- rodrigo y gabriela -

Isn't it the best when you discover something cool by accident?

Well I came across this name (well, these names) when I was listening to Seb's podcast.

Rodrigo y Gabriela.
They're a mexican duo that has settled in Ireland. Their music is to entertain and is flamenco in essense, with riff-based sounds paying homage to south spanish influences.

Here's part of a review from BBC that saves me from making up crap about it:

To the unattuned ear, flamenco can seem jarring, discordant and depressing, an unnerving combination of guitar in staccato mode and voices given over to sudden spasms of passion.

As an upbeat, ultra-accessible alternative, Rodrigo and Gabriela play a melodious riff-based sound influenced by the lamentations of southern Spain but not restricted to - or really rooted in - them. Instead, they aim to entertain, delight and make feet tap. Like the music of virtuoso guitar giants José Feliciano and Paco de Lucia, this is picking for performance, with some impressive, impossibly fast fretwork and lots of mutual, competitive emoting. Their live show went down a storm at WOMAD this year and the hooks are as addictive as they are seductive - R&G appeal way beyond the usual World Music specialist circuit.

They have released a studio record called Re-Foc, but their live recordings, such as Live in Manchester and Dublin, are much more uninhibited and eclectic.

Here's an iTunes link to their two albums for a taste:



Go to their website and a few tracks are free for download. 'Mr Tang' was the one I heard on Seb's podcast. It's very pleasantly pacey :) Enjoy~~~

P.S. Seb, can you please link me to the jazz podcast where I got this from?