One of our highlights at this year’s Envision Festival was a performance from South American electro-folk duo Lulacruza . Guided by late Fest300 co-founder, Art Gimbel, we journeyed on a side adventure to an unbelievable location he had found for a small concert: the Nauyaca waterfalls near Dominical. We had over 40 people join us on the intimate adventure, and we surprised everyone with a magical performance by Lulacruza who brought several Latin American instruments down to the waterfall including a charango, cuatro, and bombo leguero, and sang songs from their then-unreleased album, Orcas .

The experience was reminiscent of the band's recently released visual album directed by renowned French film director, Vincent Moon, called Esperando el Tsunami. In it they perform at sacred sites and powerful nature locales throughout Colombia.

If you haven’t heard of Lulacruza, add them to your list of must-see acts. Hailing from Colombia and Argentina, the duo’s South American rhythms are mixed with stirring, ethereal vocals and a fusion of electronic and folk that strikes just the right balance of intimate and hypnotic.

The duo’s unique synthesis of musical styles felt right at home at Envision Festival. In addition to performing at the waterfall, Lulacruza played two stellar performances, opening the festival on the surreal and majestic Jaguar stage, and again performing on the Luna stage. This short film, directed by Jeramey Johnson, captures their shows and thoughts on performing at Envision.

Since Envision, Orcas has been released. A handcrafted celebration of South American rituals and folklore, the album's avant garde, folk sound in all its vibrations and acoustic capabilities is at times mystical, and other times earthly. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by sound engineer Vance Galloway (noted for his work with Nicolas Jaar). It was released on The Polish Ambassador’s boutique label, Jumpsuit Records.

Be sure to catch Lulacruza on tour in the U.S. this summer – a rare opportunity to catch the band perform outside of South America! Look for them at ARISE Festival, Cascadia NW Arts and Music Festival, Beloved Festival, Enchanted Forest Gathering, and more. The rest of their dates are here. Orcas is available for purchase here as a name-your-own-price download and can be streamed on Soundcloud:

Connect with Lulacruza: SoundCloud | Website | Facebook | YouTube