Fiesta Fatal!

by B-Tribe

Product Description:

Personnel: The Barcelona Tribe Of Soulsters.

The influential 1995 debut from the Barcelona Tribe of Soulsters (AKA the reclusive German maestro known as "The Brave") set the gold standard for world fusion, with its unique mix of Gypsy wailing, flamenco guitar, breathy female vocals, Germanic techno/house beats, and brain-cooling keyboard ambience.

The delirious "Intro" sets the stage for what's to come: murky synth washes are gently led into the sunshine by the sudden magisterial arrival of the flamenco guitar. The title track is a rousing instrumental that fuses techno with samplings of the Irish traditional ballad, "She Moved through the Fair" (referred to as "Belfast Child"), with a haunting vocal over a mix of percussion elements, synthesizer pads, and more flamenco. (Imagine Gypsy Kings mixing an album with Deep Forest). The track appears twice more, as a reprise and extended club remix. Another highlight is a reworking of an old Vangelis tune, here called "You Won't See Me Cry," wherein seductive spoken word whispers contrast with the impassioned Gypsy elements. Subsequent Tribe CDs would get more ethereal and languid but this debut has shown formidable staying power as a favorite of everyone from massage therapists to hardcore ravers.