Yurgaki Ruhrpott Projekt
GBJA Bigband Dortmund
Yurgaki - Portaluppi Live
An exploration of electronic resources and free improvisation in one of the first moments that the confinement measures gave a little space in the city of Barcelona. An experiment that gave us unexpected results.
Yurgaki in Montornes
Joaquín Garavaglia (GT) and his family generously opened the space for this musical reunion.
Participated: Andrés Portaluppi (DR), Jorge Antunez (PC), David Jácome (SX), Juan Finger (BS), Nico Yurgaki (V,KB)
Video: Elena Tilli
Thanks to Mechi, Paula, Gaby, Bruno
Yurgaki Reflejo Recording
Video: Elena Tilli
Fabrica Imbabura
Yurgaki presents the Currulao song El Medicamento at Fabrica Imbabura, in Cotacaxi Equador
Interview at Yurgaki
Interview at Imbabura TV during the Tour in Equador to present the new album and the new band
Bundemente
Yurgaki on Tour
Yurgaki is ready for the next upcoming adventure. The 6 musicians, guided by Nicolas Cristancho are ready to fly to the other side of the world to share the ´vibraciones ferales´ together with the public of Equador. The group will begin in Guayaquil and will touch 5 different cities, giving concerts, workshops and spreading good musical vibes.
Yurgaki Promo
Festival Centro
Yurgaki for the press
En Orbita Interview
Discography
Nicolás Cristancho -Yurgaki- is part of the new Colombian music movement.
Composer and multi-instrumentalist, specialized in jazz and Afro-Caribbean music. Sound designer for theater and performing arts. Explores the traditional sounds of the Colombian coasts and Cuban music.
Nicolás first came into contact with music when his mother, the percussionist Bertha Quintero, rehearsed at home with the salsa orchestra she led when he was very young. In 1999, he went to Cuba to study sight-reading and composition with teachers Elvira Fuentes and Tulio Peramo. He obtained a double degree in jazz piano at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and at the Escuela Superior de Música de Catauña, Spain, where he reconnected with his father, who was also a musician – Macabí.
Founder and leader of the music group Yurgaki, he has adopted various formats such as duo, trio, quartet, quintet, and band.
Nicolás Yurgaki bears the surname of his great-grandfather, a Lebanese-Syrian immigrant who came to the coasts of the North Pacific in Colombia at the beginning of the 20th century because of the gold and platinum fever.
Nicolás Yurgaki’s music blends sounds from the Colombian Caribbean and the Pacific with contemporary and urban expressions from other countries, taking jazz language to search for a common sound, bringing together music from different origins trying to be aware of the dynamic process of cultural identities.
His music has a personal stamp that expresses a multicultural richness, as can be heard in his productions: “Tres Nuevas formas de Respirar Bajo el Agua” and “Pacífico”.
Nicolas, who lives in Germany, is co-founder of the theater collective Cistifellea together with director and set designer Elena Tilli, where he works as a sound designer, performer, and author. His practice of improvisation and his emphatic approach during the process offer unique possibilities.
He loves to play with what audience participation can offer to sound by developing specific tools for interaction and building customized instruments on a small scale. Nicolas allows himself a full-scale exploration that together with his wide versatility as a musician and composer, opens up a high level of complexity that translates into a beautiful, inspiring, and sometimes provocative experience for the public.
Shows
2024
Upcoming Shows
August 31 – Hafenspaziergang Dortmund, Germany
September 7- Viva Fest, Dietrich König Haus, Dortmund, Germany
Past Shows
March 19 – Icesi University Cali, Colombia
March 21– Instituto Popular de Cultura Cali, Colombia
March-April (Several Dates) El Fantasma Bogotá, Colombia
June 21-Speicher 100 Dortmund, Germany
2023
January 14th – El Finestral Cali, Colombia
January 15th – Sonora Cali, Colombia
June 16th 17th Theater im Depot Dortmund, Germany
August 23th U Sbarrazu Rogliano, France
October 9th Domicil Dortmund, Germany