3 minute read
Mexi-musicians
ENSEMBLE de MEXICO
The three members of the Fibonacci Ensemble come from the culturally rich heritage of Mexico City, but Airdrie is their home now.
Their music is a mix of baroque, classical, opera and pop infused with Latin overtones, making these longtime friends a unique addition to Airdrie’s diverse music scene — but their story has a twist.
“We moved here about a year ago,” explains Marko Cipaktli, who has a bachelor’s degree in music production and audio engineering from Mexico’s Universidad de la Musica, and is the group’s percussionist. “We love the people and love playing for them.”
The trio’s classically trained singer Pat Cuikani is a graduate of the Diocesan Superior School of Sacred Music of Toluca and has Grade 5 music theory from the Royal School of Music. Completing the group is concert violinist José Trinidad, also a graduate of Toluca as well as the Music Conservatory of Mexico.
Cuikani says Fibonacci was formed out of a desire to meld their musical passions with their Mexican folk roots. Trinidad, with translation help from Cuikani, agrees: “It is passion for music, all music, that brings us together.”
This love of music is seen in their YouTube videos where popular works they perform are influenced by a rhythmic Latin heritage, which adds a fresh take on well-known hits such as Maurice Ravel’s Bolero or David Guetta’s Titanium.
“We decided to come here to Canada and do the same here,” Cuikani says.
However, the Fibonacci Ensemble was not what brought the group to Canada; it was — and here’s the twist — a head-banging and guitar-driven side project, Cabrakaän, their heavy metal band. For this act, the trio swap long coat tails and Cuikani’s black performance gown for leather jackets, a double bass drum and effects-driven violin and guitars. They skillfully combine a high decibel-laden music form with pre-Hispanic and folkloric traditions easily carried by Cuikani’s clear soprano vocals.
“This was the main reason we came to Canada,” Cipaktli explains.
One of the band’s guitarists, Paolo Belmar, was studying music in Edmonton, so when they decided to tour Western Canada in 2018, he joined them. Appreciation for the band by Canadian audiences led to them considering immigrating, something Belmar’s stepfather, who owns a music production company, helped them with.
One of the band’s original songs, Calm in my Storm, which they’ve released on YouTube as a teaser for an upcoming full-length album, is an example of the band’s sound. With emphatic drumming from Cipaktli, and Trinidad’s sweeping violin soaring over it all, Cuikani delivers the lyrics about a mysterious stranger with the decisive power of her operatic voice.
“We have a history and culture from Mexico, and we can’t help but mix it into what we write and perform,” Cipaktli says.
The two faces of this group are as unique as they are similar. As Fibonacci Ensemble, they add their own touch to the covers they perform for weddings, corporate events, Latin festivals, and, until COVID-19, a regular gig at Ferraro Truly Italian Restaurant in Airdrie.
As Cabrakaän, they compose and write in a musical form considerably different from the other, Cipaktli says, but they do both for the love of music.
“As musicians, we are perfectionists, so it takes some time to get what we want … but we do it together.”
While the pandemic has put plans for a European tour for their heavy metal persona on hold, they remain active — composing, recording and teaching online music classes.
“There’s been such a great response from people. They really seem to appreciate what we’re doing,” Cipaktli says. life FALL 2020 | airdrielife.com 17
