Chambao

If you want an unusual mix of influences in your music creating something that is overall incredibly unique, then Malaga based band Chamboa is your answer. Their inspiration seems to derive from that of traditional Spanish flamenco music and electronic, creating a sound that is clearly Spanish and appeals to a native audience but also has your typical electro vibe that is universal. Thirteen years as a trio has seen them create seven albums, one of which (Endorfinas en la Mente aka Endorphins of the Mind) was nominated for a prestigious award by Radio Barcelona. Chambao played a very recent set in the Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo in June 2014 and it contained everything you could've expected from a band who produce the unexpected. With not much light in the venue and massive triangles on stage as a backdrop, Chambao made quite an eerie entrance. Their first song Respira built up the tension perfectly, where only symbols, synths and quite a sinister singing voice could be heard, but soon everything became a lot more vibrant as lead singer La Mari strode onto the stage to rapturous applause. Although the tune was quite slow moving and not too catchy, it was the perfect way to introduce La Mari's talents as a vocalist as she put on a mesmerising performance. The song that followed was the ballad 'El Vaiven', a simple duet between singer and pianist that was very powerful and was a tune that everyone in the audience could wave their hands to. Since the song was stripped back to its raw elements it had a very natural feel to it, which was clearly appreciated by the crowd. La Mari was on fire yet again and the piano playing was astonishingly good. Another one of my favourites was Volando Voy, a tune that all of the trio joined in as traditional flamenco acoustic guitar featured as well. It was certainly a catchy number as the audience clapped along to the guitarists intricate finger picking patterns. Such a diverse range of music was on show that night in Bulgaria and its no wonder why they were so popular a few years ago. Hopefully a new tour will reignite their popularity again amongst fans.