Bari

OJOS DE BRUJO – "Bari"
World Village, 2004

SPAIN – Ojos de Brujo ("Eyes of the Wizard"), a large Barcelona-based band and art collective, has been turning heads by mixing up flamenco with hip-hop, funk, Arabic and Indian music, and whatever else strikes their fancy (that’s straight off their promo sheet, but it’s accurate). The music is anchored on one side by traditional Spanish guitar, usually in pairs, and on the other by the cool-toned vocals of “Marina,” often overdubbed into a pseudo-duet. There are also lots of little vocal interjections, sound effects, and other oddities keeping things lively. Fun, free, and inventive!

Play it all! Fo’s picks: 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12

1. 0:41 – flamenco intro w/brief vocal, leads nicely into…
2. 3:06 – midtempo funky rhythm, flamenco guitars, smooth vocal flow, scratch break
3. 3:20 – steady Gipsy-Kings style: nice vocals and upbeat guitars, lots of scratching
4. 3:46 – relaxed but strongly rhythmic, last minute fast hiphop vocal and drumbeat
5. 3:20 – whispery hiphop vocals in a Middle Eastern mystery vibe, flamenco chorus
6. 6:46 – another mystery vibe, with dancefloor energy; cool riffs, vocals & electronics
7. 3:49 – slightly off-center ballad: staggered rhythm, sweet but complex vocal duet
8. 3:22 – exotic percussion under lyrical guitars, airy vocals, some croaky violin bits
9. 3:28 – starts with African rhythm, becomes a fast gypsy-flamenco romp
10. 3:28 – quirky funk: staccato rhythms and short vocal phrases. Much fun.
11. 5:17 – rock beat, slinky bassline, street-smart vocals, jazzy trumpet, ENDS EARLY
12. 3:26 – all percussion; abstract flamenco atmosphere, like something from “Stomp”
13. 8:59 – long remix adds electronic layers and abstract beats to the song from track 8 (track is actually 5:17, then 3 mins silence, cool vocal perc. track at end)

[ Fo ] – 06/03/2004