INTRODUCTION


Idea, composition and direction: Àngel Pereira and Nan Mercader.

We should go back to Spanish colonial times to find the origin of what nowadays we call cajón (box).

The flow of cultural elements in the region, result of the colonization, brings this small container, which was originally used for transportation and food preservation, up to the category of musical instrument. Later on, it became a widely spread and popular instrument from West Indies to the rest of Latin America.

Perú, Cuba and Veneçuela are the countries that succeded the most in the conservation of “el toque de cajón” (box beat) in its purest state.
Cajón is currently one of the main characteristic drumming instruments in Flamenco, ever since it was introduced in this genre by Paco de Lucía during the 80s.

What this project aims to offer is a sample of the many different uses of this instrument. On one hand, we find the diverse cultural influences that surround it, especially emphasizing the dominant role it has been given in Flamenco music. Thus, the cultural areas this show includes are the Cuban batà beats, the Afro-Peruvian folkore; and Flamenco, always with an orthodox base, but with its own development. On the other hand, the cajón is also played in other unusual musical styles for this kind of instrument, such as contemporary music, funk and rap.

Drumming, and in this case the cajón, goes always together with the dance world and the cante (Andalusian Gipsy singing); and that is why they both play a major role in this project.
CAJONMANÍA dares to embrace in the show cante, hip-hop, scat and rap.