Welcome to Paradise…

Hailing all the way from Barcelona, Spain Pablo Díaz-Reixa, or his ever increasingly popular pseudonym El Guincho is taking the world’s Discothèques by storm. Alegranza! is El Guincho’s sophomore offering and a delightful one indeed all music fans will express appreciation for. Alegranza! is a crisp cup of Columbian coffee that we enjoy on those cold winter mornings.

Although Alegranza! is exclusively in Spanish (save a few narrative voice-overs in English) the music contained therein is proof positive lyrics can take a backseat to composition when conducted by a committed individual in a masterful and concise manner. A deep understanding of Spanish is not necessary to enjoy - albeit helpful in the comprehension of the heavily looped choruses. The opener ‘Palmitos Park’ is a staggering confirmation of an insightful mixture of progressive musical themes that are found throughout the album. Some of the tracks including ‘Buenos Matrimonios Ahi Fuera’ have a tribal African feel that rounds out the eclectic nature. Alegranza! can seem at times masked in repetition but individualistically within each track El Guincho creates a atmosphere that makes you dream of an island cantina in the Atlantic Ocean sipping a fruity unpronounceable drink garnished in pineapple and tiny umbrellas.

Alegranza! is a fusion of Rock N Roll, Electro, Caribbean dance, and Dub with a heavy influence drawing from a myriad of samples providing simple but thunderous beats and percussion, which when combined create a rich, warm eye-opening cocktail of caffeinated sounds evoking a range of emotions and sensibility. El Guincho may very well be the Spanish Fat Bay Slim and it is hard for any music lover to ignore his talented efforts.

John Niederkorn