Alejandra Ortiz and Luis Maurette of Lulacruza make beautiful music together.
An electronic-folk outfit hailing from Colombia and Argentina currently living in Buenos Aires, they formed in 2005 after meeting at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Their gentle, heartfelt songs are deeply rooted in South American ritual and folklore, one that’s realized by using South American instruments, found sounds and field recordings which they manipulate through the use of electronics.
Veterans who have performed in over 50 cities in five countries (they’ve played notable music festivals such as Lightning in a Bottle, Beloved, Decibel and Chicago World Music Festival), an invitation from SubPop Records founder Bruce Pavitt to record at a state-of-the-art studio on Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest informed Lulacruza’s upcoming fourth album, Orcas, which is one of their most intimate releases to date.
We’re pleased to world premiere the duo’s “Comandante” from the breathtaking and highly meditative album about love and nature, which was recorded, mixed and mastered by Vance Galloway (Nicolas Jaar).
“The paramo (high wetlands), another place in Colombia, is where ‘Comandante’ comes from,” says Lulacruza’s Alejandra Ortiz. “It talks about the powerful winds that command the clouds bringing the rain. I was walking through the paramo one day when strong winds came, and I could see how crucial they were in bringing the heavy rain clouds. To me, this force of the wind is akin to masculine strength. I feel it’s this elemental force that brought the song.”
Lulacruza’s Orcas is released via Jumpsuit Records on April 14, 2015. Watch their recently released visual album shot in Colombia, Esperando el Tsunami, directed by the renowned French film director here.