FolkWorld Issue 32 12/2006; Article by Pío Fernández

This is an introduction to the paper magazine which has become a capital reference on the folk & traditional music in Spain. INTERFOLK provides an extensive perspective, covering the traditions, artists and events taking place in all parts of the Iberian peninsula and the islands. Such broad view may seem peculiar for a non-Spanish reader, normally just familiarised with Flamenco as the most famous musical tradition from Spain.

As an example of the diversity of subjects covered by INTERFOLK, the latest issue in our hands (No. 30) features:

• A three page interview with the Basque accordionist Kepa Junkera, talking about his last CD (‘Hiri’), and his co-operation with artists from all over Spain and other countries, such as: José Antonio Ramos and Benito Cabrera (Canary islands), Eliseo Parra(Castile), Mercedes Peón (Galicia), Iñaki Plaza and Ines Osinaga (Basque country), Gilles Chabenat and Patrick Vaillant (France), Bulgarka (Bulgaria), and several others.
• A four page article about the history of the traditional and folk music in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, from the 19th to the 20th century.
• Interviews with folks bands and artists such as: Briganthya (Celtic music from the Basque province of Guipuzcoa), Korrontzi (Basque trad music), La Carraca (Castilian trad music for children), Ana Alcaide (“nikelharpist” from Madrid), Brath (Galician folk), Angel Rufino de Haro (“El Mariquelo”) and Gabriel Calco (pipe & tabor, and other sounds from the Castilian province of Salamanca), Aynur (female singer from Kurdistan).
• Reviews of 40 CDs, from Spain and abroad (‘Sé’ from Lúnasa, ‘Reunion’ from Solas, ‘American Folk’ compilation from Putumayo records, ‘Forerunner’ from The Cottars, ‘Nefes’ from Mercan Dede, …).
• A four page article about the “Trompa de la Baja Ribagorza”: The history of the traditional horn from the lowland Ribagorza area. A woodwind instrument played in Aragón (central region of the Pyrenees mountains).
• Numerous short articles & comments about past and future: festivals, concerts, conferences or other events, magazines, books, radio programs, … The complete photograph of today’s folk & traditional music in Spain.

Every issue of INTERFOLK also includes:

• A four page article fully illustrating the history, characteristics and scores of a traditional music instrument, such as: different kinds of Spanish bagpipes, different types of accordions, the Celtic harp, all kinds of wind, string & percussion instruments from Spain, Europe, Africa, Asia, etc …
• A CD, with a page extensively summarizing the artistic career of the musician or band. The one in issue no. 30 is from the folk band Andaraje: ‘Anónimo y Popular’, 23 Andalusian traditional songs.

Each magazine has plenty of short articles and advertisements about upcoming folk festivals and concerts taking place in Spain and our neighbours: Portugal and France. However, there is also a special summer issue which compiles the information about all the festivals and concerts taking place in the Iberian peninsula and the islands until the end of the year.

INTERFOLK is the remarkable eight year effort of a group of fans from Madrid and other parts of Spain, to support and promote the folk & trad music made in this part of Europe. But the world perspective is not ignored, and past issues of the magazine have also included extensive articles on international folk music topics, most of them interviews to some of the artists which tour in Spain:

• The Anglo-Irish band Flook (in issue no. 29)
• The history of Cajun and Zydeco music (in issue no. 29)
• The north-Italian band Din Delòn (in issue no. 28)
• The Polish klezmer band Kroke (in issue no. 27)
• The Berlin band 17 Hippies (in issue no. 26)
• The Paris band L’Attirail (in issue no. 25)
• The French hurdy gurdy performer Gilles Chabenat (in issue no. 23)
• The Canadian singer Claire Pelletier (in issue no. 21)
• The Irish band Kíla (in issue no. 19)
• The Finnish band Hedningarna (in issue no. 17)
• The Rebetiko and the Rebetes in the Greek music (in issue no. 15)
• The Chilean band Quilapayün (in issue no. 15)
• The Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser & Paul Machlis (in issue no. 13)
• The Portuguese band Galandum Galundaina (in issue no. 13)
• The Argentinian band Los Chalchaleros (in issue no. 9)
• The Belgian band Laïs (in issue no. 6)
• The harpist Andrew Lawrence-King & The Harp Consort (in issue no. 6)

… and many others.

There are several other periodic publications in Spain about folk and traditional music, but they are either too general (practically a compilation of ‘standard’ interviews to top world music artists), or too focussed on local traditions of limited scope. INTERFOLK is the magazine which looks deeply into the many details of our music, while providing the best global perspective.

The Format / How to Subscribe:

• Size : 225 x 300 mm (9 x 12 inches)
• Pages : 52
• Language : Spanish
• Issues/year : 4 issues per year (each including a CD) + 1 summer special on festivals & concerts
• Price/year : 40 Euros (in 2006)
• Web Page : www.interfolk.net

Photo Credit: (1) - (4) Interfolk Cover Pictures (taken from website).

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