Ojos de Brujo

Spain has a badly spotted history of mistreating "outsiders," but the country's music is heavily influenced by these same groups. Even Spain's signature music, flamenco, sprang from persecuted Gypsy, Jewish and Moorish communities. Three recent releases demonstrate the beauty created by this once-feared diversity.

Since the 1970s, when Paco de Lucía began fusing flamenco with jazz and rock, one wing of the genre has broken free of its traditional moorings, while staying respectful of its origins. After a spectacular U.S. debut in 2002, the Barcelona-based collective Ojos de Brujo returns with Techarí, which again pulls in a variety of styles - most obviously flamenco and hip-hop. But like all the bands I'm writing about today, Ojos de Brujo (Eyes of the Warlock) is not easily pigeonholed.(...)

Techarí, on "Six Degrees," lacks some of the excitement of "Bari," but is still a vibrant brew. This time around, the group is joined by guest artists, including flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela and Asian Underground leader Nitin Sawhney, but the draw here is still the group's unique sound. Heavily percussive, the band uses palmas or handclaps, the South American box- like drum called the cajon, the Indian dhol drum and handfuls of turntable scratching.

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Techarí - Ojos de Brujo

The latest recording by Ojos de Brujo, one of the hottest world music bands, provides more of their cutting edge sound. The Spanish band has found a successful formula that is attracting worldwide attention. The group combines flamenco beats with Catalan rumba, turntablism, hip hop and sounds from many other nations thanks to the participation of numerous high profile guests.

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Ojos de Brujo in London

Towards the end of Ojos de Brujo's exhilarating two-hour show, the keyboardist, speed-rapper and translator DJ Panko told the non-Spanish half of the audience that the singer Marina had said something to the effect that "Tanguillo de Maria" "is very, very happy song for you". That could have applied to virtually any of the Barcelona band's relentless set. Many of their songs are overtly political, but the vibe is always up.

Marina, with her locks bound tight in an orange head-wrap, antique clothes and scarlet feather boa, looked like the Rastafarian offspring of Frida Kahlo. She ran around the stage, singing every song with the same throaty intensity.

Her melodies have a Spanish heart of darkness, but then an Arabic twist or Indian flourish lifts them to another level. She was flanked by two flamenco guitarists, a drummer, two percussionists and a bass player, plus any number of bit players, including a male flamenco dancer. The musicians gave the impression of racing each other to the end of each song, rather than simply playing it.

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Fiebre, Radio Tarifa

To coin a cliché: if there wasn'ta group like Radio Tarifa already, you would have to invent one. The affinities between North African and Spanish gypsy music are so overt as not to need any sophisticated World MusicPR exercise in product placement. The similarities just scream out at you when you listen to traditional airs like "Jota Bereber" or the wonderful version of Tarifa's self-composed classic from the album of the same name,"Cruzando el Rio".

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Spanish flamenco cantaor Juan Peña, 'El Lebrijano' and Moroccan violinist Faiçal Kourrich record Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Madrid, January 9 - (El Mundo)
Spanish flamenco cantaor Juan Peña, 'El Lebrijano' and Moroccan violinist Faiçal Kourrich plan to record an album based on texts by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Juan Peña took his inspiration from texts of 'El coronel no tiene quien le escriba', 'Cien años de soledad' and, from the short story book 'La increíble y triste historia de la cándida Eréndira y su abuela desalmada'.
The two musicians will start recording next February.

Flamenco Hip Hop group Ojos de Brujo presents new album

Madrid, January 9 - (El Mundo)
Flamenco Hip Hop group Ojos de Brujo presented their third album "Techarí" in a concert in Logroño.
The album will be released in February 20.