Electronic music producer from Quito, bent on rescuing local identity and mixing folkloric elements with underground electronic beats, is back with a enchanting new EP “Cantos de Visión”.

Tzantza is a ritualistic process from the amazonian Shuar Tribe, in which an enemy’s head was shrunken through a process which traditionally involved the skinning of the skull, followed by sewing and boiling of the skin, which shrunk it by approximately half its size.

The result was often kept as a talisman or a war trophy, with the belief that, through this process, the spirit of the deceased would not return to exact revenge.

While certainly not quite as gruesome, the sound palette that Nicola Cruz uses to bring the ritual to our ears certainly help you imagine the ceremonious ambiance in which these ceremonies were carried in, with a somewhat sparse soundscape of marimbas accompanying the relentless electronic beats that carry the tune.

“Tzantza” is the lead track off “Cantos de Visión“, a four track EP released in January through the Multi-Culti label. The three other tracks are similarly scorching dancefloor tunes, and the whole EP is certainly a joy to listen to, make sure to check it out along with its accompanying remixes.

Stream “Cantos de Visión” EP on Bandcamp.

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Photo: Hanna Quevedo

Nicola Cruz on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, www.