美国国家公共电台 NPR Nicola Cruz Merges Electronic And Folk Music With The Use Of Cave Acoustics

 

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "SIETE")

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Our next guest is one of the most well-known electronic musicians in South America.

NICOLA CRUZ: I'm Nicola Cruz. I'm a musician based in Ecuador. I mainly focus on electronic music, kind of mixing the folklore¹ and roots from around South America.

SIMON: He creates vivid soundscapes using various instruments, including wood flutes², percussions and small guitars.

CRUZ: Living in a place like Ecuador, it just feels natural. You know, all around folklore and roots are quite present. You know, you turn on the radio and you listen to folkloric³ music.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "SANACION")

CRUZ: It came to a point where I was making techno music with I guess a faster BPM, and I decided⁴ to slow down and, you know, investigate, like, music from here, never thinking about, like, what would sell or whatever, you know? And it got to a point where I created this song called "Sanacion," which opens "Prender El Alma."

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "SANACION")

CRUZ: And that really made me take a step back and realize what what I was doing. And, like, it really felt magical. It felt powerful.

SIMON: Nicola Cruz released the song "Sanacion" on his first album four years ago. Now he's out with his second project called "Siku."

CRUZ: "Siku" is a reference to an wind instrument here from the Andes, but at the same time, "Siku" means - well, it's, like, an Andean tradition, which means playing in pairs, not necessarily playing, like, in the physical form but really being connected with one another while playing.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "SIKU")

CRUZ: I tried to be as experimental as possible. You know, I feel that's one of the things we can take advantage of in electronic music.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "ARKA")

CRUZ: At the same time, in lots of other songs, I like to record outside of a conventional studio or space where things can be a bit more chaotic⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "ARKA")

CRUZ: So "Arka" was recorded in these caves in a volcano near me. It's not an active volcano but pretty much all the mountains around here were once a volcano. And "Arka" is done in collaboration⁶ with Esteban Valdivia. And he does such a great job in - I don't like the word rescuing but at the same time, he - that's what he does, pre-Columbian instruments, and he's a master at playing those.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "ARKA")

CRUZ: We always wanted to do a song together. And so we thought, like, these caves, which are near our homes, was the perfect place to experiment. So we got together, just the two of us. I set up some microphones, started experimenting with the space. Those caves have quite a vibe. So it really puts you in a nice, nice mood to be creative, you know.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "SENOR DE LAS PIEDRAS")

CRUZ: Do I change the perception of pop music here in Latin America? Well, I hope so, you know? I really - at least I know I'm doing my music, you know, with quality and intention. So, yeah, I really hope it gets heard, and it replaces our concept of, you know, popular music - enough reggaeton (laughter). No, I like reggaeton.

(SOUNDBITE OF NICOLA CRUZ'S "SENOR DE LAS PIEDRAS")

1 folklore   

n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

2 flutes   

长笛( flute的名词复数 )； 细长香槟杯（形似长笛）

参考例句：

• The melody is then taken up by the flutes. 接着由长笛奏主旋律。
• These flutes have 6open holes and a lovely bright sound. 笛子有6个吹气孔，奏出的声音响亮清脆。

3 folkloric   

adj.民间传说的；民俗的

参考例句：

• In the rush to go folkloric watch out for collision of cultures. 在民俗化的热潮中，要提防不同文化的冲突。
• Lunch blowout beside the pool, accompanied by folkloric dancing (Vanity Fair) . 盛大的午餐在游泳池边进行，还有民族舞蹈助兴（名利场）。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

6 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。