The flamenco fusion of the remix generation
We tell you who are the Spanish artists that best exemplify this new era of flamenco.
NPR's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert with C. Tangana
The evolution of musical genres and their traditions is a natural part of their development, especially when we consider that their origin and essence are rooted in the stories of the people and the historical moments in which they were created. Thus, with each generation, with each story, with each cultural movement, the musical genre is transformed into something new, into something that speaks of the past and the present simultaneously.
In recent years we have witnessed the birth of a new era of artists who fuse flamenco with contemporary musical styles such as reggaeton, trap, electronic or pop, opening the way to a new musical era of flamenco fusion. And, despite its advocates and its detractors, it is a reality that exists in parallel with the tablaos flamencos traditional.
Niño de Elche by Malaga designer and creative Ernesto Artillo
Photo: Ernesto Artillo
At this point, you may wonder who are the contemporary Spanish artists that best exemplify this new era of flamenco fusion? This is a list that includes Rosalía, Niño de Elche, La Húngara and C. Tangana, among others.
And, although flamenco fusion is a musical genre that has nothing new, since it was born in the 80s with the influence of international music such as rock, jazz or blues, the then and now share a vindictive and modern discourse. Spanish singer Martirio, who fused Andalusian copla, flamenco, bolero, jazz and rock in the 80s, is now being paid tribute to by Rosalía, who in her latest album Motomami has flirted with urban and Caribbean melodies with rapturous success.
Rosalía sings 'Me quedo contigo' | 33rd Goya Awards Gala held in 2019
This new era of artists has taken flamenco to unexpected places and to the ears of a generation that, perhaps, would not have heard it otherwise. The music of these artists is a clear reflection of the globalized world in which we live, of the convergence of cultures, of the mixture of styles and, in short, of the remix and TikTok generation.
For his part, Niño de Elche has been a breakthrough in terms of staging and performance, performing in electronic music venues such as the Sónar music festival in Barcelona. The artist, along with La Húngara and C. Tangana collaborated on the song Tú me dejaste de querer, which became the best Spanish debut in history by registering 1,631,995 streams on Spotify Spain during its first 24 hours and whose video clip perfectly represents what we are talking about. We leave it for you below.
Vídeoclip de Tú Me Dejaste De Querer by C. Tangana, Niño de Elche, La Hungara