(photographs courtesy of www.ojosdebrujo.com)
You can hear and feel the soul and vitality
on the streets of Barcelona in every song on Bari, the
latest release from “Ojos de Brujo”. A recording for
our times, it brings a taste of the melting pot/cultural fusion
of modern Spain to every track – brimming with energy and
the consciousness of today… the mix representative of a
culture defying definition, yet embracing many traditions. The
group have said “this music is possible because we are possible..”
and Bari certainly proves that it is.
Ojos de Brujo, whose name translates to "Eyes
of the Wizard" released a debut album a couple of years ago,
Vengue, but with a new vocalist and a stronger base in
flamenco, Bari’s distinctive flavour pushes the
group’s experimentation further into new territory, in many
ways a new beginning for them.
"Bari” makes reference to a word in “Calo",
the Gypsy (Roma) dialect of Spain, used to describe the magic
that sometimes occurs at points in our lives, when everything
is flowing perfectly. Xavi Turull, the group's percussionist,
explains: "Barí is a word that Ramon (guitarist),
who's Gypsy, picked up from his grandmother. It's kind of like
the feeling that everything in life is working right. That everything
feels good."
And indeed it does all work on this magical musical venture. The
group demonstrates a mastery of, and respect for flamenco's roots,
while moving confidently into strong hip hop elements, some subtle
electronica and even rock. However, the backbone comes from the
pillars of flamenco; tango, buleria, rumba, zambra and solea.
Based in Barcelona, Ojos de Brujo are positioned perfectly to
absorb the melange of influences and the immediacy of life in
the city. When one strolls its streets, one sees Africans drumming,
gypsies dancing flamenco, Cubans playing rumba, Colombians and
salsa, beatboxing Israeli buskers, artists painting the sidewalks,
the hot beaches, the swinging jazz bars, Gaudi buildings.
Says Xavi, "We live in Barcelona and we live strong –
always out in the streets, so we've always lived rumba catalana
and flamenco puro really strongly. But when Marina (vocalist)
came into the group, we became even more focused on the flamenco.
Our roots got stronger and we became more confident when we experimented
with other styles. We became more solid – more of a band."
When touring, the band are sometimes a loose collective, but the
core members Ramon, Marina, Xavi.... come from a strong flamenco
culture and pay deep respect to their roots on every track. However,
they don’t claim to be purist flamencos. They have said
that this music, as with all the music they play, has influenced
their lives from within and so are expressing it in their manner
- that flamenco is nobody’s property – it is as much
an individual phenomenon as a social one – and they are
an extension, a new generation building on the movement established
by groups like Ketama and Jorge Pardo.
Vocalist Marina La Canillas has said, "It's nothing forced.
The key is that the fusion is in every one of us; it's not a formula
or seeking anything specific. It happens in someone like me who
has always been a flamenquita, who has played the rumba in the
park in my neighborhood, but I also liked hip hop, hard core,
reggae... I have a lot of influences and so does Ramón.
I think that our music is possible because we are possible."
Ojos de Brujo sing about finding identity in a "mundo perdi'o"
(a world lost), about finding joy and a positive vision of life
alongside injustices and hard times. The first track after the
pure flamenco intro, "Tiempo de Solea" begins, "Voy
por la calle" (I walk along the street ...listening... the
future on every corner) it is steeped in flamenco but introduces
us to the sounds they will explore throughout the recording, "un
poquito flamenkillo", rap and hip-hop, a hint of rock and
rumba catalan.On track 2 "Ventilaor R-80" scratches
provide an uneasy edginess over the rumba and the longing of solid
flamenco guitar and wailing vocals.
"Naita" leans more to the traditional
with beautiful melodies and harmonies. Electronica comes into
"Quien Engana No Gana", along with tabla beats and rap
with palmitas. The vocals also stunning on "Ley de Gravidad"
and "Memorias Perdias" (which sounds like an intro on
the berimbau, underscored by tabla). "Tanguillo de Maria"
begins with a rumba and moves into a flourishing flamenco. "Zambra"
segues effortlessly and naturally from flamenco to hip hop to
tango. Funk underscores buleria on “Buleria de Ay!”,
and Indian tabla breaks adorn "Cale Bari". The mix wraps
up with a cajon jam on "Accion Reaccion, Repercusion"
and two remixes, "Tahita K Lorro Mix" and "Tanguillo
de Maria".
In the end, the mixture of genres, or the styles of experimentation
don’t matter, the fact is that this album is full of really
good songs. If you like one track you’ll like the entire
album. This one you must go out and get. Cristina Dio
