OJOS DE BRUJO. PREMIÈRE OF ‘TECHARÍ’ IN MADRID

A sense of showmanship

Àlex D’Averc. Madrid, 9th March 2006

With a project drawing on truly diverse elements, which takes flamenco-based rhythms and builds them into funk, reggae, hip-hop and even heavy metal-based songs, Ojos de Brujo has managed to keep ther style from slipping into vagueness, with a sound that has a tangible personality all on its own. A sound that's distinctly theirs, in spite of its inherent variety. And with it they've built up a devout following, selling out the Madrid concert to launch their new album. The attitude and the togetherness of the group on stage isn't likely to have disappointed them.

Marina la Canillas (Photo: Arturo Ariza)

And bear in mind that the acoustics of the venue, La Riviera, weren't working to their advantage. Many tracks from ‘Techarí’ have a rich, layered musical structure that lost some of its detail and was difficult to hear clearly due to rather poor sound quality. And that's not to mention the unintelligible lyrics or the flat sound of Marina la Canillas's normally richly-hued voice. On the other hand, though, the live set gave the new songs a greater forcefulness and vigor than there is on the album.

The concert began with verve, and it was striking to hear how much tracks that were finalized just three weeks ago have evolved already. The tropical overtones of ‘Respira’, the bulería kidnapped by percussion and funky basslines which is ‘Color’, and the rumba ‘Sultanas de Merkadillo’ flowed like molten lava, with all of their instrumental components in perfect harmony, served up as a single robust, powerful unit. In fact you get the feeling that the rhythm section and its flair for adding weight to the compositions has been exceptional on this tour. They were to thank for some of the most intense moments of the evening, with a bassist that had the audience hooked with his monkey business on the now classic ‘Naíta’, and with a few highly effective changes, allowing a transition from the most melodic passages to the most syncopated of pieces. This latest category, though - where the group owes most to hip-hop - couldn't really be appreciated at its best owing to the sound problems. The lyrics, the use of two voices and the DJ accompaniment took on a featureless, monolithic aspect which ended up sounding repetitive.

But with their talent and determination, Ojos de Brujo managed to pull it off. They had the loyalty of their followers on their side, whose number, devotion and familiarity with the album speak volumes of the dimension that the Ojos de Brujo phenomenon has taken on, and were also exceptional in their stage performance. At La Riviera it was clear that they've reached a pinnacle in this artform. Because perhaps the most revealing facet of their current show is seeing how they articulate this vivid ocean of ideas, disciplines and concepts that they put into action: music, dance, visuals and the gypsy aesthetics that are their main trademark. The achievement of ‘Techarí’ is that the whole leaves you with a feeling far superior to the sum of its parts. And whilst there's a danger of a certain amount of dilution and fragmentation occasionally – the last part of the concert seemed more frayed at the edges and lacking in steam - the overall impression is that the band is moving forward together, and that they've found a harmonious balance of their different rates of activity, without making compromises in terms of accessibility, freshness and easygoing approach to all the genres they play. Perhaps it's never before been so clear to Ojos de Brujo that their greatest and most enjoyable virtue is a truly unique and full sense of showmanship.

Ojos de Brujo (Photos: Arturo Ariza)

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