Lulacruza

Biography

www.lulacruza.com pensarbonito@gmail.com ((White-light rainforest songdrone)) Alejandra Ortiz and Luis Maurette, aka Lulacruza, are an experimental folk duo from Colombia and Argentina. At the junction of the hypermodern and the ancient, Lulacruza weaves together female vocals, South American instruments, found sound objects, field recordings, and electronic manipulation. The result is electronic-folk music unfolding with nymph-like vocals, aquatic textures, and up-tempo, handcrafted South Ame...

www.lulacruza.com
pensarbonito@gmail.com

((White-light rainforest songdrone))

Alejandra Ortiz and Luis Maurette, aka Lulacruza, are an experimental folk duo from Colombia and Argentina. At the junction of the hypermodern and the ancient, Lulacruza weaves together female vocals, South American instruments, found sound objects, field recordings, and electronic manipulation. The result is electronic-folk music unfolding with nymph-like vocals, aquatic textures, and up-tempo, handcrafted South American rhythms.

Alejandra Ortiz: voice, cuatro, shruti box, tar and kalimba
Luis Maurette: percussion, charango, Amazonian flutes, electronic processing and sequencing

For their live sets, Lulacruza uses Max/MSP and Ableton Live to process, loop and sample acoustic instruments and to trigger pre-recorded sounds. Treating sound as a malleable material, Lulacruza employs texture, timbre, rhythm and tempo to imitate the synchronicity of nature’s cycles while creating their own organic soundspaces. Their contemplative music explores the relationships among human beings, and between humans and nature.

“For Luis Maurette and Alejandra Ortiz, music is a test of the human spirit, of nature, and of ephemeral concepts of reality. Through live drumming and digitally altered hooks, the group manages to create a sound that challenges what we expect from contemporary music.”
—San Francisco Bay Guardian (USA)

“What is the result of musically crossbreeding a Colombian songstress with a pristine voice and an Argentine gifted for instrumentation: Lulacruza, a pleasant rarity. This hard to classify duo recovers Latin American musicality with a modern sense for sumptuous pop. A delicate blend of untamed nature dialoguing with new technologies. It is a cornerstone in the musical DNA of Latin America.”
—Revista Veintitres (Argentina)

“Lulacruza segues from intimate songcraft to experimental settings with preternatural ease. The group’s instrumental palette is kaleidoscopic with found sounds, field recordings, and electronics enriched by bombo, tar, maracón, tiple, and cajón. Still, as much as the group impresses on other fronts, the strongest weapon in Lulacruza's arsenal is Ortiz's voice, an instrument of marvelous versatility and tonal colour.”
—Textura.org (Canada)

"Luis & songstress Alejandra evoke the sound of a sampler plugging into a 100 year old tree in the rainforest with a mini-stereo mic catching the raindrops from leaves & mixed skillfully with the sultry vocal styling (quite sexy, might I add) of Alejandra as if she were a forest spirit playing in the morning dew.
—Soghnup.com (USA)


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