Spanish flamenco and pop rock singer Soleá Morente and local band Kalayo raise the curtain on the second month of Posporo(s), a series of concerts launched in September by the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, the Instituto Cervantes de Manila and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to promote indie music from both countries, making it possible for Spanish and Filipino musicians to meet on stage.
Born to a flamenco singer, as a teen-ager Soleá was raring to devote herself to music but her father, an eminent name in amenco, Enrique Morente, told her that it was not yet the time, that she should be studying in the university and get to know the world first hand. And so she got a degree in Spanish Philology.
Although as a young girl she would sing with her father in his recordings, her career in music did not start until 2012, when she was invited to collaborate on an album as a tribute to her father by Los Evangelistas, a band composed of four members of Los Planetas and Lagartija Nick, both fundamental points of reference in pop-rock music in Spain, with whom Enrique Morente helped to bridge the gap between flamenco and rock with some masterpieces such as the revolutionary album “Omega”.
Hailing from a family immersed in the flamenco culture, it is no wonder that the songs of Soleá Morente have been influenced by that art form. But what is distinctly her style is that she fuses flamenco with indie music or even acid or psychedelic rock, something that that she sees as the most normal thing to do as she believes that “one should not fear doing things differently from how they have always been thought to be done” (Tentaciones, June 18, 2016). This statement takes shape in “Tendrá que haber un camino” (There Must Be a Way), her first solo album.
Homegrown band Kalayo sets the tone for the performance of Soleá Morente. The group formerly known as Pinikpikan is sure to intoxicate the audience with its hybrid music, mixing traditional Filipino music with international indigenous and contemporary sounds. Ethnic musical instruments accompany Kalayo ́s songs such as the hegalong (two-stringed lute), bamboo poles and sticks, Mindanaoan log drums, gansa and agung (Philippine at and embossed gongs) as well as djembles (African drums).
Kalayo, which means re in the Visayan dialect, is convinced that its music is not just a lifestyle but a conviction upholding peace, equality, sanctity of nature and respect for human dignity and rights. “We believe music builds understanding and harmony”.
A fitting end to the concert is a session with DJ Parallel Uno, a.k.a. Pasta Groove a.k.a. Il Primitivo.
Posporo(s) is a musical project under the framework of cultural cooperation between Spain and the Philippines. The key players of Posporo(s) are the independent music scene of both countries, represented by four Spanish bands and the same number of Philippine bands, with different styles and artistic approaches but are all an indication of what is happening in the contemporary music scene in Spain and the Philippines despite a 12,000 km-distance separating the two countries. The main objective is to facilitate the exchange and meeting between Spanish and Filipino musicians on stage and promote alternative Spanish music and introduce to Spanish media and audience some of the most intriguing Philippine bands.
Posporo(s) is an initiative of the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines and the Instituto Cervantes with the collaboration of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain, the Association of Singers and Performers (AIE), the Etxepare Basque Institute, Unión Fonográ ca Independiente, Rustan’s, Turkish Airlines and the De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde. Posporo(s) has also the collaboration of the creative studio Team Manila, responsible for designing a special edition T-shirt for this series of concerts.
