Whenever a new genre crops up on DJ charts and global setlists there’s a collective pricking up of ears within the industry. To say dance music fans are “critical” is the understatement of the century; our community has enough keyboard warriors to take down any momentary musical fad with swift and vengeful efficacy. But for every fad that falls, a new genre manages to keep its footing. Welcome to the world of Flamenco House, and the home of FLAMENCA Records.
A fusion between flamenco music and electronica, it would be all too easy to turn your nose up at what – on paper – could be just another attempt at modernising historial sounds for dance floor kicks. Yet delve into the history of flamenco music and you’ll find that the form itself has always been a melting pot of different cultures. Originating in southern Spain from the Andalusian Romani (Gitanos) subculture, flamenco evolved as it absorbed influences from Arabic, Jewish and Christian traditions. Custodian of the genre’s latest chapter and most recent evolution is DJ and producer STBAN, head of FLAMENCA Records.
For STBAN, flamenco music has always been a visceral connection to his homeland and heritage. “Flamenco music is part of my roots,” he explains from his studios on the shores of Lake Geneva. “I’m Spanish but I’ve been living in Switzerland for a long time. For years I’ve had an idea in my mind, to merge and fuse flamenco and electronic music. For me electronic music can provide the vector of communication for traditional flamenco to the new generation.”
A lifelong follower of dance music and a regular on the Ibiza scene, for the past few years STBAN has been working on his grand vision, a combination of immersive live experiences built around the flamenco dance, and his new label FLAMENCA Records, where he personally curates a release schedule of flamenco, Latin and Afro house music featuring his own work and those of the genre’s rising stars. The label’s early discography caught the attention of iconic UK house imprint Toolroom Records, the two parties striking a deal at this year’s IMS. It’s a significant move for STBAN and one that adds weight to his work.
“This partnership between FLAMENCA and Toolroom is fantastic, (it’s) a huge confirmation that we’re on the right track,” he nods. “Our music feels like electronic music and Toolroom for us is one of the best labels in this sector, close to Defected or Armada. As well as being a really cool, credible label, I think that they have the same kind of values. It’s a family label; I really appreciate the way they run it and I’m very happy that FLAMENCA can be part of that.”
FLAMENCA Records’ first release dropped late last week, STBAN’s own production ‘LA PALMA’, co-produced with Bryan Coletta (Sparrow & Barbossa) with Spanish singer G.Zamora on vocals. It’s an evocative slice of Flamenco House, infused with the heat of southern Spain, at its heart the ‘la palma’ claps of the flamenco dancers and musicians. For STBAN, the dancers are very much key to his vision for the live shows.
“The best way to showcase flamenco house to the public is through a show,” he says emphatically, “because of course the culture of flamenco is intrinsically centred around the music and the dance. Our goal with the FLAMENCA show is to create an immersive experience, where people feel like they’ve been transported to an authentic part in the south of Spain, where the experience resonates on a physical level by being right there in the middle of the music and dance. This is what I want to share with the public. We’re going in with our soul, our philosophy, with 350 years of history through the vector of electronic communication, through the music, to the people.”
It’s easy to feel STBAN’s passion for the performance itself. With his production company behind him, his plans for the FLAMENCA show are no less ambitious than those he has for FLAMENCA Records. His team, led by CEO Rachel Strassberger, has devised two separate events for STBAN to channel his emotions into: “regular’ DJ sets at events like AirBeat One Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival, and longer, more experiential nights like his ten-hour residency at legendary Lausanne venue MAD Club.
“It’s a crazy night,” he freely admits about MAD. “We open the club at 19:30 and for two and a half hours it’s all about immersing the club in Spanish culture, to make them feel like they’re on the streets of Spain, not a club in Lausanne. We put on a proper tablao around a Spanish dinner, we bring in a jamon cutter, tapas, paella, sangria, all set around a traditional flamenco spectacle. We have a cajon, a guitarist, a cantaora and some wonderful flamenco dancers. I think it’s a way to understand what traditional, real flamenco is all about. Then we bring in what we believe flamenco fusion could be in the future, with the electronic beats, and from 22:00 to 4am the party starts with guys like Jesus Fernandez from Sevilla, DJ Don Juan, and of course myself playing Flamenco House, Latin House and Afro.
“When I play a festival of course it’s totally different, just a one or two hours set, but our team still ensure that it’s an incredible experience that’s laced with the traditional spirit of flamenco. We bring dancers with us, I have eight dancers up on stage with me and then we have around 25 dancers in the crowd to interact with people on the dance floor. We also bring our own Flamenco-Glam station with a make-up artist to “flamenquise” festival goers with make-up, hair flowers, mantone shawls. We even offer flamenco dance classes. People can dress up for the occasion and feel like they’re partying in the middle of Andalusia. Everything just adds to the flavour we bring to festivals – the music, the dancers, the experience.”
So what’s next for STBAN and FLAMENCA? After the release of his own single ‘LA PALMA’ he has more music set to come from the label. “Keep a good eye on LA PALMA,” he says knowingly, “and also the Pauza edit of PLAZA DE GLORIA. The original, you can only experience by coming to one of our tablao shows, it features flamenco arrangements and guitar from Josemi Carmona and vocals from Sandra Carrasco. For the club release on the label Pauza have delivered a really nice combination of Flamenco House with Afro-Beat and a touch of Latin House. It’s just superb. ‘BAILA CONMIGO’ is also an important track, it’s one of the very first tracks we created some months ago, we bought in Cruzy to do the dance floor edit for club release. And then we have ‘MYSTIC’, one of my favourites. There was a really special atmosphere in the studio when we made Josemi Carmona’s show version with our singers and producers in Spain, this one for me is really special and to hear it translated so that it works in clubs but still carries that flamenco magic, that’s really satisfying.”
STBAN’s mission seems clear; to create a platform, live and label, that lifts flamenco house music up from the grassroots. “I hope that the FLAMENCA label will be one of the best in flamenco house, to be honest, in the world,” he says. “And our FLAMENCA shows? I hope that we’ll be known everywhere in the world. But for me the most important thing is the music. I really want everyone to get to dance to our music, to make it real for them through our shows, with our parties, with our festivals. Ultimately, I just want to share the music with the world.”
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CONNECT // STBAN:
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