Baiuca – "Caroi" (feat. Aiboria)

SXSW 2022 – OEB Score 7, Popularity Index 7

Pairs well with…Antti Paalanen, Jhon Montoya, Tanxugueiras

Baiuca used to produce in-the-pocket, sample heavy electronica.  But in 2021, he released Embruxo, in which he paired his production beats with traditional Galician music. Like OEB recommended Finnish artist, Antti Paalanen, the result is a hypnotic blend of old and new.  Be on notice, Galacian folk music is not related to the flamboyant rhythms of flamenco. This is something much more primal, with strong repetitive percussion (including banging on pans), medieval flute solos, and bonfire-like chanting.  One reviewer compared the resulting music to “a pagan rave on the Iberian coast.” While you might hear other cultural influences, including Celtic, North African, and even Caribbean beats, the soul of these ten tracks remains in Galician folklore. For example, Baiuca said he chose to feature female vocals on the album because Galacian culture venerates ‘meigas,’ enigmatic women often portrayed as witches and healers. On the album, he used the singers of Lilaina, a quartet of sisters, whereas he is accompanied by a different singer, Aliboria, on his featured SXSW playlist track.  Hopefully, his set at the Wednesday “Sounds of Spain” daytime showcase at the Half-Step will include one or more of these vocalists.  All the tracks are entrancing but start with the featured “Caroi” and move on to “Olivdame,” “Meigallo,” and his most recent single, “Solsticio,” for a deeper dive.  If you need an additional incentive to check out this band, we can report that in 2019, “Sounds of Spain” served some pretty good paella. (David Zlotnick)