Sept 2007
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MyScene: BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain: Where the Music Never Stops Welcome to Barcelona, where history is still alive, and the music scene is more than fresh. Located in the Catalonian district, the culture & language here is distinctively different from the rest of Spain – not unlike the divide between French & English in Quebec, Canada. It was the 1992 Olympics that transformed Barcelona from a quiet ancient city with breathtaking architecture on the Mediterranean to the booming tourist attraction & music scene that it is today. Although Barcelona’s commotion has only been stirring for little more than a decade and a half, it has done a whole ton of stirring. Today, Barcelona is filled with probably the craziest nightlife you’ll ever experience from nightclubs, (or how they say out here “discotecas),” bars, beaches (also known as: playas), and music venues. Here in my first installment I’ll introduce you to some of the artists making noise here & that will soon be popping up on your television (or computer) screen. Ojos de Brujo, (translation: Sorcerer Eyes), is a unique, eight-person band that has been part of the scene here since the late 1990s. Their music blends interesting rhythms - a mix of Hip-Hop and the infamous Spanish Flamenco. With a smooth guitar sound and the reminders of Flamenco, make sure to look into this band at www.Ojosdebrujo.com, or even better, try to catch one of the shows if you ever make your way to the land of Europa this year! The multi-lingual Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao), is another senior member of the Barcelona scene – a must hear talent whose mix of indie Rock, Folk, Punk & Reggae make the crowds (and me) want to sing and dance like no one else is watching. Sometimes credited as Oscar Tramor, he has had several international releases & though he’s still not well known in Los Estados Unidos, was well received at this year’s Coachella Festival in Indio, California. Many of his songs have appeared in Film & TV (in the USA Drew Carey’s Green Screen show & the film, Real Women Have Curves). His songs have been covered & sampled by many artists including Robbie Williams, Lily Allen (his tune Bongo Bong in the hands of a Pakaistani DJ became a anti-war hot dance hit called ‘President of the Bongos). So wherever your location is, even if it has to be through the Internet, it is strongly recommended that you check out his music – his new album, “La Radiolina,” has recently hit stores worldwide so once you are done checking out his internet vibe, it is almost sure that you will want to purchase his one of a kind masterpiece of music. Barcelona is the place to be if one wants to discover what a true melting pot of cultures is like. So as I mark my first two- week period of living in Barcelona, with months to go, I look forward to discovering more artists and more of this vibrant scene. So open your mind, and your ears to the new music of the world that is being born and taking places miles away from your stomping grounds. Welcome to the real world, and by that, I mean the whole world. Adios from Barcelona, Spain mis amigos! While attending UC Newport Beach in Orange County, Jackie Rudpolph, a lover of all things musical, soaked up more than just the So Cal sun. She absorbed the inner workings of major labels by interning at The Militia Group Record Label, Interscope, Geffen, A&M and Sony BMG. While hitting the books during a current semester abroad in Barcelona, Rudolph sticks to her active industry roots by continuing to write for |
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