flamenco

The video for Techno Flamenco, an original composition written and performed by Ricardo Griego.

If you want to hear some music that’s really original, you could do a lot worse than checking out Ojos De Brujo’s wonderfully syncopated, flamenco-influenced Techarí.

Ojos De Brujo (Eyes of the Wizard) is a Barcelona-based world fusion group, with eight members that play everything from flamenco guitar to tablas to turntables. Guest on the release include Faada Freddy from the Senegalese hip-hop collective Daara J, Indian fusioneers Prithpal Rajput and Nitin Sawhney, Cuban pianist Roberto Carcàsses, flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela and Spanish vocalist Martirio.

My Spanish isn’t good enough to follow along with the lyrics, but Marina Abad’s vocals are striking and powerful. She’s equally at home singing melodically, with punk intensity or rhythmically chanting. The instrumentalists are equally amazing – tight and unpredictable.

Best of all, you never know where the songs are going. Ojos De Brujo stop on a dime, shift gears and get their freak on without getting self-indulgent with their fusion. No matter what they do, it keeps your attention. Read more…

MusikMesse: EastWest introduced Quantum Leap Gypsy, a collection of detailed virtual instruments aimed at film, TV and game composers. The nylon string guitar, violin and trombone can play in both gypsy and classical styles.

“All of the guitars were sampled with up and down strokes, many velocities and picking styles, various picking angles, release trails, chords and effects,” states Quantum Leap Gypsy producer Nick Phoenix. “Gypsy’s guitars, played by top Los Angeles session guitarist David Kole, simply have to be heard to be believed.”

The violin and trombone feature many articulations, repetitions and even true legato intervals. The trombone in Quantum Leap Gypsy was recorded in EASTWEST Studio 1 (formerly United-Western Studios) in Hollywood California, referred to by many engineers as “the best brass room on the planet.”

The accordions feature multiple setups, all with air flow in and out samples as well as expressive samples, chords and left-hand bass. True to its name, Gypsy also features a gypsy percussion program and extensive flamenco dancers’ foot stomps, as well as traditional castanets. Read more…