Customer Reviews

Bari

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am glad that I heard this disc before I had it described to me. The phrase "Flamenco Hip Hop" would not have made me rush out to buy this, I must admit. However, I am very glad I had no opportunity to succumb to such prejudices. This music is fresh, exhilarating and successful.

Tiempo de Soleá kicks off the album as a true statement of their style -- driving, swirling beats and a wild mesh of new and traditional sounds. Often this sort of experimentation causes a train wreck, but not here. (Admittedly, the track Zambra gets a little lost as it meanders its way to nowhere...) Elsewhere on the disc, hand-clap percussion coexists nicely with synthesized raps. Beautifully done.

My only other complaint is the now cliched "hidden bonus track", which on this disc consists of over 2:30 of silence leading to a short burst of drumming. Not worth it, and annoying to skip over it.

All told, the first half of the disc is one of my new favorites -- it's great driving music, great decompression music, and great party music all in one. I look forward to future releases by this group, which will hopefully hone their music and their style while shaving off some of the excesses.

This album is fantastic and showcases the type of innovative flamenco-infused music coming out of Spain today. Some people have criticized these 'nuevo flamenco' groups for commercializing flamenco, but I think that's off the mark. Groups like Ojos de Brujo do a service to flamenco by taking it to new stages in its evolution. In that sense, Ojos de Brujo help preserve a very traditional form of music by doing it in a way relevant to today's world.

On another note, I HIGHLY recommend another similar band: Los Delinquentes (the "u" has those two dots over it). THey play very tight street flamenco with a witty, indie-slacker attitude. Their song "El aire de la calle" is simply amazing.

I happened upon this album while walking past a record store in Barcelona in 2003. I heard the opening to "Ventilador" with its mix of turntablism and flamenco, and immediately purchased the album. The rest of the recording is an example of excellent musicianship and great production; the band's energy is evident and contagious. No wonder this recording won a BBC/Radio 3 Award for World Music. I'm happy this is finally available in the States so the band may get the bigger audience it deserves. (Oh, and you should also give a listen to the remixes of this album available on Remezclas De La Casa...)

Combining influences from their Gypsy/Gitano/Flamenco roots with the contemporary sounds of techno and hip hop and then blending it all into an unstoppable continuum of infectious rhythms, Ojos de Brujo, the eccentric and wildly colorful group of musicians from Barcelona have come up with something truly new and exciting.

Don't let the words hip hop and techno fool you though. Ojos de Brujo's music is still authentically Spanish with the unmistakable Flamenco, Gitano and Latin stylings present throughout the album. It's this fusion of Flamenco/Gitano with a subtle rap, techno and contemporary edge that infuses their music with something I've not heard done quite like this before. And it works.

Oh boy does it work. The music drives and pulses with all of the passion and rhythm that Spanish Gypsy music is known for. But it pushes beyond the boundaries of all that and moves things on into a realm that's new and unexpected. It's like these guys picked up where the Gypsy Kings left off and weren't afraid to roll with it and see where it'd go. It'll start to get under your skin from the first listen and then gradually take you over, till like me you find yourself listening to it all the time because it just keeps getting better and better.

Marina "La Canillas" Abad, lead female vocalist for the group has a beautiful, powerful and at times haunting voice that conjurs up images of gypsies dancing around a campfire in a cave somewhere deep in the heart of Spain. Her passion takes a wild and wonderful turn as she moves almost imperceptibly from singing into a visceral Spanish rap. Let me tell you though, you've never heard rapping like this before. Even if you don't like rap, and a lot of people don't, "La Canillas" will likely change the way you feel about it. It makes so much sense here and seems perfectly at home in the driving, rhythmic heart of Flamenco.

This is a woman who knows how to rein it back in though - and when she does she does it beautifully, gliding along effortlessly with some of the more contemporary Latin-styled music on the album.

Ojos de Brujo got their start performing in the streets of Barcelona along the Paseo and in the Gothic Quarter - joining an astonishing array of musicians from all over the world who perform in the streets there in exchange for a few coins tossed into their guitar and violin cases. Remembering how amazed I've been by the musicians I've heard performing in the streets of Barcelona, it comes as no surprise that Ojos de Brujo rose up from all that. The city attracts and nurtures some pretty amazing talent.

Music is always evolving and though some out there think Flamenco should be left alone, I think that Ojos de Brujo are doing it justice by infusing it with just enough new blood to keep it fresh and interesting without straying too far from its fiery, plaintive and passionate core.

Chances are good that the vocalizing on Zambra (Gypsy Party -Track 6) will have you stomping your feet, throwing your hands in the air and shouting ole` uncontrollably if you have any kind of appreciation for or connection to Spanish music. The album is rich with unexpected sounds and interesting twists and continues to amaze me with just how original and good the music is on it. It's exciting music; it's new, it's fresh and it gets me wanting to dance and move my body.

Even with all its inventiveness, it's still Spanish music and I like the way the Ojos de Brujo never loses sight of that when it comes to this album. These guys are leading the pack when it comes to reaching backwards and forwards all at the same time and doing it without compromising anything in either direction.

Bari is an amazingly good debut album from some great musicians. It's skillfully produced, tightly spun at its core and chock full of great music. Turn it on, crank it up and get ready to have some fun.

Ole`

If you enjoy music that crosses boundries, that is inspiring and breathtaking, look no further. Simply one of the most amazing albums I've ever purchased, and I've purchased 6 or 7 hundred. If you enjoy hip hop, flamenco, virtuoso rhythms, amazing singing, and passionate political music, even if you don't speak the language, you will, feel it. These guy are punk rock and they don't have to play power chords to prove it... Beautiful.

This is flamenco fusion but it is a brand new recipe, and it comes off fantastic. Energetic, with a strong flamenco beat cooked in with a variety of styles to produce an amazing collection of really excellent songs. If you like any of the new style flamenco with a beat, this is a must. Of the 30 second sample cuts provided by Amazon, listen to #2 Tiempo De Solea, and #5 Quien Engana No Gana, that will give you an excellent idea of how strong this album is.

Ojos de Brujo, "Eye of the Wizard", is a musician collective from Catalan Spain. Their music base is Flamenco but they bravely mix hip-hop, rap, and jazz in a fused frenzy of originality. Unlike most music fusions, Ojos de Brujo is able to remain true to its roots and still produce a unique sound. Their Bari Album of 2002 is their second release and the first time I heard it I was amazed at how they were able to join the deeply emotional lyrics of Flamenco with the more urban and street sound of hip-hop. Their lead singer, Marina Abad, can inspire deep emotions with her traditional Flamenco renditions but she inspires amazement when she breaks into a rap in the middle of the song Zambra. I hate to admit that I have been very biased when it comes to hearing rap from European bands, and usually found their attempts innocent at best, compared to the more real sound we hear in the USA. But Ojos de Brujo pulls it off because they are rapping about their emotions and world, and are able to incorporate rap lyrics into the pulse and rhythm of Flamenco, a music genre that is very much in their blood as much as culture. Do not get me wrong, 75% of the music is Flamenco on this album, but just when you think it is just the same traditional beat, they mix it up and hit you with a completely new sound. Ojos de Brujo is one of those jewels of originality and inspiration that you find by word of mouth, or by mistake, but when you hear them you know you are listening to something special. Ojos de Brujo's Bari album is a fruit of that genius and like all genius; it is fleeting and only temporary.

Being a HUGE fan of world music, particularly African, Brazilian, and to a lesser degree, Spanish, I was stunned by this album. I had read that the sound they created was "unique" and "fresh", but that doesn't quite do it justice. I also had heard that it was "Spanish hip-hop", but again, that gives a wrong impression.

Ojos de Brujo has taken the Flamenco genre and turned it on its ear, yet not destroyed or disrespected their beloved form. They have instead reinvigorated it not just with new sounds, but with a whole new ethos. While Flamenco often dealt with themes of love lost, or unrequieted love, or other common romantic themes and subtle sexuality, this group has infused it with a rebellious attitude and an iconoclastic eagerness to break the mold and experiment.

That being said, the mix of hip-hop rhythms and rap-like percussive lyrics does hint at that genre, but as a person who despises hip-hop, I found their take on the sound to be incredibly refreshing. There is no "boom box repetitiveness" to this music. The genius of their musicianship is obvious and unavoidable. The lightning fast flamenco strumming and leading is infectuous, and there is a "ROCK" sensibility to the arrangements, which caught me off guard, since there is a total lack of distorted guitars. The attitude is in the playing.

On several songs the musicians let their instruments come alive in brilliant jams that immediately made me think of Phish. That is a massive compliment of musicianship.

If I were to sum them up, I'd call them BRILLIANT AND AUDACIOUS.

Don't call it world music or new flamenco or whatever, this is just great, original music that proves that something original can be created from many musical traditions. You will enjoy this music even if don't speak a word of spanish but if you do it will enchant you no matter where you are from. I found this group by accident while looking for rumba flamenca music to buy here in Amazon and when I heard the samples I knew I had to get this CD. Spain seems to be producing some of the best music in the world right know by moving forward without forgetting its past. I'm a fan and whoever gives Ojos De Brujo a chance will become one too.

The CD was just as described - even though it is used it is in great condition. And the delivery was quick. I would buy from this person again.