English
Music and dance are two elements which have the power to free the spirit – and electronica is one genre which is particularly innovative in this respect. What sets Folcore apart from other emergent groups is that it takes the music of Latin America into the marginal musical communities of Europe.
Folcore was born as an audiovisual collective in underground spaces round Barcelona. It´s counter-cultural approach seeks to bring together different rhythms of displaced, alienated communities in the context of the economic crisis, and globalisation which has provoked people to turn to new creative horizons.
Aside from the collective´s critical, multicultural approach, they the mix sounds of the cumbia villera, which was born in the marginal neighbourhoods of Argentina,; vallenato colombiano, along with others which merged the styles of reggae, salsa, bailanta, malambo, Brazilian rhythms and Angolan Kuduro.
The challenge of transporting electronic music to the ethnic musical landscape, creating new tones and styles in order to provoke an aesthetic, expressive effect has prompted recognition amongst fans and lovers of electronic music and dance in Barcelona.
The special thing about this type of music is its roots – most of which are variations of music styles which grew out of poor areas, where delinquency and cultural resistance were channeled into dance. Latin America has proved the fertile ground on which to express social phenomenon through music – in the 60s and 70s there was a surge in protest music, which took traditional sounds to articulate reactions to the political changes of the revolution. The 80s were marked by the Nueva Trova born in Cuba, which adapted itself to the political events taking place throughout the decade. The 90s and 2000s addressed the issues of drug trafficking and globalisation, generating a return to the old rhythms as form of resistance to create new sounds, such as Cumbiastep, or marginal cumbia – which has travelled from North to South, and is fast being adopted by young people who see it as a cathartic kind of creative expression.
Another example of the phenomenon is bailanta, which rose out of the poor, marginalised areas of northern Argentina, and incorporates tropical sounds as a way of rejecting the dominance of European culture in Latin America. Folcore takes these sound and fuses them, using samples of vocals which talk about love, betrayal and simple passion, transforming them into exciting new rhythms which revisit the Latin American landscape, and its current social conflicts.
The shows at the Bodega del Onze, which holds the monthly Sudateca y las Urban World Social Club, are a reflection of the current musical trends and influences.
The yearly shows at the B.U.S. Free Festival at Razzmatazz are a total feast for lovers of music, rhythms and the electronic Latin dances, as well as touches of jungle and dub. Not to mention the shows at art space NIU each Sunday evening, in the Poble Nou neighbourhood. This year, expect to see them also included in Poble Sec event Tropicalia.
For more information http://www.folcore.org/
Nancy Guzman
If you´re in apartments in Barcelona don´t miss out on the experience of the Folcore Collective, and an evening of dance and rhythm.
Translated by: Poppy