“I feel like we should be eating tapas”, New-Mrs-Gnomepants said to me during the research part for today’s album.
Of all world music, I find Spanish, specifically Flamenco music, the most dynamic, passionate and hauntological. My first introduction to classical guitar music and flamenco came from the time in my early to mid-twenties when I used to go round to a friends house and chat shite.
I’d met Min, a keen guitarist, when I was doing A Level music at Liverpool Community College in the nineties. We had similar interests and would frequently hangout to listen to music together. Sometimes Min would practice or show off his guitar skills and frequently this would include renditions of Asturias (Albania) and Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Tarrega) which would please me no end.
Further to this, I think Spanish food is possibly the best cuisine there is in the world, especially tapas. So when I began entertaining guests in my suburban hacienda I would endeavour to recreate Spanish food such as paella and gambas pil-pil while setting the scene by providing a Spanish theme musically, which certainly helped with the presentation and the taste.
El Duende Flamenco is an album of traditional flamenco music played by leading flamenco artist, Paco de Lucia who died last year. Four minutes into the album, if you’re not stood in the middle of the room clapping your hands rhythmically, or swirling an imaginary skirt like a flamenco dancer, then there’s something wrong with you. I love this stuff it’s sharp, neatly timed and perfect. Not like the sickly margarine of modern music, which is manufactured, well greased and bad for your health in large doses.
Stegzy's Music Project 