Miquel Gil’s Valencian Roots

Madrid, Spain – Alike the oranges he cultivates according to ecological principles Miquel Gil’s voice grows directly from the Valencian earth. With his previous album Orgànic (Sonifolk, 2002) Miquel had opened a new chapter in his career as a musician and earned several awards, i.e. the “Best album of the Year in Catalonia” (Enderrock awards).

On Katà he discovers the geological layers of Levante (Eastern Spain), Andalusia, Mallorca and Catalonia, traveling over these regions and the Spanish Mediterranean seaside. On his trips to Northern Africa, Greece and Turkey he demonstrates the close relationship  between Spain and these
cultures:
styles like granainas and fandangos, gnawa, jotas, rembetika, picados mallorquines, boleros, dances from the mountainside, and odd rhythms from Turkey are put together in a small room and a big album came out of it. Miquel does not care about political conventions and makes all these cultures live together in a natural familiarity. The extensive work of collecting traditional motifs and reinventing them has made out of the Cantautor Miquel Gil (singer/songwriter) in Orgànic the Cantaor (flamenco singer) in Katá.

The wide musical range that covers Katà is also reflected in the musicians who joined the recording sessions: Raúl Rodriguez (guitar) from Seville who is responsible for the flamenco sounds; Eduard Navarro, well known from his band L’Ham de Foc, who has created his very own sound due to his great performance on the dulzaina and other wind instruments; Diego López, also known from L’Ham de Foc, who gives to each and every of the 11 songs his particular flavour through his precise and subtle playing, and finally Xavi Lozano (Eliseo Parra, Lídia Pujol), who creates a special magic on his
exotic wind instruments. Special guests like Carles Belda (Pomada) and Pep Toni Rubio (Música Nostra) point out the great reputation that Miquel has reached in the Spanish music scene.