7.	Gaby Kerpel y Balvina Ramos - Linda Flor
	8.	Paloma del Cerro - Nos Habla el Maiz Remix (Nicola Cruz Remix) 
	9.	Nicola Cruz - Colibria (History of Colour Remix)
	10.	Grupo Naidy - El Botellon (Nicola Cruz Remix)
	11.	Flako - Kuku
	12.	IFE - 3 Mujeres (Iború Iboya Ibosheshé)
	13.	Sunlightsquare - Ochosi (Jose Marquez Mix)
	14.	EVHA - UIU (Nicola Cruz Remix)
	15.	Caribou - Mars
	16.	Nicola Cruz - Puente Roto (Siete Catorce Remix)

Go Buy Prender el Alma:
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/prenderelalma
➜ http://zzkrecords.com/album/Prender_El_Alma 
➜ Bandcamp: https://zzkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/prender-el-alma
➜ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/prender-el-alma 

Listen on Soundcloud:
➜ https://soundcloud.com/zzkrecords/sets/nicola-cruz-prender-el-alma

Watch the Music Video for ‘Colibria’:
➜ www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRV90c_uWpQ  
Watch the Live Music Video of 'Colibria':
➜ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRugQvbt2J8   
Watch the album playlist on YouTube:
➜ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg-nB2MqvXA&list=PL97ISVilOoYBg9X0DZDInNe6ZUBvWvbmC

ZZK Mixtape Vol. 22 - Nicola Cruz

06 - Fauna - Hongo x Hongo

Buy: http://tinyurl.com/gu9tbr9
http://smarturl.it/NC-Remixed-IT

Nicola Cruz is releasing the remixed version of his critically acclaimed 2015 album, Prender el Alma.  It will be released on June 10th on ZZK Records, and features remixes by 12 artists including label-mates History of Colour (El Buho & Barrio Lindo), Chancha Via Circuito, and sister label-mate EVHA.  

Inspired by electronic music techniques and local Andean music and culture, Cruz created the original sounds in Prender el Alma layer by layer, instrument by instrument, drum by drum.  A cast of eclectic Latin American artists seamlessly pick up where Nicola left off, adding their unique flavor to each individual track.

La Mirada (Umoja Remix)

Colibria (Ninze & Thomash Remix)

Following the release of her album Maleducada, Dat García brings together a group of Argentine artists specializing in mixing folklore and electronica for the first volume of remixes that ZZK Records will be releasing on October 13, giving some of the songs a parallel life. This compilation brings together remixes by six musicians and producers of select tracks from the record, which already marries styles as diverse as chacarera and trip hop. Another twist of the screw for the outstanding musical universe that Dat builds, full of Latin American rhythms in the digital melting pot. With this display of musical expression, it isn’t strange to find in these remixes a vast display of ideas taking new sound atmospheres; from ritual-psychedelic (“Canción de bañar la luna”) by Buenos Aires newcomer Pato Smink to a slow-burning 7 minute dance floor scorcher (Maleducada) by digital cumbia stalwart El Remolon, to the most frenetic and irresistible dance beats (“Anfibio”) by the Frikstailers new project Klik & Frik. A true sign that the digital folklore movement in Argentina is showing no sign of slowing down.

Maleducada Remixes Vol.1

Dat Garcia - Anfibio (Klik & Frik Remix)

Chancha Via Circuito's new album, Rio Arriba is an exploratory voyage beyond time and borders.  

Only available in Argentina, for now. 

Catch Chancha all summer long on the ZZK Northern Hemisphere tour!  http://www.zzkrecords.com/zizektour

Miriam Garcia & Alicia Solans - Pintar el Sol (Chancha Via Circuito remix)

“A profound journey through rhythm and musical anthropology. On top of that: it’s danceable!” 
- Billboard Argentina

Uji’s years of traveling as an ethnomusicological globetrotter and documentarian are the deep roots that give form to his music. There is a story underlying every beat, echoing the unique cultural expressions encountered through his personal experiences.  

La Descarriá is a manifesto about freedom, specifically relating to the struggles of women and how they are often judged unfairly by society. The original track was written by Argentine vocalist Corina Lawrence, produced by Uji, and also features the provocative Buenos Aires rapper Miss Bolivia. Uji decided to put another spin on the original production for his solo album, giving the song a newfound dance floor groove. In La Descarriá, Uji paints an audio landscape that takes you to the high plains of Bolivia, pairing it  with a Tarantino style guitar riff and then brings you to a banging 808 inspired club beat.

In order to create the music video, Uji used archival footage that he filmed over the years while immersed in South America researching its rich musical and cultural heritage. In the “La Descarriá” video we find images from traditional festivities and rituals in which music plays an important role and shows Latin America’s deep rooted syncretism and amalgamation of influences. Images in the video shift from scenes from La Quebrada de Humahuaca’s Andean carnival in the north of Argentina to Montevideo’s Afro-Uruguayan Candombe llamadas, from the Pim Pim dances from the Wichi people on Argentina’s border with Bolivia; to the Afro-Peruvian festivities in Chincha, among others. 

“Having immersed myself so deeply into the heart of Latin America has been a life-changing experience. What I saw and heard during those intense journeys is now embedded in all the music I create. There is a real struggle for cultural diversity to survive and since these travels I’ve made it my personal mission to try and show the world how rich this continent and its people really are.”

Corina Lawrence - La Descarria feat. Miss Bolivia (Uji Remix)

Pre-Order the forthcoming album 'Siku' by Nicola Cruz:

https://nicolacruz.lnk.to/siku
 
An interest in ancestral Latin American cosmology has always run right through the music of Ecuadorian music producer Nicola Cruz. 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. His first record, Prender el Alma (2015) explored the development of the consciousness and spirituality, and how they connect with music. In Siku, his most recent production, Cruz continues this exploration, expanding his vision towards new stories and other cultures as sources of inspiration. A crucial aspect on this journey is his collaboration with other artists from around the world. 
 
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. 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. That duality is reflected on this record in the coming together of sounds, whether electronic or organic, past or present, local or global. On Siku, Nicola Cruz combines instruments with symbolic, spiritual connotations, such as the sitar, the siku, and the balafon with hints of electronica. Studies of the samba, cumbia and rhythms of African, Andean and Hindu origin are combined with Cruz’s characteristically unpredictable, mystical style. 
 
The dual element is also reflected in the recording process for Siku, a record made on the road, in different cities, and above all, with a lot of voices and hands working together. During his tours of different countries, Cruz took interest in trying out new instruments and harmonies. This led to the possibility of collaborating with other artists in a creative exchange in which music was the common language. “Criançada”, recorded with Brazilian singer and poet Castello Branco, is a playful and subtle experimentation with samba rhythms. “Voz de las Montañas”  features the Minük duo and the result is evocative of a ritualistic, healing chant. “Esu Enia” is influenced by touches of African balafon by Marcio Pinto, a Portuguese musician who Cruz met in Lisbon. Mauricio Vicencio and his sons Julio and Pablo, of Ecuadorian origin and members of the Altiplano group, collaborated on various tracks on the album. 
 
Released by the ZZK Records label, Siku is a journey through different influences, rhythms and instruments that have stood the test of time. Nicola Cruz brings them organically into the present, without losing sight of the context and origins of his sources of inspiration. Far from being a fusion or what is commonly catalogued as world music, this is a dual dynamic where the ancestral flows together with the contemporary to make a potent brew. 

Siete, the first single off the new album, drops October 23rd.

Percusión: Pablo Vicencio
Sitar:  Julio Vicencio
Bansuri: Mauro Vicencio

Composición, Mezcla y Producción por Nicolá Cruz.
Mastering: Mathieu Savenay

Siku

Siete

Nicola Cruz - Siete

An interest in ancestral Latin American cosmology has always run right through the music of Ecuadorian music producer Nicola Cruz. 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. His first record, Prender el Alma (2015) explored the development of the consciousness and spirituality, and how they connect with music. In Siku, his most recent production, Cruz continues this exploration, expanding his vision towards new stories and other cultures as sources of inspiration. A crucial aspect on this journey is his collaboration with other artists from around the world.

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. 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. That duality is reflected on this record in the coming together of sounds, whether electronic or organic, past or present, local or global. On Siku, Nicola Cruz combines instruments with symbolic, spiritual connotations, such as the sitar, the siku, and the balafon with hints of electronica. Studies of the samba, cumbia and rhythms of African, Andean and Hindu origin are combined with Cruz’s characteristically unpredictable, mystical style.

Composición, Mezcla y Producción por Nicolá Cruz. 
Mastering: Mathieu Savenay

Voz, Guitarra y Letra: Castello Branco
Bajo: Felipe Torquato
Percusión: Otavio Bontempo
Segunda Guitarra: Francisco Loureiro
Grabación: Renato Navarro 

Dirección de Arte: Orly Anan 
Fotografia: Jesus Zabala 
Diseño: Ventral is Golden

Nicola Cruz- Criançada (con Castello Branco)

Download/Stream: https://montoya.lnk.to/soloquiero

The lead single from Montoya's debut ZZK album “Solo Quiero” deploys a languid reggaeton pattern beneath Bogota rising star Pedrina’s distorted, wilting croon anticipating a euphoric synthesizer-lead climax. 

Montoya, who grew up in Colombia and now resides in Italy, entered music as a classically trained violinist. He’s keen to stress his gratitude for this adolescent education, not only in how it exposed revealed whole new worlds of music, but permitted him travel places and sample different cultures from a young age, including playing at such renowned orchestra theaters as Gran Teatro de La Habana in Cuba and the Musikverein in Vienna. This classical upbringing naturally informed his inclusive, and methodically exacting, attitude to songwriting and production. 

He eventually joined Fabrica, a “cultural subversion center” based in Treviso, Italy, which he explains as providing the creative framework for him to experiment with art, photography, film and design; evidently apprising the cinematic qualities of his music.

The pan-international musicality of his Montoya project is rooted in the musical diaspora of his native Colombia. This diaspora is vast; indigenous folk music hailing from Amazonian and Andean tribes; the cosmopolitan synthesis of modern reggaeton and traditional salsa taking place in Bogota and Medellin, and the Afro-Caribbean stylings of Cumbia and Champeta. Fusing the multi-layered precision of his classical education, his innate curiosity for Latin and “world” music, and affection for melodic electronica; his discography is at once ambitious and comfortingly familiar, as desirous of a catchy harmony as conceptual melding of Latin folk and modern electronics.

Solo Quiero

Montoya - Solo Quiero ft. Pedrina

Vinyl/Download/Stream:

https://nicolacruz.lnk.to/siku-reworks

Nicola Cruz re-visits his second album 'Siku', released earlier this year to widespread acclaim, with ‘Siku Reworks’. The release provides the listener with another perspective on the ‘Siku’ domain, one envisioned in different corners of the world; Argentina, the UK, and Japan to name a few.  In an effort to unlink the original material, Cruz has selected producers to re-work a designated song on 'Siku' according to their own style. Additionally, Cruz has chosen to re-record two tracks whose live versions have stuck with him throughout a year of constant touring.

   ‘Siku Reworks’ invokes a psychedelic view of the original material, Hermetics (R&S) provides deep atmospherics with his take on 'Obsidiana' and Nicola offers an acid-merengue-infused live version of 'Señor de las Piedras' alongside an infectious and club-ready re-work of live favourite 'Siete'. In some ways it's hard to define Nicola's sound, shaped by years of global touring, and every track here is unique and succeeds in breaking from the usual electronic music format in captivating fashion.

Siku Reworks

Nicola Cruz - Okami (Peter Power Remix)

Nicola Cruz - Arka (El Buho Remix)

Buy: https://montoya.lnk.to/otuntheremixes

In 2019 Montoya released his 3rd album ‘Otun’ on ZZK Records. His blend of Afro-Colombian Rhythms and electronic beats (featuring vocalists Pedrina and Quantic collaborator Nidia Gongora) found support from the likes of Branko, Nubya Garcia, Papaoul, and many a dancefloor that came out to see him on tour.

Montoya is a classically trained violinist who moved from Colombia to Italy in 2001 where he joined Fabrica, a “cultural subversion center”, and experimented with arts and music. His fresh take on Colombian sounds pricked up the ears of contemporaries and soon he was asked to remix Nicola Cruz, Matanza and others. 

To borrow some words from DJ Mag, “from Colombia to Treviso via music. Montoya is surely one of the most interesting musicians on the scene”.  Montoya has now invited some of his friends, from Treviso to Colombia, to put their spin on his music. 

Chilean DJ Raff was an architect of the hip-hop scene in Chile and his ‘Latino & Proud’ track was used as the theme tune for Comedy Central’s award winning Broad City.  Since moving to London his electronic productions have gained support from Tom Ravenscroft and Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music) and others .  Having recently released music on Dengue Dengue Dengue’s new label, DJ Raff now turns ‘Solo Quiero’ into a sun drenched summer anthem.  

Clap! Clap! has developed his own inimitable style which has seen him gain support from Paul Simon, Gilles Peterson, Future Music Magazine and a raft of others. Montoya recently remixed Clap! Clap!’s ‘Rising Fire’ and now Clap! Clap! dials up the bass and marimba on Montoya’s ‘Pasillo’.

Barcelona based Baiuca has been making a name for himself with his unique vision of traditional folk music from Galicia reshaped with club orientated electronics. His take on ‘Otun’ gives it a deep bouncy and propulsive bass line punctuated with Nidia Gongora’s hypnotic vocals. 

Kenyan field recording and experimental sound artist KMRU, who received recognition from the likes of Resident Advisor for his delicate works, has put his distinct ambient touch on ‘Perla’.  

Lorenzo BITW, Cornelius Doctor, and Delaunay offer up their experimental versions and Joaquin Cornejo revisits ‘Solo Quiero’ with an ethereal blissed out mix.

Otun Remixes

Solo Quiero ft. Pedrina (Joaquin Cornejo Remix)

Montoya - Solo Quiero (Joaquin Cornejo Remix)

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