Since long before its conception, traditional music has been at the center of the priorities of the musicians who formed the group El Balcón in the summer of 2018. Josh (requinto and oud), Valeria (vocals and foot percussion), Charles (vocals and jarana), Alex (double bass) and Nicolas (cajón and other percussion) initially made up the ensemble. Shortly after, Nominoë joined on violin and vocals. Drawing on learnings from travels across several continents, El Balcón experiments by arranging songs from the Son Jarocho repertoire, a folk music from Veracruz, Mexico, with rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic concepts borrowed from Eastern European countries.
With the strength of their first two real productions of traditional covers and compositions released in 2020 and 2021, La Bruja and Contracorriente, the group is now preparing to present its first album consisting entirely of original compositions titled El Errante, which will be launched in the spring of 2025.
New single, “Enredada,” is about being from different places at the same time and getting to know yourself through culture. In Spanish, “Enredada” means tangled up. The song is a very special blend of many styles of music that the group love: son jarocho, rumba flamenca, samba, balkan music, gnawa. It was written in Xalapa, Veracruz and recorded at Wild Studios in Lanaudière, Québec.
What can you share with readers about your new project?
Enredada is the first of many singles to come out of our upcoming album called El Errante. Enredada in Spanish means tangled up. It’s a song about being from different places at the same time and getting to know yourself through culture. For us and many of our close friends and family, this is the reality that we live. Therefore, we draw a lot of inspiration from this topic.
How does this release compare with your other projects you had in the past?
This single and the whole album we will be releasing are all compositions. While we started our project rearranging traditional songs from the Son Jarocho repertoire, we decided to shift our focus towards original writing, while keeping the spirit of our traditional roots.
What about this single makes you most proud?
We feel this single will bring people together with its cheerfulness and its powerful and joyous energy!
Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
We think this song is a perfect fit for this summer weather. We wanted to release something that people can sing along to.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
We are inspired by traditional music and their communities. Getting to meet wonderful people and play in such beautiful places makes all of our efforts worth it!
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why?
We would love to collaborate with Los Cojolites, Los Vegas, Lila Downs, Natalia Lafourcade, Mercedes Sosa, Susana Baca, and all the musicians that are supporting the traditional music scenes.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
Omar Suleyman – Warni Warni is the last song we listened to. We feel inspired by Camaron de la Isla and Paco de Lucia for the way they brought traditional flamenco music forward and known to the world.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
You can keep up to date with our latest releases and cute pictures on our Instagram: instagram.com/elbalconmusic/, on our Facebook: facebook.com/elsondelbalcon, and our Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/1nXdD5gMqEU2qm1smvgSzG. I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before we sign off?
We hope you will enjoy this latest release as much as we enjoyed playing it! With love, El Balcon.
