L’Ham de Foc is a band that I have always hoped would get a proper reissue of their classic album. The Valencian band is a prime example of the quality of ethnic music that dots Spain. So many regions deserve their local traditional music to be either better exposed or reissued, especially those from Catalonia, Galicia and Asturias. About the band, courtesy of Bandcamp:
“For the first time L´Ham de Foc has worked a very typical style from Valencia into their music: the Cant d´estil. This tradition sounds like Flamenco due to the melismatic melodies. A poet is whispering the lyrics into the singer´s ear who improvises over a fixed melodic basis.
L´Ham de Foc also works on other traditional rhythms from Spain, like the Jota, and uses archaic and popular percussion like spoons, pots or a wooden table, played by Vanesa Muela as a basic rhythm, while new band member Osvaldo Jorge plays the Indian percussion instruments like Tabla, Kanjira or Ghatam and is responsible for the more specific and detailed pecussion. Stunning musical dialogues are developped on the Tomback (another percussion instrument) between Masur from Iran and band member Diego López.”
