Music and Musicians from Southern Spain: sounds of Andalusia

Fabulous! You made it! Welcome to Southern Spain!. Now, let us introduce you to some very interesting locals. We have with us four wonderful musicians from Andalusia, who will share and talk about their music.

These Spanish musicians will explain how their music is inspired by Andalusia and what it is like to be an artist in Southern Spain.

Now pour yourself a glass of Sherry, turn on your sound, click on the play button below and enjoy a discovery journey of Southern Spain through its musicians and their music!

This song is by The Guinea Pig, one of the projects of Pablo Errea. He’s originally from Pamplona but he has been living in El Puerto de Santa María for a few years now. He’s just there, holding his guitar… Hi Pablo!

Meet Pablo Errea. (The Guinea Pig)

Q: How did you end up in El Puerto de Santa María and how do you like your new homeland?

A: “I had been coming to Andalusia for 15 years to do several music recordings in the studio of my friend Paco Loco, so I already had a strong musical connection to Southern Spain. Then I started a relationship here and finally, I decided to move”.

“It’s now through music that I have a constant interaction with Andalusia. There’s a very solid music scene in this region that makes living here well worth it for me”.

Q: What do you like the most of the province of Cadiz?

A: “I love that the days seem much longer here and how that allows me to live a more relaxed life. Also, having the city of Cadiz just across the bay is like a luxury for me. The bay of Cadiz has something special. I love the mix of countryside, coastal landscape and towns that one can find all along it. I also very much enjoy developing music projects together with some other musicians from Andalusia. It feels like a little cosmopolitan part of the world to me”.

Q: What are your favorite places in the province of Cadiz?

A: “I like the eerie landscape of Los Toruños Natural Park, just outside el Puerto de Santa María. I love the city of Cadiz and the feeling of being on an island that I get when I am there. The beaches close to Tarifa are beautiful too. I have also explored a lot by bike. The ride between El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda through the Sherry vineyards is amazing”.

Q: Have you got any lyrics directly inspired by the province of Cadiz?

A: “My partner Teresa actually writes many of the lyrics. She’ll give you a good answer”.

Teresa is a lovely Irish “guiritana” who has been living in El Puerto de Santa María for many years and she says:

A: “Both Pablo and I share what we feel for the bay of Cadiz. We love the local people and lifestyle, which are two of the main reasons for us to be based here. We consider ourselves very lucky and I think that the lyrics definitely transmit that idea. Our daughter Lili was born here and she’s the result of all the positive things we have experienced in the province of Cadiz”.

Thank you Teresa, thank you Pablo! See you later!

We hope you enjoyed meeting Pablo and Teresa and listening to their music. Now let’s say hello to Francisco Calderón, or simply Calde. Calde grew up in San Fernando and Conil but he now lives in Cadiz city. He has composed many soundtracks for films and adverts and his project “Music Komite” was recently awarded a first prize at the Villa de Bilbao music contest. Let’s talk to him while we listen to Music Komite by clicking on the play button right below.

Meet Calde. (Music Komite)

Q: Hi Calde! How do you think that Andalusia influences your music and your creative process?

A: “I have had the privilege to live in many cities like London, Stockholm, Barcelona and Ghent for example. However, I adore the pace that the city of Cadiz allows me to follow. I feel that thanks to living in Andalusia, I can dedicate a lot of time to working on my music. Other places pushed me towards a more hectic lifestyle. I absorbed a lot of ideas while living in them but I found it very difficult to actually work on my own ones. In Andalusia, and particularly in Cadiz I feel that I can release ideas and create music. I think that this slower pace that Cadiz has is definitely present in my songs”.

Q: What is it like to be a musician in Cadiz, Southern Spain?

A: “It is very enriching because it is a fairly small area. This makes it easy to get to know almost everybody in the music scene. This helps to be in contact with many musicians doing different things. It feels great because there’s not much segregation or many prejudices. It’s all pretty much mixed. People are very open to new perspectives. I guess that’s the reason why musicians from Southern Spain are involved in so many different projects”.

Q: Do you think you’d make a different kind of music if you had grown up let’s say in Northern Europe or America?

A: “I’m sure. I have developed my music throughout the years as a result of my personal experiences in Andalusia and many of them have to do with being outdoors. If I had grown up in an area without this gentle weather, I wouldn’t have experienced the same things and my music would definitely be different”.

Q: Tell us about a place in Cadiz where you go to gather inspiration

A: “I actually spend a lot of time at home working so I gather inspiration during the small breaks I take. My terrace has excellent views of old town Cadiz with all its historical rooftops and it’s a place where I can clear my mind and refocus. Also the beach and the Atlantic Ocean help me to keep inspired. A good bike ride is a good source of inspiration too. Images of bike wheels are common in the video projections that accompany the shows of Music Komite”.

Cheers Calde! Talk to you soon.

Now, would you like to go outside for a while to breath some fresh air and see some of the landscape of the province of Cadiz?. Open the door by clicking below. We have a surprise for you.

This band is called Leda Tres and it is formed by musicians from the Southern Spanish towns of El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera.

The singer is a multi-disciplinary artist who grew up in El Puerto de Santa María. He has collaborated with many renowned musicians from Spain and elsewhere. After the performance you’ve just watched, he’s been dancing his shoes off inside. He must be hungry now. Let’s have something to eat with him…

Meet Pedro Perles. (Leda Tres)

Q: Hi Pedro! Which food, drink and restaurant from the province of Cadiz deserve a song written about them?

A: “A good stew of “papas con choco” (potatoes with squid) definitely deserves a song written about it. A slow one actually, to help digest the meal. As for a drink, I think the local cocoa liqueur “Cacao Pico” from El Puerto de Santa María has a very musical name and would be great for a cha-cha-cha. Also in El Puerto de Santa María El Arriate restaurant is a magical spot where I love to play and listen to music, eat and drink”.

Q: Tell us about the most inspirational places in Andalusia for your music

A: “There are many! I have a special weakness for the city of Cadiz and more precisely for el Parque Genovés and la Caleta Beach. I love the openness of the beach of Bolonia and cape Camarinal and Facinas fascinates me. The NMAC contemporary art foundation near Vejer is pure inspiration as well. In general, the whole province of Cadiz is very inspirational for me. Also, our rehearsal room is a space of inspiration where I have had the chance to make music with various wonderful artists. Finally, even though it is not a place but a time of the year, the Monkey Week festival in el Puerto de Santa María is a time of maximum inspiration for me too”.

Q: So would you say that your songs are mostly inspired by the province of Cadiz?

A: “Yes. The vast majority are actually. Almost every song has references to the sea and has to do with emotions related to the local lifestyle of Cadiz and to different experiences we have had here throughout our lives”.

Q: And what aspect of Andalusia influences your music the most?

A: “It’d be very hard to reduce it to just one aspect. It’s the food, the climate, the friendship of the people I work with, the ease to meet other musicians to do things together… It’s a mix of all that”.

Thank you Pedro! See you around.

Now click on the play button right below…

Can you hear that? It’s the high-voltage sound of Termita y Desastre. The singer is probably the most popular music selector that Andalusia has ever had. When he was a kid, he used to skip school to sneak into the local radio station of El Puerto de Santa María. Now he also writes, plays and sings great rock and roll songs. Let’s talk to him.

Meet Cherni. (Termita y Desastre)

Q: Hi Cherni! Where does the energy of your songs come from?

A: “The light is a key factor for me. I believe that it’s the light of Southern Andalusia what keeps me in the mood for making this type of songs.

These long, bright summers and short, mild winters we have in Andalusia definitely influence our sound and how we approach making and playing music”.

Q: You have grown up in El Puerto de Santa María but you have developed a very cosmopolitan perspective on music. Now tell us a place in town where to find that combination of local essence and modernity.

A: “Bar Vicente – Los Pepes, right next to the local market in El Puerto de Santa María. Definitely. It’s a genuinely modern place because of the diverse atmosphere it has, but it also keeps the charm of a traditional mid 20th century Spanish bar. There you can find the local ladies who come for a coffee after doing their shopping in the market and also the drummer of Termita y desastre having a beer with the owner of the place. I’d recommend everybody visiting el Puerto de Santa María to go there for breakfast or for a glass of Sherry at noon”.

Q: How do you combine living in a small town in Andalusia and having a rock and roll music band?

A: “It’s easy because the place is very open to new music perspectives. Alternative trends have always been respected here as long as they were shown naturally and with honesty. However, thanks to some music events that have been taking place in town for the past few years, the local community participates much more in new projects and initiatives. Also, many international musicians have come to el Puerto de Santa María to record their songs and some of them have actually moved here. This has helped for the place to become more vibrant too”.

Q: Where in town are your songs born?

A: “I tend to take my guitar to the beach and work there quite often, so some songs actually start there. The local beaches of El Puerto de Santa María allow me to gather my daily dose of inspiration. The coastal landscape around here is very dynamic. There’s the sunsets, the tides, the little boats coming and going. It’s never the same”.

We hope you enjoyed meeting all these musicians and listening to their music. Now that you know some people in Southern Spain, we invite you to introduce them to your friends too by sharing this post with them.

Also, if these interviews have made you feel like discovering the many wonders described by these musicians, don’t hesitate to have a look at our immersive tours and travel experiences in Andalusia. We’ll be delighted to share with you the local essence of Southern Spain!

Learn more about our private tours of Andalusia