ZZK Records Presents: Cruzloma’s Plegaria

Plegaria (Prayer) is the first single from Cruzloma's EP "Mitos y Ritos" (Myths and Rituals). This song creates a bridge between "bambuco," a traditional music genre from the province of Esmeraldas, located on the northern coast of Ecuador and electronic music, specifically Latin club.

The single is presented as a timeless collaboration, perhaps imagined, with a singer who would have already passed away by the time Plegaria was created. Inspired by Catalina Quintero's singing, both by her melodies and her lyrics, the track was built around an acapella sample of her voice. The original song can be found under the name 'Amigo - MI Amigo' (Friend - My Friend), on the album 'Marimba Magia' by Papá Roncón and Katanga. Bambuco has a strong presence in this album, inspiring the connection that Cruzloma expands upon, bringing their own interpretation of the genre into the equation through a blend of its rhythmic elements with those of dembow.

In Plegaria, Quintero's voice, processed with autotune, sings a poem to her beloved friend, who is represented in the video by the love and religious devotion characteristic of the Catholic faith. The track alludes to the relationship between rituals and prayers, where prayers are presented both as petitions and promises.

Cruzloma represents a quest for reconciliation with local musical languages from their position as Ecuadorian producers influenced by genres such as reggae and electronic music, and in the case of Plegaria, by dembow and club. This reconciliation appears during the creation of this track through not only a rhythmic focus on bambuco but also an instrumental one. The bambuco, as a musical genre, presents different variations throughout Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Bambuco in its Afro-Esmeraldean version is what influences the rhythms in Plegaria. Diego Zurita, an Afro-Ecuadorian percussionist specialized in the rhythms of the region, appears on the track having recorded instruments native to the Andean Pacific coast. On one side, there is the cununo, a conical drum made of wood with a membrane on the wider end, played with both hands. This is complemented by the guasá, a shaker made of bamboo or guadua cane, filled with seeds of achira and maize.

By blending these sounds with bass frequencies characteristic of electronic club music, a fusion of folk and contemporary elements is created, characterizing the sound of this EP. Plegaria takes us to a place of nostalgia that later lifts us up with a dynamic flute melody, which opposes and, in that way, complements the melancholic mood of the vocals. With these folkloric and contemporary elements, with this deep nostalgia that nonetheless encourages us to dance with its energetic rhythm, Plegaria presents itself as an emotional club track, shedding light on the "Bambow," an original fusion of bambuco and dembow.

Listen/Pre-Save/Pre-Order https://lnk.to/cruzlomamitosyritos