A Platform for Ethnically and Culturally Inspired Music
About "02. Sandia - SUNBIRD - Andres Coll Odyssey [Balaio Records 2024]"
Sandia is a beautiful song, a jewel of Gnawa music. The lyrics talk about ''Sandia'' and her story, she was a slave
from the ''Gnawa'' people. I think it was the song with which I heard Gnawa music for the first time, Joachim Kühn
(before I met Majid) played me, at his house, a CD of demos and tracks that Majid Bekkas had sent him when
they had the trio along with Ramón López. When I listened to ''Sandia'' my body was filled with positive energy
and I burst out laughing with happiness, immediately I knew I had to do something with this music and meet Majid.
Joachim encouraged me to record over those bases and so I did, discovering the relationship between gnawa
music and folklore from Ibiza (the same cadence of castanets invoking trance). There, the idea of collaborating
with Majid to investigate the roots of both music, Gnawa and Ibiza, and how they relate to each other was born.
from the ''Gnawa'' people. I think it was the song with which I heard Gnawa music for the first time, Joachim Kühn
(before I met Majid) played me, at his house, a CD of demos and tracks that Majid Bekkas had sent him when
they had the trio along with Ramón López. When I listened to ''Sandia'' my body was filled with positive energy
and I burst out laughing with happiness, immediately I knew I had to do something with this music and meet Majid.
Joachim encouraged me to record over those bases and so I did, discovering the relationship between gnawa
music and folklore from Ibiza (the same cadence of castanets invoking trance). There, the idea of collaborating
with Majid to investigate the roots of both music, Gnawa and Ibiza, and how they relate to each other was born.