Canary Island native El Guincho landed at Le Poisson Rouge on July 7th. You can stream the entire set right here.
Before You Press Play
Hometown: Barcelona, Spain
The Facts: El Guincho (nee Pablo Díaz-Reixa) is a sample-happy sound collagist, singer, and percussionist. His irresistible 2008 debut “Alegranza!” used music solely from island nations (such as his native Canary Islands). Now, living in Barcelona, this young writer, film buff and amateur ethnomusicologist has turned his attention to tweaking the classic Latin American songbook.
The Sound: No sound under the sun is safe from this omnivorous music fan’s rampant sampling: Looped snippets from Jamaica and Madagascar; refracted Afrobeat, Tropicália and indie rock; nature sounds, city noises and sunny harmonies. It’s no wonder El Guincho cites the late-J. Dilla, his hip-hop equivalent, as a major influence. On his new “Piratas de Sudamérica” E.P., however, the focus shifts to interpretations of classic Latin American songs. Though still warm and warped, the 27-year old has mostly dispensed with the stacks of samples and frenetic tempos. At his recent Le Poisson Rouge show rather than performing solo as he did on his last tour he brought Extraperlo’s Aleix Clavera (bass) and Borja Rosal (guitar) to help fill out the sound.
Latest Release: Piratas de Sudamérica E.P., Young Turks/XL
He Said, She Said: "After 15 minutes of talking about Dilla and Guinean label Sylliphone and how focused Dr Dre was when NWA first dropped, I’m outclassed when he starts talking about Frank Sinatra’s use of spring reverb. The conversation drifts from Milton Nascimiento (Zeus in El Guincho’s Pantheon) to calypso king Mighty Sparrow…It’s odd to meet a musician so energetic about other people’s music. -- Jace Clayton (a.k.a. DJ Rupture), The Fader
"Alegranza! does two things that often appear separately in records you fall in love with, but rarely together: On the one hand, it reminds you of so much other music you love, and on the other, it sounds little like any of them." -- Tim Finney, Pitchfork
Set List:
Kalise
Bombay
Lycra Mistral
Costa Paraiso
FM Tan Sexy
Palmitos Park
Novias
Cuando Maravilla Fui
Verbena de los Delfines
Antillas
Soca del Eclipse