El Guincho, aka Pablo Diaz-Reixa, is a sensation in his adopted country of Spain, but his sound draws largely from his boyhood growing up in the Canary Islands.
Diaz-Reixa’s interests in exploring and understanding his earliest influences — his dad’s records of Latin American and Cuban music — has shaped all of his work. “Piratas de Sudamerica,” Diaz-Reixa’s latest EP, is a tribute to his obscure favorites; he covers influential Cuban son artist Miguel Matamoros — but the song sounds closer to contemporary, esoteric indie rock — imaginative, Technicolor psychedelia with rattling, twinkling, sparkling sounds layered with samples and vocal harmonies.
“Piratas de Sudamerica” is a refreshing and energizing listen, regardless if you are familiar with the Latin originals or merely a fan of his contemporary American influences. Diaz-Reixa and the trio he leads return to Chicago this week; he spoke to us from his home in Barcelona.
Q
What made you want to record all of these obscure songs?
A
When I moved to Barcelona and started making friends, we could relate through music — hip-hop and pop club music. When I wanted to be a nerd about these records about Latin American music I loved, they didn’t know about it. It was a way to get them into the music, rerecord them with other people.
Q
What was your introduction to these songs?
A
This is the first music I knew. My dad loved Cuban music, my mom was into pop records, English and American pop. My dad was hardcore in merengue and son and Willie Colon. Latin American and Cuban music were always around.
Q
But that’s not the music you started playing or make today.
A
No, I grew up listening to my dad’s records, but I moved from Canary Islands to go to a French school and I got into hip-hop and other types of music. I am putting all my influences on top of those things I grew up with. My current influences are synthesizers and soulful vocals, house music.
Q
Your music is influenced and inspired by the sounds of various islands, but what is it particularly about island sounds that fascinate you?
A
Music of islands, everything is, like, creole. It’s like a mix. Lots of times island music, they try to borrow or copy these ideas from the outside, but they end up sounding very unique, like Cuban music — even though they wanted to sound like American pop music at the time, their roots were so strong it made a new sound. That’s what I try to do.
El Guincho
When: Noon Monday
Where: Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph St.
Price: Free (all ages); 312-742-1168
When: 9 p.m. Monday
Where: Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave.
Price: $12 (18+); 773-525-2508
