Urkumanda is a band led by Ati Cachimuel, Kichwa musician from Otavalo. This project was born with the purpose of investigating and reinterpreting the traditional music of the Andes. The constant search to reflect a current sound of the Andean has led this band to experiment with different formats of instrumentation, as well as to summon members of different musical tendencies and different ethnicities of Ecuador. In this way, Urkumanda represents an ancient culture that transcends and adapts over time, using music as a tool for social transformation.
Kapak Raymi is a traditional rhythm from the Imbabura province of Ecuador. In the Andean region, there are four important festivities that are celebrated during the year in relation to the agricultural calendar. Within these festivities, in the month of December, the Kapak Raymi is celebrated as a way of thanking and receiving the first shoots of the corn plants that were planted in the Killa Raymi. There are several types of rhythms for the celebration of this festival in the Andean area of Ecuador, the most relevant of the Kichwa Saraguro people.